Start at the beginning: How should I get started with Square?

[Dragons3]

We don't even have a smart phone or tablet (YET), but would like get some idea what works best with Square. We vend at renaissance festivals and street fairs, just a small business. Verizon has been a reliable cell provider for us for years, working everywhere we go.
Advice please!

[candlepins]

That’s very vague. What are you selling? Food? Pottery? Do items need to have modifiers? Access to electricity? Cash only? Inventory tracking?

[Dragons3]

Ocarina clay flutes, face painting, and artwork - that's what we sell. Ocarinas only at ren fests. Sometimes we have electricity, sometimes not. Inventory tracking not necessary. 
Cash (or checks) only is what we have been doing, but we've lost sales due to not taking credit cards. We are striving to become more technologically advanced!

[candlepins]

Ok, so it sounds like you don’t need a ticket printer or a cash box that automatically opens when you ring an order out, or a receipt printer (you can have customers email or text themselves a receipt.)

maybe what you need is just an iPad mini, the headphone jack adapter so you can take chipless cards, and the bluetooth chip reader that also takes contactless payment. And some sort of case for your iPad. You can still ring things up as cash and if your WiFi/hotspot goes down, you can still take payments. Would probably advise a travel charger if you’re working long days without a plug around. 

You can get away with using an iPod Touch, but it’s a little chintzy looking to a customer. 

[gdeandrade]

Hello! 

We have a getting started guide that could be helpful! You can access it here. There are videos and links to tutorials and explains what you need to do in order to get your account ready to go.

Gabby