How to choose a POS for a liquor or convenience store: 10 questions to ask

The right POS for a liquor or convenience store handles the things that are specific to your counter (EBT, CRV, ID checks and multi-buy deals), shows you your costs and sales without extra work, and comes from a company that answers the phone. Before you sign anything, ask every company these ten questions and get the answers in writing.

1. Does it handle EBT, and which items are eligible?

Why it matters: if you take EBT, the register has to know which items qualify and charge only those to the card. Getting it wrong is a problem with the customer and the program.

A good answer: EBT is a payment option at the register, eligible items are set once (by category, for example), and the register works out the EBT amount from the items in the cart.

2. Does it charge CRV correctly, including on wine and spirits?

Why it matters: CRV applies to beer, wine, spirits and most other drinks in California, at 5, 10 or 25 cents a container. A register that misses it pays CRV out of your margin. See our guide to California CRV.

A good answer: CRV is set on each product and added every time it rings up, per container, and shown on the receipt.

3. Does it check IDs when you scan a license, and does it store customer data?

Why it matters: a scan does the date math for your cashier. Since 2026, California also treats a scanner that misses a fake as evidence for the store, as long as the clerk inspected the ID. See our guide to checking IDs.

A good answer: the cashier scans the license with the normal scanner, the register shows the age and a pass or fail, and the customer's name, address and license number aren't stored.

4. Can it run deals without the cashier having to remember them?

Why it matters: "2 for $6" and "10% off when you buy two" only work if they ring up the same way every time. A deal the cashier has to remember is a deal that gets missed.

A good answer: you set up the deal once, it applies automatically at the register when the items are scanned, and the receipt shows the saving.

5. Can it read my distributor invoices and tell me when costs go up?

Why it matters: cost increases hide in long invoices, and every week one goes unnoticed comes out of your margin. See how to catch distributor price increases.

A good answer: you send it the invoice, it matches each line to your products, and it shows you which costs went up and what that does to your margin.

6. Can I see sales, cash and staff from my phone?

Why it matters: you can't be at the store every hour. You should be able to check today's sales, a large sale or a safe drop without driving in.

A good answer: an owner app with sales, shift reports and notifications for the things you care about, for every store you own.

7. Who do I call when something breaks?

Why it matters: a register that's down on a Friday night costs real money. Ask who answers, when, and whether they've worked with stores like yours.

A good answer: a named phone number, real people, clear hours, and someone who can connect to your register remotely.

8. What are the card fees, and what happens when a card payment goes wrong?

Why it matters: card processing is one of your biggest costs after inventory. And when a reader loses its connection mid-sale, you need to know whether the customer was charged.

A good answer: rates in writing with no surprise fees, and a register that can check whether an interrupted card payment went through before anyone charges the card again.

9. What's in the contract?

Why it matters: long contracts and cancellation fees are where a cheap monthly price gets expensive.

A good answer: how long you're committed, what cancelling costs, who owns the hardware, and that your sales and product data is yours to export.

10. How long does setup take, and who does it?

Why it matters: the first week on a new system is the hardest. Products, prices, staff codes and printers all have to be right on day one.

A good answer: they load your products, set up the registers and printers, train your staff, and are on call for the first days.

A checklist to take to every demo

Question	Their answer
EBT at the register, eligible items set once
CRV per container, on the receipt
ID check on scan, no customer data stored
Deals apply automatically
Reads distributor invoices, shows cost increases
Owner phone app
Who answers support, and when
Card fees in writing, card recovery
Contract length, cancellation, data export
Setup and training included

How Ceyyo answers

• EBT: an EBT payment option at the register, with eligible categories set once.
• CRV: set on each product, added on every sale, printed on the receipt.
• ID checks: scan the license, see "ID checked" with the age. No customer data stored.
• Deals: five kinds of deals, set up once, applied automatically.
• Invoices: forward the distributor's email; Price Review shows every cost change and your margin.
• Owner app: sales, shift reports, safe drops and alerts on your phone, for every store you own.
• Support: a Bay Area team that works with liquor and convenience stores.
• Card payments: if a card reply is lost mid-sale, the register checks whether it went through before trying again.
• Contract: month to month, no long-term contract. Earning your business every month is important to us.
• Setup: full setup included. We load your products and set up your registers and printers.

For pricing, ask us for a quote.