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

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

The Square plugin was super easy to use and fit most devices. The application is simple and adjustments were easy to make changes to. Paperless receipts are the best way to go about transactions.

Cons

The price was a little high for the software. Using the plugin had its disadvantages if you use a phone and that phone has a protective case. The application sometimes froze.

Alternatives Considered

Venmo

Reasons for Switching to Square for Retail

The popularity among companies meant ease of use.

Pros

User friendly platform to load your storefront with products. Present templates that are also customizable to your liking. Integration of an inventory model to track what you have left on hand.

Cons

Have a plan for your products of offering multiple size and/or color options before entering on the site. It's much harder to edit and change the categories once it's set. Know what your page intent is as well ahead of schedule.

Alternatives Considered

PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Venmo, PayPal Zettle and Samsung Pay

Reasons for Switching to Square for Retail

Added alternative means for my customers to pay and shop.

Pros

The ability to take Square from our main location, to mobile and take payment anywhere

Cons

Connectivity issues with WIFI occasionally

Pros

I love how easy everything is to setup and use. No crazy long instructions to try to figure out and there aren’t multiple steps for just one thing. So user friendly. Love that everything is in one. Checkout features, inventory, clocking, card processing everything. They offer so much more too than just what I use. Amazing!

Cons

The cost of hardware is kind of pricey but honest the value and quality is there so I can’t really complain!

Alternatives Considered

PayPal Commerce Platform and Clover

Reasons for Choosing Square for Retail

I felt like Square was more reliable.

Reasons for Switching to Square for Retail

Again, the overall quality, reviews, rates and great service.

Pros

This was one of the least expensive options for taking credit card payments at events. When we signed up we even got 1 credit card reader for free. (Note that you do need reader 1 fore android phones and 1 for iphones). It was very easy to sign up and we got our card readers very quickly. The software is easy to use. I like that you can have multiple users. Also, a lot of people recognize and trust square so they have no issues providing their cards for scanning.

Cons

We haven't used the service/software for a long enough time to encounter any major bugs. Some cards (older, worn down) have a harder time scanning than others but that is a card issue, not an issue with the scanner.

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 use this for 2 purposes, 1) for our synagogue's gift shop and sales 2) as an option for our members to submit their tithes and offerings. I have both the simple square reader that I can use from my iphone as well as the stabilized system that holds the ipad with the card swiper and chip reader attachment. It is just so easy to use. I also like that the funds are moved to our accounts with out me having to move it or request it to be moved. I also like that the fee is taken out first then the amount is deposited rather that the full amound being deposited and a fee taken out monthly. It just simplifies it.

Cons

I really don't have any complaints about it. I have used it before in my personal business and recommended it for the synagogue. There was a time that you would have had to invest in a credit card machine that was much more expensive. I am glad that something like square came along.

Pros

Square was very easy to navigate. It has many options to customize the software to fit any business’s needs. You can write a custom note about each transaction, making it easy to review the register at the end of the day.

Cons

I haven’t ran into any problems with the software. As a massage & wellness center, we often do events and need to take our ‘cash register’ with us. Square makes it easy using the same credit card reader for in house transactions or cell phones on the go. It is all tracked the same way.

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

Super easy to set up, easy to process payments, easy to generate receipts, and easy to track sales. Plus it's a very reasonable cost and lets you be much more accessible as a seller - no more juggling tons of loose cash!

Cons

It can sometimes be glitchy, and obviously only works if there's a good internet connection. I had some initial problems with my chip reader that forced me to hand-enter a lot of cards, which is time consuming. But on the plus side, that option exists for when there's a problem with the reader.

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

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

The thing that I liked most about this particular software is the fact that it makes it possible for you receive any form of payment no matter where you are. It's simply the epitome of convenience.

Cons

There were no cons with this particular software; and I can guarantee you that you would have an extremely hard time finding any as well.

Pros

Square for Retail adds a professional look to any small business. It helps raise the sales of your business while finding unique ways to reduce costs. It is a highly customizable app that can be tailored to the specific needs of your small business.

Cons

The only thing that I dislike is the processing fee payment structure that they offer. It is a bit higher than other platforms, but the convenience and ease-of-use of the platform makes it worth it.

Pros

I use Square almost daily for my coffee roasting company. Its easy to use, easy to train others to use, and easy to customize for my ever changing inventory.

Cons

Sometimes I wish the Square app had the same functionality as the Square website. For example, invoices are easier to work with on the web vs. working with them on the app. You can't print invoices from the app, yet you can from the web interface. Just little things like that. Not huge, but minor annoyances.

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

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

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.

Pros

The software is user friendly, quick and easy. I love their simple and straight forward layout. They literally contributed to my business growing!!!!

Cons

I can't think of any negative thing to say, except at the beginning I had some problems that turned out to do with poor internet connection.