What is a POS system?

In plain language

If you sell at a shop counter or at restaurant tables, point of sale software replaces the notebook and the calculator for that sale.

POS Online is a free browser workspace with two modes that share one product list, one invoice history, and one dashboard.

Who this helps

• Shop owners who still write bills by hand or in a spreadsheet
• Cashiers who need one clear screen for the next customer
• Hotel restaurants that bill tables and also sell at a counter

Two ways to sell

Before you start

You need a computer with a browser, an email address, and the names and prices of the products you sell. A barcode scanner, card machine, and receipt printer are optional.

How a sale is recorded

1. Add the product once, with a name and selling price. Cost price, stock, barcode, and discount are optional.
2. At the counter, search for the product or scan the barcode, set the quantity, and complete the sale.
3. The finished bill is saved as an invoice marked Point of Sale. You can print it or skip the receipt.
4. If the customer returns an item, open that invoice, choose the item, and process the refund.
5. In Dining, sell the same products on a table. The finished bill is saved as an invoice marked Dining, with the table, guest, and waiter on the dashboard.

What you should see

The dashboard shows sales, returns, discounts, revenue, and stock. Purchases on that screen means the cost price of what you sold.

Limits to know before you rely on it

• Sales stay in this browser until you turn on Google Drive sync. Sync is optional, needs a Google sign-in, and Google asks you to sign in again about every hour. Two counters update when each one syncs, not live.
• Encryption is optional. The recovery key is shown once. If you lose both the passphrase and the recovery key, the encrypted data cannot be opened. Every device needs the same passphrase.
• Held bills and invoices are deleted after the retention period you set in Settings, on this device and on Google Drive when sync is on. Held bills can be kept for 6 to 48 hours. Invoices can be kept for 7 to 365 days.
• Receipts print through the browser print dialog. Side margins, often 2–3 mm, keep a thermal printer from cropping the edges. There is no separate cash-drawer or printer driver.
• You can type a barcode or scan it into product search. A scanner is optional.
• Each product needs its own name and barcode. A discount cannot be higher than the price.
• A sale is blocked when stock is too low, until you turn on Allow sales without stock.
• A processed refund cannot be undone.
• Dining staff names can be assigned to a table. They are not separate logins. Everyone uses the same account.
• POS Online does not take card payments, and it does not book rooms, check guests in, or keep a room folio. Housekeeping is a staff role you can assign to a table.
• Purchases on the dashboard is the cost price of what you sold, not a supplier purchase order.