EVALUATING THE

CURRENT POINT OF SALE

SYSTEM AT A LOCAL
SMALL BUSINESS
One World Roasters

Samara Greene
Technical Writing
Recommendation Report
11/29/2020
I have been tasked with researching and recommending an alternative to a Point of Sale (POS)
system used at the company One World Roasters, a local coffee roaster and café. The research
question I will be pursuing is which POS system is the most beneficial to their business. I will be
preparing a recommendation report for the owners of this business.

Table of Contents

Executive Summary………………………………………………………………………...…pg. 2
Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………..……pg. 3
Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………pg. 3
Research Methods……………………………………………………...………...…...……….pg. 4
Results……………………………………………..………………………………………pg. 4 - 6
Conclusions………………………………………………………………………………..pg. 6 - 7
Recommendations……………………………….…………………………………………….pg. 7
References……………………………………………………………………………………..pg. 7
Appendices……………………………………………………………………………….........pg. 8

pg. 1
Executive Summary

OVERVIEW
One World Roasters is a small café and roasting company looking for a new POS system to
replace their current one. This will be a recommendation report on which system will be the best
fit for their business. There will be 4 systems compared: PayPal Here (current), Square,
TouchBistro, and SHOPKEEP.

PROBLEM
The current system at One World Roasters is PayPal Here. Currently they are experiencing
issues with boot up, transaction failures, and connectivity. At the beginning of the day the
systems have trouble completing the first transaction. Transactions failing and resulting in
double charging the customer has also been of concern. The other issue has been with the
connectivity via Bluetooth. The new system must resolve these issues along with be compact and
be compatible with the iPad.

RECOMMENDATION
I recommend that the company use Square as the new POS system. It is an affordable option that
helps with all of the above problems. For example, it includes a magstrip reader that connects
directly to the iPad that would eliminate the need for Bluetooth connectivity. It is a small system
with just an app and the card reader. Costs are roughly the same as the PayPal Here, but they
may save money with this system in the long run.

pg. 2
Abstract
The Point of Sale (POS) system is a vital part to keeping a retail business organized and
efficient. With emerging technology these systems are changing and evolving to work even
better for your business. One World Roasters is a small café and coffee roaster in East Haven,
Connecticut. They currently use PayPal Here as their POS and are looking to change it to a
newer software. I have been tasked to compare current popular systems to see which would be
the most beneficial for their business and give a recommendation. After researching and
interviewing an employee of the café, I recommend that the café use Square as their new system.

Introduction
Point of Sale (POS) systems are the format and area in which a retail transaction is done
at a business. Most people know this as the cashier or cash register. However, which emerging
technology it is common to find other systems that are different from your typical cash register.
For example, some of these systems involve phone apps, small credit card scanners, tablet
applications, or online transfers. Depending on the business, one method may be the most
beneficial. With ever evolving technology, it is important for businesses to keep up to date and
remain relevant. With this changing technology it means that systems may need to be updated or
changed out more regularly.
The chosen POS of a business is just another step in making their customers have a
satisfying experience. One World Roasters is small business that roasts their own coffee beans
and also has a small café to serve drinks, sell pastries, and advertise their merchandise. Their
café space is small, and it is more of pick up and go kind of business. Customers come directly
into the bar area with the POS and order immediately upon arrival. Due to its small nature, it
would be helpful to have a smaller system. I will be interviewing one of their employees to get
an idea of why they need to replace their current system, what features would be most beneficial,
and gain any other important information on their business. With appropriate research I will
recommend a certain software for their business.

pg. 3
Research Methods
To produce a good recommendation, research through online databases will be done,
along with looking at reviews of certain systems as secondary research. Primary research will be
done by interviewing one of the employees at the business. This provides help clues on what is
most important to the business and what has been going wrong with their current system. I chose
this interviewee because he was the one that expressed the concern for the current system and is
one of the people that uses this system the most. I interviewed him once to get the main ideas
from him and then requested that he share with me any issues that occurred that day after each of
his shifts.
A decision matrix will be made to evaluate the characteristics that are important and
better help decide on which system is the best for this business. Some of the criteria for this
matrix may be price, size, rating, and ease. The systems that will be compared are PayPal
(current system), Square, SHOPKEEP, and TouchBistro. Coupling the primary and secondary
research, a recommendation will be made and presented to the owners on which system will be
the most effective.

Results
For primary research I interviewed one of the employees at One World Roasters to get
more information about the current POS system and what they want to get out of the new one.
Luca Pietrangeli is a barista, roaster, and social media manager at the café and has been there for
7 months now. He describes the environment of the café as relaxed, organized, quiet, and quaint.
There are currently 4 people that work and are trained at the POS system, two of them being the
owners. On slow days they typically spend about 1.5 hours at the POS and that is during a 5.5-
hour shift. On busy days they can spend roughly 4 hours at the system and that is during a 7-hour
shift. He would describe the current system as alright, but that it could be better.
Some pros of the system are that the card reader has a tap function, along with swipe and
insert. The positive of it being PayPal is that you can have your PayPal accounts attached to it.
PayPal Here is a small noninvasive software because it is just the card reader and an app. Some
cons of the system are that the system tends to crash. Typically, the first transaction of the day
does not go through. They also mentioned that the Bluetooth does not always connect which
makes it an unreliable boot up. The biggest problem they have had with the system is it saying
the transaction failed but it still ends up charging the customer, this leads them to double
charging the customer and then having to go back and fix that issue.
It was mentioned that they would look many options for their transactions, and have it
run by an app because they already have an iPad and for it to be a noninvasive software. The
employees suggest that this current system makes them look unprofessional. The other systems
that the interviewee knew of were Square and SHOPKEEP and he thought that an appropriate
price for one of these systems was $75.

pg. 4
 For secondary research, I look at the individual company websites along with a third-
party website that rated the different systems (Mosteller 2020). I then organized the information
in a chart (see below) to compare the different systems that I will be choosing from. I included
the current system to compare the specifications. Information I included was the initial price of
the system, any recurring transaction prices, the ease of the system, the size, and any other
special features. The systems compared are Square, PayPal Here, TouchBistro, and SHOPKEEP.
This information was what is available on the company’s websites (referenced in the chart) and I
tried to take only facts and not bias statements into account when collecting this research.

Comparing Systems:

Square PayPal Here

Initial Price: $79 Initial Price: $80
Recurring Price: 2.6% + 10 cents per apple Recurring Price: 2.7% per US card swipe and
pay, google pay, or dipped EMV chip card tap, 2.2% per QR code transaction
Ease: Simple hardware set up and app Ease: Simple hardware set up and app
Size: 3x3x0.5in Size: 3x3x3in
Other: Other:
Battery for full day of sales No monthly fees
Comes with magstrip reader Connects wirelessly
Connects wirelessly Battery for all day

Reference: Square. (n.d.). Solutions & Tools to Reference: PayPal Here: Card Reader Store.
Grow Your Business. https://squareup.com/us/en (n.d.). https://us.paypal-here.com/

TouchBistro SHOPKEEP
Initial Price: N/A Initial Price: Customize based on budget
Recurring Price: $69/month Recurring Price: 2.5% +10 cents
Ease: iPad app Ease: iPad app
Size: N/A Size:
Other: Other:
Includes staff management and scheduling Comes w/ cash drawer, receipt printer, iPad
Already need payment processor enclosure, credit card reader
Lots of features Lots of features

Reference: Restaurant POS System. (n.d.). Reference: Point of Sale System: Payments:
https://www.touchbistro.com/bing-point-of-sale- ECommerce. (n.d.). https://www.shopkeep.com/
us-nb/?pi_ad_id=

pg. 5
Completed Decision Matrix:
Criteria and Weight Options
PayPal Here Square SHOPKEEP TouchBistro
Criteria Weight Rating Score Rating Score Rating Score Rating Score
Initial $ 1 4 4 4 4 0 0 5 5
Recurring $ 3 3 9 4 12 5 15 0 0
Size 2 5 10 5 10 2 4 3 6
Ease 4 4 16 5 20 3 12 2 8
Total Score 39 46 31 19

Scores range from a 0 to a 5, 0 being the low end of the scale and 5 being on the high end and a
good score. I gave initial price a weight of 1 because this is a one-time cost and will not have as
much of an impact. Recurring price has a weight of 3 because this will add up more as
transactions occur. Size has a weight of 2 because it is a small café, and they need it to not take
up a lot of room. Ease has a weight of 4 because the ease of the system makes a big impact on
the employees and customers experience at the café. Square had the highest score according to
this decision matrix.

Conclusions
When comparing the systems, Square and PayPal Here are similar systems with some
slight differences. These two systems are small and has a noninvasive software that is easy to
run. Both initial prices were pretty much the same and only varied slightly on the recurring costs.
It is hard to tell which transaction cost would turn out to be more because it could vary. Both
systems have no monthly fees. They support a battery for a full day of sales and connect
wirelessly via Bluetooth. One positive of the Square system is that it comes with a magstrip
reader that connects directly to the phone or tablet which would solve any connection problems
if they arise.
TouchBistro did not seem to be a good fit for their business because of several reasons.
This system is meant more for a large restaurant with many employees. There are lots of
additional features for menu planning, staff organization and scheduling, along with inventory
status. These are all features that this small business does not need in their café. Another
downside is that you already need payment processor to run this system, it is not included. This
is only a computer software and that is not what the business wanted. Along with that there is a
recurring $69/month fee associated with this app.
SHOPKEEP was also not fit for this business because it is a large system that is invasive.
I also found the company to be hard to get all the appropriate information, you had to contact a
representative to get any information on price for this system. I would have been more open to
this system if the company was more transparent with their pricing.

pg. 6
 That being said, it was hard to compare to these other systems. It was highly rated and
had some good features like the low recurring transaction cost. All of these were rated as good
options but not all of these systems will be appropriate for this business. I decided against
TouchBistro because it is not made for a small business and has lots of features but does not
include the actual payment processor. I decided against SHOPKEEP because it is a bulky system
with an unknown cost.

Recommendations
Based on my primary and secondary research and evaluating the criteria, I recommend
that One World Roasters switch their POS system to Square. I believe that this system still gives
them the small and noninvasive software that PayPal Here does. They can also continue to use
their iPad and just download the new app. The recurring cost is close to PayPal and may even
save them some money. Square helps solve the issue of connectivity with their plugin magstrip.
Square is a more commonly used program so that may mean that more of the kinks have been
worked out. There were no reviews for Square concerning boot up or transaction failures.

References
Mosteller, A. (2020, October 09). Best Credit Card Processing for Small Business in 2020.
https://www.business.org/finance/payment-processing/best-credit-card-processing-for-
small-businesses/

PayPal Here: Card Reader Store. (n.d.). https://us.paypal-here.com/

Point of Sale System: Payments: ECommerce. (n.d.). https://www.shopkeep.com/

Restaurant POS System. (n.d.). https://www.touchbistro.com/bing-point-of-sale-us-nb/?

pi_ad_id=

Square. (n.d.). Solutions & Tools to Grow Your Business. https://squareup.com/us/en

pg. 7
Appendices

Interview Questions:
1. What is your role at One World Roasters and how long have you been here?
2. How would you describe the environment of this business and café?
3. How many people are trained to use the current POS system, and can you list them?
4. How much time do you think you spend at the POS during one shift?
5. What are your opinions of the current system? Pros and Cons?
6. What is the biggest problem that you have had with this system?
7. What do you like the most about the current system and would want to see on the new
system?
8. What do you like least about the current system and would not want to see on the new
system?
9. Are there any other systems/companies that you have heard of?
10. What do you think is an appropriate cost for one of these systems?

Decision Matrix Used:

Criteria and Weight Options
PayPal Here Square SHOPKEEP TouchBistro
Criteria Weight Rating Score Rating Score Rating Score Rating Score
Initial $
Recurring $
Size
Ease
Total Score

pg. 8