Types of Cash Registers for Retail [Quickstart Guide]

Illustration of cash register and POS system

You’ve picked a name for your store, purchased merchandise, and found the ideal location to set up shop—it’s an exciting time! But now you need to figure out how to process payments in your store, and you want to do it in a way that delights customers and streamlines your business operations.

You already know a cash register, or till, is an essential investment for any retail store, but there are a few different types of cash registers to consider depending on your business needs.

Traditional cash registers are still in use, but having a system to ring up customersanddo things like track inventory across locations, create discount codes, and set up staff permissions are key to running a successful retail store.

Traditional cash registers have transformed over the years into more powerful and technologically advanced point-of-sale systems.

In this article, you’ll learn a brief history of how the cash register started, the most common types of cash tills, and the best type of cash register for retail.

Types of cash registers

Cash register usage started more than 140 years ago, but businesses globally still rely on them today. Thankfully though, the days of keying in numbers and listening for a bell that indicates the cash register drawer is opening are over. Nowadays, cash registers are used for more than just adding up products and calculating change. Modern cash registers (also known as point-of-sale systems) are integral to retail stores.


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Let’s start with a brief cash register history lesson.

Mechanical cash register

The mechanical cash register wasinvented in 1879by a Dayton, Ohio, saloon owner named James Ritty. As one of the earliest versions of a cash register, its primary purpose was to help prevent theft by having a place to store and keep track of the money he made.

The cash register device was entirely mechanical and only tracked income—merchants used it as an adding machine to ring up sales. It was essentially a big calculator and a place to store cash and distribute change from.

Ringing up customers was simple. Cashiers entered the sale amount and then pressed the total key, a bell would ring, and the cash register drawer opened. Eventually, mechanical cash registers also had receipt printers.

Here’s a video showing how an antique mechanical cash register from 1910 works:

These traditional cash till devices are rarely seen in retail stores today. More powerful options like electronic cash registers and point-of-sale systems help retailers increase efficiency.

Let’s take a look at some of today’s cash register types for retail.

Electronic cash register (ECR)

Picture of an electronic cash register

Source

Theelectronic cash registeris essentially an electronic version of the mechanical cash register. It takes up less space on the checkout counter and comes with more features including the ability to connect withpayment terminals. With the electronic till, you can still accept cash payments, but it’s also possible to process credit card payments in your store.

Unlike the mechanical cash register, ECRs automatically calculate and add tax to the purchase amount.

But when it comes to useful features, that’s about it.

Electronic cash registers don’t have the technology or software that let you connect to the internet and link to other business software you may need to streamline your operations. Inventory management, sales tracking, staff accounts, customer profiles, and more useful features aren’t available.

专家提示:Shopify POScomes with tools to help you control and manage your inventory across multiple store locations, your online store, and warehouse. Forecast demand, set low-stock alerts, create purchase orders, know which items are selling or sitting on shelves, count inventory, and more.

In some cases, you can export sales data via a USB and then import it into your other business systems (like accounting tools), but this often results in errors and lost time.

Today, most retailers use apoint-of-sale system, otherwise known as a POS or POS cash register. In fact, the global point-of-sale software market is expected to grow in the coming years, reaching a size of$42.5 billion by 2027.

POS usage graph

Source

POS cash register

Picture of Shopify POS system

The modern-day cash register is a point-of-sale system.

These systems come with hardware and software to help you process payments in your store, but the additionalfeatures that come with POS systems(more on those below) go above and beyond to help improve the customer experience and your business operations.

There are many differenttypes of POS cash register systemsto consider depending on your needs, but here are a few of the most common ones:

Mobile POS

Mobile POS

Amobile POS or mPOS有相同的功能作为一个传统的POS sy吗stem, but it doesn’t limit you to checking out customers at a specific place or counter in your store. This portable point of sale (or mobile cash register) includes hardware and software and lets you process sales from any corner of your store or in another location (like a pop-up shop or event).

With amobile cash register,你可以安装在平板电脑或smar POS软件tphone to meet shoppers wherever they are, reduce customer checkout queues, and free up space in your shop to display more merchandise.

Tablet POS

Picture of tablet POS

A tablet POS, also known as a touch-screen cash register or tablet cash register, can be mobile or fixed to acountertop POS stand.

This is a good option if you mainly want to keep your POS anchored to a checkout counter but still want the option to make it portable.

It’s smaller and sleeker than an electronic cash register making it low profile, and if you need to accept payments from another location—like a pop-up shop—a tablet POS is easy to transport.

Countertop POS

Visually, a countertop POS is most similar to an electronic cash register in that it’s larger and fixed to a checkout counter. While it offers the same modern POS software and features, there’s no option for mobility due to a larger digital display and other hardware, including a cash drawer, receipt printer, andbarcodescanner.

This is a good option for larger retailers that have multiple checkout counters operated by cashiers.

t是什么he best type of cash register for retail?

Whether you have a designated checkout counter or prefer to offer designated checkout counter or prefer to offermobile paymentsin your store in your store, a modern POS system—portable or fixed—is by far the best type of cash register for retail.

Shopify POS tablet and card reader

The right retail POS system will help you:

Wrapping up: types of cash registers for retail

Now that you know the history of the cash register and the benefits of using amodern POS system, it’s time to get started.

Whether you’re just dipping your toes into the world of physical retail with pop-up shops and events, are opening your first permanent store, or already have multiple retail locations, choose a point of sale that lets you break free from the checkout counter and unify yourphysical and digitalstore data and inventory—chooseShopify POS.


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Type of cash register FAQ

What are cash registers?

Cash registers, or tills, are machines used to process sales transactions and record the sales. They are typically used in retail stores, restaurants, and other businesses. Cash registers are used to accept payment from customers, calculate the change due, and print out a receipt for the customer. They are also used to track sales, inventory, and other financial data.

Is a cash register a POS?

Yes, a cash register can be considered a type of point of sale (POS) system. POS systems are designed to record and process sales transactions, and a cash register is one type of POS system.

What are the three main functions of the cash register?

  1. Processing transactions: The cash register is used to record customer purchases and calculate the total cost of the transaction.
  2. Accepting payments: The cash register can accept cash, credit cards, and other forms of payment.
  3. Maintaining records: The cash register can keep track of sales, taxes, and discounts. It can also be used to generate detailed reports and track inventory.

What components are typically used in a cash register system?

Cash registers use a POS (Point of Sale) system, which comprises a computer, printer, cash drawer, barcode scanner, and credit card reader. The POS system enables credit card processing, inventory tracking, and report generation.