Best Convenience Store POS Systems for 2021

POS Nation was one of the few convenience store systems we looked at that included fuel management. Its age-verification included the ability to ID scan. It has strong inventory features, including tracking for individual items or cases, plus programmable discounts and deli management tools. In addition, it has CRM tools to track buying patterns and create targeted promotions. It’s one of the best-priced since it includes hardware. Plus, users give it high marks for ease of use and features.

POS Nation scored a 4.69 out of 5. It maxed out our evaluation of its back-office features and scored high for all other categories. It lost points because it charges for customer support after the first three months, as well as for cloud backup. Overall, however, it’s an excellent and affordable system.

Even though it lacks fuel monitoring, Korona is a strong option for a c-store POS system. Its flat-rate pricing includes service, installation, and hardware, making it a great choice for small businesses or those on a tight budget. Korona offers strong inventory features, including product sales tracking, demand forecasting, and purchase order functions. Its cash tracking includes “blind drop” so employees cannot see their tendered cash drop before counting the money in their drawer, which can help prevent employee theft. Customer service is excellent, and users praise the interface and support.

In our evaluation, Korona scored a 4.54 out of 5. It lost points for not having integrated fuel management. However, it maxed out in customer support and ease-of-use. You need to purchase your own hardware and payment processor.

While IT Retail was designed for grocers, it offers a lot for convenience stores, including a feature-rich inventory system, employee management tools, and age verification. The touch screen is customizable to make sales quicker, and users praise the program for ease of use. IT Retail also has features to help you reduce employee theft.

IT Retail has solid scores in every category, earning it a 4.31 out of 5 overall. Lack of fuel monitoring is a downside, of course. It’s also more expensive as the hardware starts at $2,000 per lane. However, it may work with your existing hardware. It does not send out purchase orders but organizes inventory reorders into a report you can use when creating orders.

CStore Essentials is a back-office POS program with strong cash, employee, and inventory features. If tobacco sales are a big part of your profits, then CStore Essentials may be your best choice. Its plans offer tobacco reporting and rebates for multi-packs. It’s also the only system that included employee payroll as part of its program.

CStore Essentials scores a 3.88 out of 5. Because this is a back-office system, it loses some points because you need to purchase POS registers. Users also said it was not as easy as other POS software, and live customer service is only available during business hours (Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central time).

LS Forecourt is made for busy gas stations. As such, we think it’s the best convenience store POS system for fuel management. Cashiers can easily manage pumps from approval to shutdowns from their register, and managers can track fuel inventory levels. You can manage employees through staff permissions and time-tracking. It includes lottery and age verification features. The backend is powered by Microsoft Dynamics 365 for customer resource management and inventory.

LS Forecourt scored a 3.78 out of 5. It is well-rated for ease-of-use and features but did not score as highly for specific functions such as cash management. You need to purchase its hardware. LS Forecourt does not list pricing, although users say it is a good value for the money.