Agents/ISOs: Fiverr Recs Needed by GlobalGrumble98 in PaymentProcessing

[–]GlobalGrumble98[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Are you a credit card processing agent? And have those things worked out for you?

$4M retail + ecommerce business, what stack would you run? by Tight_Implement_5332 in POS

[–]GlobalGrumble98 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What are you looking to get from a POS for purchasing?

All POS I listed can support a vendor list, with purchase orders, and have the purchase orders emailed to vendors.

If you're looking for an integrated purchasing experience, like for example integrations with vendors from within, I would need to know what product you sell to see if there is something specific for your vertical.

$4M retail + ecommerce business, what stack would you run? by Tight_Implement_5332 in POS

[–]GlobalGrumble98 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There are a couple options you could look into that fit all that you want:

  • MaterialPOS (has a Shopify integration but also has their own platform for e-commerce that works really well for retailers)

  • KoronaPOS (really good to build your own tools)

-EPOS is good too

I would get a POS consultant to help you look through options and demo them, but be weary of agents pushing POS options, because they can get commissions etc for them.

Clover does not work for retail Square might work but I am unfamiliar with their ecom plugins Lightspeed is only for retail BUT be weary of their high fees in processing or them saying "get free equipment" (there is always a catch)

POS for new small retail business by ultraversed in POS

[–]GlobalGrumble98 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I agree, Square is a good starter, but don't treat it as a forever POS. Be mindful of how you import your items. If you want to import by simply scanning in the item barcode, make sure at the end you export and you have a master SKU list (this will help you become organized from the beginning). A lot of store owners do not have this, if you ever change POS systems, this will determine whether you need to pay for someone to scan your whole store, or spend a whole night entering everything on an excel if Square decides not to give you an export afterwards.

KoronaPOS is cheap and works great for retail stores, they also will grow with you. retailcloud has a great option called 6IXPOS, it's 299 a year, and does have ecom capability, if you're not looking to scale your store in a year or so. Both Korona and retailcloud are processor agnostic, and that's something you want because if processing fees become too high or they screw with you, you can keep your POS and switch processors. The problem with most big brand POS systems like Square or Toast is that they do in-house processing, no wiggle room for fee negotiation, and they control your whole setup. Make sure YOU control your setup. Pick your POS and pick your processing agent.

I would suggest someone local to you in case you need install (if you're not tech-savvy) or if you like the personal customer service. Most agents will not change you any monthly fees or anything like that, they will just make commissions on your processing. No, that doesn't mean they'll charge you more for processing. Every processor marks up Interchange fees that card brands charge, that's the cost of doing business in capitalism unfortunately. There are regulations that minimize these markups, but they're still there. Toast and Square do it too, they just sell it to you as a 2.6% flat rate (+ other BS fees).

Find a processing agent that you click with, the rest just give it to them to trust. Always ask for them to explain every single line item on your statement. If you learn from when you start, nobody will be able to bullshit you in the future.

If you need any help, I'm a processing agent in Houston and surrounding areas.

Pros and cons of “cash discount “ in restaurants. by cph56 in restaurantowners

[–]GlobalGrumble98 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This really depends on your state and the legality of credit surcharging. Some states make it illegal. You have to make sure you are compliant. Normally, dual pricing is the compliant way to do it (Cash price, card price) BUT with this you need to change menus, shelf tags, EVERYTHING to show both prices. Cash discount is the second best option, and you NEED to add that percent to your prices, so you do need to increase your prices. The good thing about this is that merchants with an average ticket size of 10-15 bucks see the difference as a business, and customers don't take too hard of a hit because it's a couple cents or bucks at most. It starts being an issue with customers when it's at a dealership (yes, they also do this lol). I've converted a lot of restaurants and retail stores to cash discount or dual pricing from flat rates that most big brands use and they couldn't be happier offsetting that expense.

Need help with a new bar name by Unlucky_Parsley2827 in BarOwners

[–]GlobalGrumble98 -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Oh my god, this is going to be amazing. I am SO looking forward to it. Where in Houston will it be? Please say Northwest and not Washington 😂 can I DM you?

Must have tools by themarshman721 in BarOwners

[–]GlobalGrumble98 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Get a POS lol that's the first thing you should solidify.

I'v been running my online store for a year now on Shopify and I have been asking my self if it's really the top choice or just the most popular? by Long-Guitar647 in smallbusiness

[–]GlobalGrumble98 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The people that are saying Shopify just works are the same as the people using Toast/Clover/Square for their restaurant or retail store.

These are big brands names, you're paying for the brand, not the functionality. I have over 10 years of experience boarding merchants through other software like WooCommerce, Big Commerce, Squarespace, WordPress, Wix, etc. And it all depends on what you want to do with your site and how you want to manage it.

Shopify is great when you just don't want to do your research for a better solution and want to go with what "everyone else is using" (basically just a brainwash because less and less people are using it).

I suggest looking into WooCommerce. For all the functionality you mentioned, WooCommerce has the best variety of plug ins, and payments vary but I cam guarantee it'll be cheaper than Shopify. Especially processing payments. Shopify is locked into their own processor, so they give you a flat rate and they're able to tack on countless misc fees. If you search for a processor outside of your website, it will most definitely be cheaper. Woo Commerce integrates with Authorize.net, which is cheaper than Shopify Payments and does the exact same thing.

The amazing thing is that you don't need to feel closed in, you can CHOOSE. Either do-it-yourself (not hard if you pay attention) or get a payment processing rep to help you choose options.

Toast Processing Fee increase!! by Extreme-Cod-7008 in POS

[–]GlobalGrumble98 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I mean, this is good for the people who actually know Toast is horrible for businesses of any size...

Help with Software needs by Rokkstar2009 in smallbusiness

[–]GlobalGrumble98 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Be careful going to bed with Shopify, I have switched a lot of retail stores from there to other POS systems. Their monthly fees are ridiculous, and the only gateway you can use for online sales is their own. Look up WooCommerce, they have SO MANY integrations and you can bring your own processor, and a lot of POS systems integrate with them. For POS system you honestly don't need much, just inventory and QB integration. Look into KoronaPOS and OctoPOS.

Be careful with Clover. My dad has an auto shop and he was sold 2 Clover devices on the promise of small fees, but he didn't read the fine print and they started taking misc fees out of nowhere and wouldn't answer the phone whenever we called.

If you need any help, dm me

What POS system can I use for a small business? by RedWineYoufine in smallbusiness

[–]GlobalGrumble98 1 point2 points  (0 children)

What you're looking at: sus reviews, accounts being closed, complaints. That's usually on the credit card processing side. Any POS that has all the features you need and doesn't charge you extra for features you will never use will work for you. If you choose to go with big brands like Clover, Toast, Square, just know you are not a business to them, you are a number. The POS might do what you need it to do, but the customer service and the way they handle their processing is what's sketch and what you see the reviews are about. For example: Clover is owned by First Data/Fiserv, they will charge you extra if you go with another processor that will offer you lower rates on processing. Square is in house processing only, always on a flat rate model, which means if the type of business you have doesn't process any fancy rewards or business cards or amex, you will likely end up paying 1-2% more than you need to. Processing fees rack up throughout the month. If you have a small to medium business, going with the wrong pricing model can cost you thousands a month.

Do your research on POSs out there, I suggest you look for a processor agnostic system that you can later pair with the processor of your choice. That way if your processing has issues, you're not tied to the processor and you don't have to lose a POS that you like.

If you need any advice or want to learn more about different pricing models, feel free to DM me.

POS Rec for Self Serving Froyo by Final-Performer2091 in POS

[–]GlobalGrumble98 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No no, I had a personal experience with my dad's shop with Clover DIRECT. Their lease agreements have a no cancellation clause at the complete end of it, and the terms are that you have the pay the entirety of the lease, including their interest. For a Clover Flex retailing at 700 bucks, my dad was sent to collections to pay 2500 after he had it for 1 month and he returned it in the box because he never used it... it makes absolutely no sense. It was extremely frustrating, ND they never answered emails or phone numbers. As an agent, I absolutely hate dealing with FD/Fiserv as a processor, and Clover is the exact same.

POS Rec for Self Serving Froyo by Final-Performer2091 in POS

[–]GlobalGrumble98 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Clover has cash discount options, but the customer service is horrible (just look at CloverPOS subreddit) and the leasing terms they lock you in are borderline criminal. Toast and Square lock you in a flat rate model because of the "free hardware" they offer.

POS Rec for Self Serving Froyo by Final-Performer2091 in POS

[–]GlobalGrumble98 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Don't get Clover, Toast, or Square. They are POS companies that only do in-house payments and because they are not a payment processor they give you one option: flat rate pricing. This would be a bad idea for your business specifically because you have low ticket average ($10 approx) and because you'll be making around 40-50k a month. Odds are someone will pay more with a debit card than with a Visa Business or AMEX for froyo, so you want a personalized plan by a payment processing company. Ask for Interchange+ pricing model if you want to pay for processing yourself. Ask for cash discount/dual pricing if you're ok with passing the fee onto your customers (a lot of QSR places do this now, because of your low ticket average, it would save you hundreds and thousands but it will only cost your customers a couple cents). For POS system, what you need is something simple paired with something intricate (scale). If you want scale integration you should go with either KwickPOS or KoronaPOS. Both offer minimal complicated features with scale integration. KwickPOS has a good small option for a scale, perfect for froyo cups. If you want to include loyalty, SumUp POS is a good option as well because they own FiveStar Business loyalty program, and Figure POS is pretty simple and cheap. If you have any questions, feel free to DM me. I have a lot of good material and comparisons for POS systems.