Square Register Thoughts

[WiltonPizzeria]

Here are  my thoughts on the new register so far.

Right now, it's not worth the price tag. I think, in the future, it will be worth that price tag.  At this moment, it's a stripped down Android device in a very beautiful case. I had been using the ipad/square stand setup until now and right off the bat I lost the ability to print online orders and reprint order tickets. These are both functions that we utilize quite a bit. Now I have to use a really clunky workaround of just printing a receipt.  I posted about this issue a few days ago and just today got a response back from Square that the remote order printing is not going to happen for quite a while and the reprinting of order tickets may happen in a release in the future.
Customers are impressed with the prettiness of the new register and think it looks very fancy. I like the customer facing display. My employees really like the customer facing display, because tips have increased about 3 fold.

I have no patience on waiting for new technology, that's why I ordered this register not long after the option was there to order it. I tried to get Square to give me a deal on the new register (I run a few hundred transactions through their machines every week), I thought maybe they could cut me a deal. Nope.

If I could have a do-over, I would've waited at least 6 months before getting this thing. It's just not anything fabulous yet. It seems to be an Android based register/tablet, without the ability to use it as a tablet.

[Kpay]

Hi @WiltonPizzeria - I appreciate you writing up your thoughts about the new Register. This feedback is crucially important to share with our Register team since they’re actively looking at how to improve it. I’m sure it will also help some other sellers make a decision about whether the new Register is right for them.

Glad that your employees and customers are enjoying the new look, and that your employee tips have increased with the customer-facing display. I know it’s less than ideal to lose functionality on a new piece of technology so I apologize for that. Part of getting a new piece of technology is that it should be new and improved (and exciting!) and it seems like we missed the mark here for you, at least with Register’s feature set right now.

I can understand the frustrations you noted about receipt printing and online orders, and I wanted to let you know that reprinting receipts is on the way. We can’t share timelines on feature implementations, but the Register team is working hard to make improvements we hear from business owners like you.

Do you have any suggestions for how we can share feature changes in new releases with you and other sellers in the future?

Thanks again for your honest feedback.

[WiltonPizzeria]

Reprinting receipts is not what I'm looking for. I'm looking to reprint order tickets. That's a point that needs to be clarified.  I can already reprint receipts.

A nice popup on the register screen when you have changed something significantly would be very worthwhile.

[pessosices]

Hey @WiltonPizzeria - I get the frustation of not being able to use the Square Register for Online Orders. Although in the end, we actually prefer our solution - we have one of our old tablets set up dedicated solely for our Online Orders. We mounted it to the wall by our pickup and order-prep counter so it's out of the way of our regular Register and taking care of our in-store customers, but you could also use a regular stand or the Square Stand. It's working really well so far! We prefer it to having to use the same register for both in-store and online orders.

Hope that works for you!

[WiltonPizzeria]

Yeah. That doesn't work for me. I was merely stating that I expected that something I paid $1000 for would work at least as well as the 3 year old device it was replacing. I've come up with a workaround, but I should not have had to.

[pessosices]

That's fair - I just don't see it as "not working as well" but rather as having a different function. An iPad can also run other apps like Safari and your Calendar Reminders, along with other Square apps like Retail and Appointments, along a whole bunch of other things, but the Square Register is built for a specific purpose. As of now the Square Register is not built for Remote Orders, just like it's not built for Square Appointments.

[WiltonPizzeria]

I would counter that for 1000 dollars the Square Register should be built for all the functionality that Square has to offer. I have seen the iPad app morph in to a lot more than it was when we first started using it about three years ago. I expect the same from the register. 

[pessosices]

That is absolutely something you can and should expect from the register - That morphing took time, and so will this. This is a brand new piece of equipment that completely changes how the software works, and the software will morph and grow and develop just like it did on the iPad. I've been using Square since 2012, and following the company since it's inception, and have seen how it's grown and shaped and developed into all of the functionality it is now. The Square Register is another product that will grow into a lot more functionality it has now, if not all of the functionality it has to offer.

If you decide to start a new product line in your pizzeria, it's not going to be perfect on Day 1. You'll learn based on what customers are saying, based on how you taste and try it out, and you'll perfect it. They will perfect this too.

[nateowens]

I am surprised the appointments module isn’t available on the register. That seems like a simple decision to include it. 

[WiltonPizzeria]

For the pricetag, it is definitely missing a lot of key (and basic) features...

[Chad]

Hello @nateowens, we are working on adding Square Appointments to Square Register. Although, I do not have a time frame for when it will be available.

[WiltonPizzeria]

And, why are you defending less functionality as a virtue. It doesn't have different functionality, it has less functionality.

[pessosices]

I'm defending it as a stepping stone. It has some things that the iPad app cannot and will not, and it is missing some things that the iPad app does have. It will grow, it will advance. It's brand new. Bringing up issues to be constructive is great and needs to be done for feedback to help a product grow, bringing up issues to complain about them and be angry about them doesn't help nearly as much.

[ellasolive]

@pessosices

thank you again for sharing your thoughts on the register. As I mentioned in a string of comments " New Square Register Review", I am starting up a new business, gift/packaged foods, and still wrestleing with the decision of Register vs. Stand and perhaps Square overall, I have about 300-400 skus, its not a very complex business, need to be able to check out customers fairly quickly during the busy hrs. Seems like square is ideal for fast food/restaurant type of business. Any words of advice here on Register vs. Stand, and Square overall as suitable for this type of business? Also, how many products can add on the matrix per category in the register? Thanks

[Kpay]

@ellasolive, @pessosices can definitely speak to the experience of using Square Register vs. Square Stand. 

Just a guess based on your name - do you have an olive oil business? If so, I also wanted to loop in @sciabica1936 as he runs an olive oil retail store using Square Point of Sale with Square Stands, and may be able to give you some good feedback on how it works for him. 

[ellasolive]

 @sciabica1936 @pessosices @Kpay

That would be great, and it is an olive oil/vinegar/gourmet packaged food and gift business, i have been using square for remote events, which has worked out great for me, but now starting up a retail operation, thus are all the questions, so if anyone is using square for this type of business and can provide some advice that would be great, thanks

[pessosices]

Great question, @ellasolive!

I definitely think you could easily run your business on Square! There are a lot of tools and systems in place that are great for small businesses both food service and retail!

There's a lot of factors in deciding whether to go with the Square Stand or Square Register. 

There is no limit to the number of items you can sell on Square. As many as you want!

In terms of how many you can fit on each page of tiles - On the Square Stand (or just using an iPad) you can get 25 image tiles per page. On Square Register you can use this same style, or you can switch from image tiles to text tiles, and get 3 more per page. I don't remember off-hand if there's a limit to the number of pages. I think it used to be 5 pages and now you can do more? I need to double check.

You mention SKUs - do you use a barcode scanner? That would definitely help speed up your checkout - and would work whether you use an iPad or the Register. This way you don't have to remember which item is on which page, just scan and it pops up!

 
Have you looked into Square Retail? The big benefit of Retail that I can see helping you is the advanced Inventory management. Another plus is that you can use the front end of it on the iPad or you can just use the Backend features on either an iPad or the Register, and still run the traditional Square POS software to get the regular tile system - which is what a lot of businesses do.

So really, you're going to be good with either the iPad, Stand, or Register - it's all about which smaller features work best for you and your business. We're all in on the Square Register and love it, but we have a couple of iPad laying around for a couple of other things!

Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any more questions!

[ellasolive]

@pessosices @Kpay

Thank you again for your reply. Re: USB bar code scanner, can someone confirm if this will work with the Register? When I look at the description given for this scanner, it states that it works with Stand only. Also, can someone confirm how many product grids are available with the register, and how many products can be placed in the grid with the register per page. It is my understanding that the register can only run POS software and not Pos for retail, if this the case, then can I just run the POS for retail on the back end? 

[pessosices]

@ellasolive

Here is the list of compatible hardware with the Square Register: 

On the square Register you can choose to have either 25 items on each grid page in Image Tiles, or 28 items on each grid page in Text Tiles.

Yes, the Register can only run the POS software on the front end. Yes, you can activate the Retail Software to use the extra features just on the back end on your Dashboard.

[DaoDeJing]

@pessosices, frankly, it appears you're defending it. I think the main point being made is that it seems to be lacking very fundamental functions for what is supposedly an upgraded, premium product. Of course it will develop and add funcitonality as time goes on, but frankly I'm in agreement with the original poster and astonished that Square would put out something so bare-bones.

[pessosices]

@DaoDeJing 

I'm the first one to say that it is absolutely not perfect and it is absolutely lacking certain features, and has plenty of bugs - many of which have already been worked out.

I guess I just disagree as to what counts as "fundamental functions" and "bare-bones." It is a product built for a certain purpose, and it does that purpose well.

Just because it is a product by Square and costs more doesn't mean it should necessarily be able to run every single product in the wide library of Square products that are built for a wide variety of purposes for a wide variety of business types.

My business isn't built for Appointments, so I don't want or need a Register that is built for Appointments.
My business isn't built for Retail, so I don't want or need a Register that is built for Retail.

I want a Register that is built for my business, which is what Square Register is. For me, the features and form factor that is has, are worth the price for me. If it's not for your business, then it's not for your business. That doesn't mean it's not a good device.

For me, and my business, it's perfect, and that's all I'm saying.