Convenience stores have unique needs that cannot always be fulfilled with a standard retail POS system. Your store point-of-sale software should be able to handle food management, fuel, and gas pump monitoring and sales, age verification, and even food orders. We considered the best POS systems that meet the needs of convenience stores.
The best convenience store POS systems are:
- POS Nation: Best overall convenience store POS system
- Korona POS: Best for budget-minded stores that don’t have to worry about gas sales
- IT Retail: Best for stores concerned about security and theft protection
- CStore Essentials: Best for tobacco sales
- LS Forecourt: Best for gas station convenience stores
Top Convenience POS Systems Compared
POS Nation | Korona POS | IT Retail | CStore Essentials | LS Forecourt | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pricing | $99 per terminal, per month | $49—$59 per terminal, per month | $79 + per terminal, per month | $59—$89 per terminal, per month | Custom |
Free trial | N/A | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | N/A |
Hardware included | ✔ | ✔ | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Fuel sales | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | N/A |
Lottery ticket sales | ✔ | N/A | N/A | ✔ | ✔ |
Age Verification | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Deli/kitchen orders | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Looking for something different? Check out our picks for the best overall POS systems for small businesses.
How We Evaluated POS Systems
We examined 10 of the leading retail and convenience POS systems in detail. To make the cut, we looked for fuel sales, lottery ticket sale management, and age verification (for tobacco and liquor sales). POS systems need at least two of the three to compete in our evaluation. Next, we examined the checkout, inventory, and employee management features.
Overall, POS Nation proved to be the best POS system for convenience stores. With a score of 4.7 out of 5, it excelled in features and ease of use. It offers age-verification tools, robust inventory functions, and good employee management.
Rubric Scoring Breakdown:
10% of Overall Score
In addition to overall affordability, we looked at features like setting up discounts, integrated payment processing, and the number of allowed transactions for the plan.
35% of Overall Score
The ability to take contactless payments was a must. Here, we also looked for fuel and lotto sales, age verification, and online ordering.
20% of Overall Score
We looked at how well the system could track cash, inventory, and employee activity, with features from time tracking to automatic reordering.
15% of Overall Score
POS systems are bound to break at the oddest times, so we favored 24/7 live support. We also looked for offline modes.
20% of Overall Score
In addition to our expert evaluation of the features, we looked at the “experts in the field”—people who use the software—by reading reviews from reputable sites like Capterra, G2, and SoftwareAdvice.com, as well as our own readers’ reviews.
POS Nation
PROS
- Hardware included
- Initial 24/7 support and training included
- Scan IDs for age verification
CONS
- Worldpay processing agreement required
- 24/7 technical support costs $39.99/month after the first three months
RATING CRITERIA | Pricing & Setup | 4.5 | OUT OF | 5 |
Sales & Checkout | 4.63 | OUT OF | 5 | |
Back Office | 5 | OUT OF | 5 | |
Ease of Use | 4.13 | OUT OF | 5 | |
Expert Score | 5 | OUT OF | 5 |
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.
POS Nation Pricing
- Software fees: $99 per month or $999 one-time fee; support is free for the first three months; then $39.99 for premium support
- Hardware costs: PC, receipt printer, scanner, cash drawer, chip card reader included in the monthly fee
- Processing fees: Must use Worldpay
Standout Features
- Scan IDs for age verification or have the cashier manually verify age.
- Easy to use.
- Program low-stock alerts, send invoices, receive and record inventory all in the same program.
- Manage employees with clock-in/clock-out, staff permission, and reports.
- Programmable discounts, including built-in discounting for cash purchases if desired.
Korona POS
PROS
- Flat rate pricing at $49 per month, per terminal
- 24/7 phone support
- Automatic calculation of order levels according to sales history and season
CONS
- No fuel management functions
- No employee scheduling
RATING CRITERIA | Pricing & Setup | 4 | OUT OF | 5 |
Sales & Checkout | 4.13 | OUT OF | 5 | |
Back Office | 5 | OUT OF | 5 | |
Ease of Use | 5 | OUT OF | 5 | |
Expert Score | 4.75 | OUT OF | 5 |
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.
Korona Pricing
- Software and hardware fees: $49 per month, per terminal
- Additional Features: $59 per month includes advanced inventory
- Processing fees: Choose your own payment processor; Korona integrates with almost every popular merchant service account
Korona Standout Features
- Reorder calculations take into account promotions and season history automatically
- Installation and 24/7 support included
- Full-featured inventory: bar code scanning and creation, product breakdowns and mix-and-matching, low stock alerts, shelf tag printing, bulk import, vendor shipment tracking, and easy shipment receiving
- Anti-theft features include customizable back office access, void restrictions, forced drawer closing, blind balance drops, and more
IT Retail
PROS
- Theft monitoring
- Sell and track inventory by grouping (ex. cases) or individual items
- Age verification
CONS
- No fuel sales features
- Hardware starts at $2,000 per lane
RATING CRITERIA | Pricing & Setup | 3.25 | OUT OF | 5 |
Sales & Checkout | 4.13 | OUT OF | 5 | |
Back Office | 4.75 | OUT OF | 5 | |
Ease of Use | 4.25 | OUT OF | 5 | |
Expert Score | 4.75 | OUT OF | 5 |
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.
IT Retail Pricing
- Software fees: Call for quote. (For comparison: IT Retail for grocery stores starts at $79 per month).
- Hardware costs: Call for a quote, but starts around $2,000 per lane. You may be able to use existing hardware.
- Processing fees: Choose your own payment processor.
IT Retail Standout Features
- Inventory functions include low-stock alerts, easy order receiving, bottle deposits, and more
- Set up automated promotions and discounts
- The system analyzes each transaction for theft and alerts you to suspicious activity
- Online ordering through ecommerce feature
- In-person training on location (additional fee)
CStore Essentials
PROS
- Employee payroll system included
- Handles lottery, fuel, liquor, and tobacco sales
- Excellent inventory functions
CONS
- Live customer support during business hours only
- Primarily back-office functions
RATING CRITERIA | Pricing & Setup | 3.5 | OUT OF | 5 |
Sales & Checkout | 3.75 | OUT OF | 5 | |
Back Office | 5 | OUT OF | 5 | |
Ease of Use | 2.25 | OUT OF | 5 | |
Expert Score | 4.38 | OUT OF | 5 |
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).
CStore Essentials Pricing
- Software fees: $59 per month, per store (Store Operations Standard) or $89 per month, per store (Tobacco Loyalty Plus).
- Hardware costs: Purchase own equipment, plus a $75 kit to connect your POS system to the program housed on your computer.
- Processing fees: Choose your own payment processor.
CStore Essentials Standout Features
- Lottery, fuel, tobacco, and liquor sales capability, including age verification
- Full employee payroll, including the ability to print checks (No Direct Deposit)
- Rebate programs for reporting tobacco sales:
- RJR Scan Data Reporting Program
- PM USA Scan Data Incentive Program
- USSTC Scan Data Incentive Program
- PM USA AOM Scan Data Incentive Program
LS Forecourt
PROS
- All-in-one system
- Easy-to-use fuel monitoring and control functions
- Lotto and alcohol sales features
CONS
- Needs LS Forecourt hardware
- No online ordering features
RATING CRITERIA | Pricing & Setup | 3.25 | OUT OF | 5 |
Sales & Checkout | 3.63 | OUT OF | 5 | |
Back Office | 4.5 | OUT OF | 5 | |
Ease of Use | 2.25 | OUT OF | 5 | |
Expert Score | 4.75 | OUT OF | 5 |
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.
LS Forecourt Pricing
Contact LS Retail about pricing. LS Forecourt offers three systems—LS Central, LS One, and LS First—plus business intelligence, payment processing, and other programs. It also has its own hardware but can work on mobile for management functions.
LS Forecourt Standout Features
- Cashiers have complete control of the pumps to authorize, pause, stop, and lock/unlock them. They can log drive-aways or refund money for prepays.
- In addition to full product inventory, LS Forecourt has wet inventory management for fueling, which includes automatic reorders.
- Offline mode lets you keep going even if the internet is down.
- Age-verification features for alcohol and tobacco sales
Bottom Line
Convenience store POS systems combine the best of a retail POS in product and customer management with additional features for food and fuel as well as special sales like lottery tickets, tobacco, and alcohol. The five we list above will serve most convenience stores well, but we found POS Nation to be the best for the busy c-store with gas pumps. Check out POS Nation and make checkouts easier for your staff and customers.
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