What’s the Best Cash Register for Liquor Stores? 3 Top Options

The checkout counter is your last opportunity to make a positive impression on customers — and it all comes down to your cash register. 

If your register is clunky and slow, customers will experience long wait times, incorrect transactions, and awkward pauses during the checkout process. 

On the other hand, a modern cash register specifically designed for liquor stores makes it easy for your cashiers to verify customers’ ages, ring up their items, and provide fast, accurate service. 

In this blog, we’ll explore everything you need to know about upgrading your liquor store’s cash register — including six things to look for and our three favorite options. 

Liquor Store Cash Registers 101

Hoping to create a top-shelf shopping experience for your customers? Our top tip is to ditch the standalone cash register and invest in an all-in-one point of sale (POS) system specifically designed for liquor stores. 

Along with quickly and securely processing sales transactions, this powerful tool helps you manage inventory, launch promotions, build customer loyalty, and learn more about your shoppers’ preferences and habits. 

Let’s look at a few reasons we recommend an all-in-one system over a traditional cash register: 

• More accurate transactions: Instead of relying on your cashiers to manually calculate and enter customers’ totals, you can trust your POS system and pinpad to work together seamlessly, preventing errors and ensuring you always change the right amount.
• Simplified reporting: An all-in-one POS system tracks everything happening in your store — including every sales transaction, inventory shift, and more. This makes it easier to monitor your business’ financial performance. 
• Better support: Investing in the right POS system gives you access to industry and technical experts who can help you set up your new cash register and make the most of its features. 
• Growth opportunities: While a simple cash register might work for very small or brand-new liquor stores, a powerful POS system keeps up with your business to help you manage a growing product selection and customer base. 

In short, an all-in-one, liquor industry-specific POS system will take your store much further than a simple cash register swap. 

Must-Have Liquor Store Cash Register and POS Features

So, how can you choose the best cash register for your liquor store? Let’s cover some essential payment processing and checkout features to look for: 

• Flexible payment options: To ensure a convenient shopping experience for customers, opt for a cash register compatible with multiple payment types, including credit cards, debit cards, contactless and mobile payments, and gift cards. 
• Dual pricing: Worried about expensive processing fees? Choose a provider that offers dual pricing options to incentivize customers to pay with cash instead of a credit or debit card. 
• Age verification: Preventing underage sales is a critical part of the liquor store checkout process, so look for a POS system that prompts cashiers to scan customers’ IDs before finalizing a sale. 
• Discounts and promotions: Instead of requiring cashiers to apply discounts manually, your cash register should automatically adjust the price of on-sale bottles to ensure quick and accurate checkouts. 
• Customer loyalty: Your POS system should make it easy to enroll new members in your loyalty program and apply rewards during the checkout process. 
• Offline functionality: A POS system with an offline mode allows you to continue making sales even when your store’s internet is down, preventing frustration for customers and protecting your revenue. 

We also recommend looking for a provider that offers 24/7 support at no additional cost. Your support team will guide you through the setup process, teach you about the new system, and help you solve technical issues when they arise. 

The 3 Best Liquor Store POS Systems and Cash Registers

You have your list of must-haves — now it’s time to start shopping. Diving into the world of POS software and hardware can be intimidating, so we’ve given you a great starting point by outlining the top three cash registers for liquor stores. 

3. National Retail Solutions: Best for Small Budgets

First is National Retail Solutions (NRS). This provider offers straightforward POS software and hardware to retailers in all industries. 

Here are some of NRS’ best checkout features: 

• Cash discounting: You can pass on the cost of processing card payments to your customers by offering a special price for cash-carrying shoppers. 
• Free card reader: NRS will give you a free EMV card reader if you sign up for their payment processing solution. 
• Age verification: NRS offers an add-on ID scanning feature for businesses that sell age-restricted items like alcohol and tobacco. 
• Coupon club program: One of NRS’ most unique features is their coupon club — a budget-friendly marketing tool that allows you to attract new customers and offer promotions at no cost. 

NRS is an affordable solution that includes the basic tools you need to process transactions, perform simple inventory counts, and track your sales. However, this provider might not be the best for growth-focused liquor stores since you’ll have to pay hefty additional fees to unlock features like advanced inventory management, customer loyalty, and in-depth reporting and analytics. 

Related Read: Bottle POS vs. NRS: Which Is Best for Your Liquor Store?

2. Lightspeed: Best for Multilocation Liquor Stores

Looking for a cash register that can keep up with your growing business? Lightspeed might be able to help. This provider offers powerful POS software and hardware for multilocation and e-commerce-focused retailers. 

Here are some of Lightspeed’s most impressive features: 

• Customer relationship management (CRM): Lightspeed keeps records of your customers’ purchase histories for easy reference at the checkout counter or on the sales floor. 
• E-commerce tool: Lightspeed lets you build an online liquor store and fully process transactions through your website. 
• Flexible payment options: Lightspeed accepts all major payment types — including cash, credit and debit cards, and contactless pay — as well as trending buy now, pay later (BNPL) methods. 

Lightspeed isn’t an industry-specific solution, but it can help you future-proof and expand your liquor store by opening new locations and offering e-commerce options like pickup and delivery. 

1. Bottle POS: Best Overall

Our final and favorite liquor store cash register is Bottle POS. Our all-in-one POS solution is designed specifically to help liquor store owners like you facilitate smooth transactions, manage complex alcohol inventory, learn more about your customers, and grow your business. 

Here are some of Bottle POS’ best features: 

• Built-in age verification: Bottle POS prompts cashiers to verify customers’ IDs through manual data entry or a quick scan. 

• Flexible payment processing fees: We offer payment processing options to fit every liquor store’s budget, including a flat fee, interchange plus pricing, and dual pricing. 

• Customer loyalty and promotions: Our all-in-one system automatically applies discounts and makes it easy to manage your loyalty program from the checkout counter. 

• 24/7 support: Our POS system will continue working even while offline, and our team of industry experts is available 24/7 to help you solve technical problems and answer your questions. 

Whether you’re looking for a POS system for your brand-new liquor store or hoping to upgrade a decades-old register, we’ve got you covered. Schedule a live demo to see these features (and more) in action. 

Invest in the Best Cash Register for Your Liquor Store

It’s time to leave your outdated cash register behind and see how a modern, powerful POS solution can transform your liquor store. 

Along with all the checkout and payment processing options you need, Bottle POS includes real-time inventory management with case-bottle tracking, a built-in customer loyalty program to help you generate repeat business, e-commerce integration to handle pickup and delivery orders, and in-depth reporting and analytics to provide valuable insights into your profit margins, sales trends, and more. 

Check out our build and price tool to generate an instant, custom quote for your liquor store.