#point-of-sale
Point of Sale
POS system selection, pricing, hardware, and reconciliation for restaurants and retail businesses
New York's 2026 Cash Acceptance Law: Penalties, Exceptions, and Compliance Guide
New York's General Business Law § 396-ii took effect March 21, 2026, requiring statewide retailers and restaurants to accept cash and barring cash surcharges, with civil penalties up to $1,000 for a first violation and $1,500 for each one after.
Where Did $90 Billion in Inventory Just Go? A Small Retailer's Guide to Booking Shrinkage Correctly
U.S. retailers lost $90–112 billion to inventory shrinkage in the latest reporting cycle, an average shrink rate near 1.6% of sales. This guide shows small retailers how to book shrink in a dedicated expense account instead of burying it in COGS — with the exact journal entries, cycle-counting schedules, materiality thresholds, and the process fixes behind the ~70% of shrink that isn't theft.
Square vs. Toast vs. Clover: How to Choose a POS System for Your Business Type
Square, Toast, and Clover each target a different business — Square starts free at 2.6% + 15¢, Toast locks restaurants into 2-year contracts, and Clover's hardware runs $500–$1,799+. This guide compares real costs by transaction volume and explains the three-way reconciliation problem POS data creates in your books.
No More Pennies: A Small-Business Guide to 2026's State Cash-Rounding Laws
The U.S. minted its last penny on November 12, 2025, and 19 states have enacted cash-rounding laws in 2026 with no federal standard yet in force. Most states let retailers round cash totals to the nearest nickel at their discretion, Arizona mandates Canadian-style rounding, and Indiana treats rounding gains and losses as income adjustments. Here is how the rules differ, why sales tax is always calculated on the pre-rounding price, and how to book rounding variances so they stay auditable.
Fiserv's July 2026 Rate Hike: How to Spot It on Your Clover or First Data Statement
Fiserv's July 2026 increase raises interchange-plus markups by 0.05% plus $0.03 per authorization and tiered rates by up to 0.40% — the fourth hike in 18 months for Clover and First Data merchants. Here's how to calculate your effective rate, identify your pricing model, and find the fees hiding on your statement.
The $38 Billion Visa–Mastercard Swipe-Fee Settlement: What Small Businesses Can Now Surcharge, Decline, and Discount at the Register
In June 2026 a federal judge preliminarily approved the $38 billion Visa–Mastercard settlement, cutting average credit interchange by about 0.1 point for five years, capping standard consumer cards at 1.25% for eight years, and — with no sunset date — letting merchants surcharge by card type or decline premium card categories. Here is what the settlement permits, which states still ban or cap surcharging, and the network compliance checklist to follow before changing point-of-sale pricing.
Extended Warranty Revenue Isn't Yours Yet: Why ASC 606 Says You Can't Book It at the Point of Sale
ASC 606 treats a separately priced extended warranty as a distinct performance obligation, so a $150 three-year service contract is booked as unearned revenue and recognized at $4.17 per month over 36 months — not as sale revenue on day one. This guide explains the assurance-type vs. service-type distinction, the three standalone-selling-price allocation methods for bundled pricing, and the journal entries small retailers need.
Louisiana's Act 751 Bans Debit Card Surcharges — Which Were Already Illegal. Here's Why Retailers Should Still Worry
Louisiana's Act 751 takes effect August 1, 2026, adding state enforcement — cardholder notice letters, a 30-day refund cure window, and civil penalties up to $500 per violation — to a debit card surcharge ban that federal law and card network rules already imposed nationwide. Here's what retailers should check in their POS systems, and how to book any refunds cleanly.
Florida SB 606: What Restaurants Must Disclose About Operations Charges in 2026
Florida's SB 606 (Section 509.214, effective July 1, 2026) requires restaurants to disclose any non-tax "operations charge" on menus, bills, receipts, and contracts in a font size at least as large as menu item descriptions, and to itemize gratuities, operations charges, and sales tax as separate line items on every receipt.
Temporary Sales Tax Permits for Pop-Up Shops and Holiday Markets: What Vendors Need Before the First Sale
Nearly every state requires sales tax registration before your first pop-up or holiday market sale, but the mechanism varies — California issues a free temporary seller's permit, New York demands a full Certificate of Authority, and Utah licenses each event separately. A state-by-state breakdown, the five mistakes that cost vendors money, and a pre-event compliance checklist.
Virginia's HB 975 Replaces the 45% Food-to-Beverage Ratio: What Restaurant Owners Need to Track Now
Effective July 1, 2026, Virginia's HB 975 replaces the flat 45% food-to-beverage ratio for mixed beverage licensees with three tiers — no ratio above $48,000 in monthly food sales, 30% between $25,000 and $48,000, and 45% below that — making monthly food-sales tracking a compliance requirement, not just an annual MBAR exercise.
California SB 648: The Credit Card Tip-Skimming Law Taking Effect January 2026
California's SB 648 takes effect January 1, 2026, giving the Labor Commissioner direct authority to fine employers $250 to $1,000 per violation for deducting credit card processing fees from employee tips, a practice already banned under Labor Code Section 351.