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A point-of-sale terminal is the machine that processes in-person transactions at a retail business. Gas stations have special considerations when it comes to picking the correct point-of-sale system, and not every retail POS is suitable for gas stations. Therefore, when picking a POS, fuel retailers should know what to consider and what features their machines should have to most effectively run their business.
The biggest example of the different needs of a gas station compared to other retail businesses is in fuel sales. Because fuel is sold in specific volumes, with prices charged per gallon or per liter, the gas station POS terminal must be able to calculate the correct price to charge, depending on the quantity of gallons sold. Furthermore, the Environmental Protection Agency mandates that underground fuel storage tanks, like the ones found at most gas stations, are routinely monitored for fuel leaks. Accurate tracking of the amount of fuel sold is essential to balancing fuel reserves. For example, if the point of sale system reports 500 gallons sold out of a 1000 gallon tank, but the tank monitoring systems only register 450 gallons, the difference may have been lost to a fuel leak.
In addition to processing fuel sales, most gas stations are connected to a convenience store, and must be able to process age-restricted sales. Some items that may be age-restricted include alcohol, tobacco, and lottery sales. Because of these restrictions, the POS terminal must be able to scan government identification cards or have a built-in age restriction feature that prompts cashiers to enter in a customer’s date of birth.
Certain items may have special tax considerations, depending on the location of the business, that a gas station POS system must process as well. By utilizing proper group management in a sophisticated POS, taxes are appropriately assessed on the correct items, regardless of their category designation by the National Association of Convenience Stores. For example, the NACS designation for a packaged juice drink may be under bottled beverages, but in states such as New York, drinks with under a certain percentage of fruit juice are taxed differently than other beverages. The best point-of-sale system for a gas station can handle the complex programming needs required to ensure these items are taxed correctly.
A modern POS system designed for gas stations is equipped to handle these functionalities and more. That’s why Petrosoft created SmartPOS, an all-in-one point-of-sale system tailored to the needs of gas stations and convenience stores. Plus, with SmartPOS, retailers can pick their own payment processor to save costs and fully customize their experience. To learn more about SmartPOS, contact us at sales@petrosoftinc.com, or request a demo with our team using the form below.
