Square for Retail Reviews

Pros

I love how it’s so easy to use and very user friendly. I have the Square Register which has a large screen for me and a small screen in the front for the customers transaction. It is easy to add inventory by name and barcode with the barcode scanner. You can set up alerts, and I can still use it for cash transactions. I have the cash drawer accessory so it opens as soon as soon as you complete cash sale. It is basically a very advanced and convenient cash register that isn’t large and bulky.

Cons

The price is a little steep for small businesses. You can get the system that requires an iPad but I didn’t see the point. If you don’t have an iPad you have to purchase that in addition. I settled for the standalone register.

Pros

The software is great to do all transactions, returns and exchanges. I like the fact that it prints a barcode at the bottom of the receipt so when a customer comes back for a return we just scan the bottom of the receipt and the transaction pops right up.

Cons

I end up getting the new square register in hope that it would act just like the retail app for the Ipad. The fact is that square won't update the new register. It has no exchange option like the Ipad app does and you end up needing to set up both the Ipad and register. Square has known about this issue for years now. You can see the complaints on the square forum page. Square also does not have a spot for barcodes so you end up having to put your barcodes in the sku spots. The loyalty point system also has some problems. When you do a return it doesn't automatically take points back from the customer account.

Alternatives Considered

Epos Now, Shopify POS and eHopper

Switched From

Epos Now, Shopify POS and eHopper

Reasons for Switching to Square for Retail

These other products lacked to many other features that I couldn't make the switch. It had a lot to do with the rewards program and the back office software.

Pros

The fee structure is lower than some, and they send first time users a free mag strip reader. That's really the only benefit I can see.

Cons

-You can't manage your account from your phone. Most options are grayed out and say "desktop required."
-Once I got to my desktop, the site was really buggy and hard to use. For instance, little black dialogue boxes telling what kind of info to put in each field hover over the space you actually need to type in when you do your account set-up. When you hit the "X" in the corner of the dialogue box that is blocking your view of the typing area, a full-screen pop-up asks "Are you sure you want to leave setup?" No, I don't want to leave setup, I just need this box out of the way. My first form that I filled out was full of typos, because I couldn't see the field to type in through the black dialogue boxes.
-Their customer service is REALLY bad. When I had trouble signing up for the free card reader, I used the WORST customer service bot I've ever seen. It just kept sending bursts of 3-5 messages with links to broken pages on their website based on key words before I could even fully type my question. Then the human customer service rep I chatted with wanted to add things to my cart for me and kept trying to assume the sale before actually addressing my problem.

Alternatives Considered

Clover

Pros

While keeping operation and inventory counts synced seems difficult, Square for Retail delivers a great experience

Cons

Maybe some discount when purchasing annual licenses would be appreciated, but overall the performance and ease of use is great

Pros

How simple it is to set up. You know exactly how much you are being charged. There is no hidden extra add ons. Square updated the os, so now if your customer wants to return 1 item and they purchased two, you just pull up the item and hit return.

Cons

Just make sure you do all the updates for square and os system for any pad you are using. We use an Ipad and it works great! Not much to not like.

Pros

The software is very easy to install. The pairing of the software with either the magstripe or the contactless reader is quite fast. Processing payments is a breeze and both readers can be used on the go or a set location.

Cons

I don’t have any problems with the software itself. It would be nice to have a better rate for card processing.

Alternatives Considered

ClinicSense, Quickbooks Online and PayPal Zettle

Reasons for Choosing Square for Retail

I was unsatisfied with the service and the fees paid

Reasons for Switching to Square for Retail

I liked the fact that there was not contract or installation fees. Also there is no monthly or retal fees. The equipment is inexpensive.

Pros

I enjoy easily keeping track of my customer's info, including the ability to create my own custom fields and also group customers. These features make it easy for me to note a history with a customer, aside from just their purchases. Grouping customers allows me to enter a location, find the group of customers there, and know everyones name as a result of this reference

Cons

I wish it were easier to transfer my client lest from other software, but thats the nature of software I guess.

Pros

I love how easy it was to start taking credit cards and to use Square as my POS. It syncs to my accounting software automatically and keeps track of all my products, invoices and charges.

Cons

There isn't an automatic section for shipping and I have to add it manually as its own category. Not sure why they haven't built this into their invoicing platform yet even though so many people have asked about this.

Pros

In the past I've used traditional forms of credit card accepting machines and software provided by my bank. Very expensive and cumbersome. Square has made accepting credit cards cost effective and very easy. The retail setup has made keeping inventory easy along with sorting out sales taxes. The advantage of using AP on phone when not in store is extremely helpful and again very easy to use.

Cons

No real cons, If I were to get picky I'd say initial set up takes a bit of time but nothing really worth complaining about.

Alternatives Considered

PayPal

Reasons for Choosing Square for Retail

Cost was much better with square, speed of deposits was better with Square and customer service is better with Square.

Reasons for Switching to Square for Retail

No one offered all that Square did for the price.

Pros

Square for Retail enables you to easily create an online eCommerce store, list your products, and sell them. It's quite simple to use, and this is perhaps what is the best reason to use Square. It is particularly useful for small businesses trying to build sales via social media and other online avenues. At the same time, it is useful for brick-and-mortar stores as well. While I use it for online sales, several of my colleagues use Square in their stores.

Cons

A big drawback is that Square (as of the writing of this review) is unable to process payments from outside the United States. Thus, if you anticipate worldwide sales, Square may not be the best solution for your business. A second drawback is that it can be difficult to reach a live customer service representative. Unlike most companies, in which one simply phones in for service, Square requires that you first create a trouble ticket (at which point you will be assigned a case number). You then use the case number when phoning customer service. It's not horrible but in today's business world it's kind of annoying and time consuming. Square also lacks live online help, which is another downside.

Pros

I like the ability to transfer inventory from one store to another. I like the ability to have employees clock-in/clock-out to keep track of pay and what items a specific employee sells. I like the ability to adjust quantities from the app instead of just the dashboard.

Cons

I don't like that I can't view another store's inventory from the app. Very often, I find myself saying, "We don't have that in-stock here, but I know it's in-stock at our other location." It'd be very helpful to be able to type in an item and view quantity in-stock for all locations. I also HATE that there are not "tickets" available anymore. I own a music store that offers instrument repairs and we also have special orders. For instrument repairs - the amount is variable depending on what needs done and I also notate the transaction with the instrument type, brand, serial number - what parts were used, and what was done under the "Quantity and Notes" section. I don't want to have to look up that information and type into a transaction with the customer standing at the register. In the other app, I could do all of that when no one was in the store and save it as a ticket. Then when they come into the store, all I had to do was pull up the ticket and they were good to go. Same with special orders. I don't want to add inventory into Square, assign it a price, add the SKU, put it into a category, set the quantity, etc., if I'm not going to STOCK the item. So for special orders, I like to just type in the information under "Custom Amount," but I do like to notate the transaction under "Quantity and Notes" with the title and SKU so I can look back and see what it was. I don't want to do that typing when a customer arrives, so I prefer to save it as a ticket. Now I can't do that.

Pros

If you are in an outdoor recreational type of business, Square works well because it does not require internet to complete a transactions. It's buffering capabiity provides 72 hours of time between a transaction and when it must be connected to the internet to "send" the transaction . This allowed us work near a riverbank where internet was not available and still accept credit cards. This was hugely important.

Cons

On one occasion, we had a transaction which billed double on the customer's credit card yet we only received payment once. Her bank directed her to us. Square's customer service was dismal. I ended up just eating the $150 transaction vs. attempting to work with them. Had I used a local bank, I think this would have been resolved with much more ease.

Pros

I really like how sleek, modern, and clean this method for receiving payment works. It has a very modern GUI, with large clear numbers and values as opposed to the majority of credit card readers that have much more pixelated appearances and significantly smaller font sizes in comparison. Also, the ease of the option of signing when required with a finger on a touchscreen device is better than the alternatives available today such as signing with a physical pen or a stylus for digital screens. These features save time at checkout which in turn increases efficiency, and as my time is very valuable to me, I greatly appreciate these factors that contribute to the ease of use.

Cons

While there is not much to dislike, I have noticed that sometimes cards are not read as easily with this software at times. While this is perhaps more a function of the hardware used to swipe or scan credit or debit cards, I have noted a bit of a trend with this when using Square with certain cards while performing with other card types have been flawless. This makes me suspicious if it is related to a software issue. Otherwise, I have no complaints about Square.

Pros

The most favorable feature in using square is its simplicity. In less than 10 minutes I was all set up with full understanding of how the software worked. It was quick and clean and practically effortless. When I was all finished I couldn’t believe it I said “ wow, really? That’s it? I’m done?” Great interface with extremely user-friendly and modern design.

Cons

I honestly have no complaints. I have yet to run into any bugs or performance issues. Which, when there’s money involved is hard to come across and a very crucial detail. I had to speak with an operator one time and that was a fault entirely of my own and was user-friendly and convenient. He was helpful and the issue was rectified within minutes. Sorry but really can’t say a bad thing yet.

Pros

I can keep my sales, products, and inventory in one place. No problems every occur when using. Great software which helps me keep our business organized.

Cons

I haven't encountered any problems. Everything is working efficiently like it should. It even gives suggestions.

Alternatives Considered

PayPal Invoicing

Reasons for Switching to Square for Retail

Better consumer reviews

Pros

Both interfaces are very easy to use. There are many features to make your business look professional, like sending receipts via email and text and asking for feedback after a transaction. Adding line items is very easy, which is convenient for businesses that are changing prices or items frequently.

Cons

As much as I love this product it could definitely still use some tweaking. The biggest complaint is the fact that you are forced to buy multiple card readers for your iPad because they stop reading cards after a while which subsequently forces you to enter the card manually which you are then charged more money for.

Pros

Running a hire company, receiving payments on delivery is required on a daily, the square system is amazing can keep in your pocket and works every time. build quality is important it’s been dropped a few times and still works fine, also charge life is awesome, only needs charging every few months!

Cons

Fees, but you get fees with any eftpos option, bonus here is no monthly fee

Pros

I love that I do not need any other applications to manage my payments and inventory. I have everything at my finger tips with this application.

Cons

I know some people complain about the service charges. 2.6% plus $.10 per transaction at the time of this review.

Pros

Its very simple to use and train new employees on. Reports are easy to run and can get most data that you need. Allows you to communicate with customers.
They are continuing evolving and adding new features.

Cons

Wish there was a way to take a deposit for future orders (placed online or on the phone) so the sales are applied to the date they are picked not the day we take the payment. For advance orders, available pick up times are based on your hours of operations. Wish we could limit that depending on what is being ordered.

Pros

We have used Square in our retail location for over 2 years now. We also utilize the system for mobile sales. We love being able to use one system for both. Square doesn't require extensive training and is self explanatory.

Cons

I would love to be able to text our customers to broadcast announcements, sales, etc. This is currently not an option which requires us to have additional third party software.

Pros

This feature is amazing, it takes a little time to set up, but time well invested. I no longer spend my days counting inventory, just look on the system and current count of all products right there.

Cons

cant say any cons here. We are a water sports concession. Offering hats, sunscreen, phone dry bags etc

Pros

Inexpensive to buy! Swipers are free and chip readers are only 49.00. Square is easy to use in store or out of store. Processing fees are the lowest I've found anywhere.

Cons

Make sure you use a tablet thats fast. Don't buy a cheap tablet of 30.00. pay upward of 75.00 other wise its very slow.

Pros

Easy to implement and can use on multiple devices. Can also accept multiple forms of payment and not restrict clients to only paying cash.

Cons

Occasionally have difficulty getting software to connect with internet to process cards and the chip/contactless reader will sometimes not want to connect to the device.

Pros

We love the ease of use for both us and the client. We used to have to wait for payment via check and sometimes we'd have to follow up with clients for months without getting paid. Now when our technicians are wrapped up in the field.. they have the client pay instantly using their mobile phones with card reader. No more waiting for payments!

Cons

Square is a great software and clients trust it. There is nothing that is negative about Square. Love it.

Pros

Along with the square credit card reader, I’m easily able to accept payments from my customers in person. I love that this is integrated with my Etsy shop. I’m easily able to charge for specific products, update my inventory when making a sale, and still keep track of the transaction inside my Etsy account.

Cons

The only thing I don’t particularly like is the up charge for accessing funds immediately, but I can usually wait the couple of days to get paid and it’s not a big deal.