Instore Software

Excellent POS for Bar Based Businesses

For the money, its hard to beat Instore as a great POS system for our cigar bar.

Pros

The user interface of Instore is very simple to use. The way it presents categories and then items in those categories allows for fast input of orders for customers. The recently added Tab feature allows us to store credit card numbers without having to hold customers cards for tabs they want to run. The ability to add employee payroll cost, as well as COGS allows you to quickly see what your true profit for the day was after each shift closing.

Cons

The reporting system isn't as robust as I'd like, however the basic reporting does provide you with access to most items. I'd like to see more details around breakdown of sales per hour and day, etc.

Overall the system is fairly easy to use.

I don’t like the fact that you don’t need to open a shift in order to sell.

Pros

It’s Easy to use. You can take the iPad anywhere. I like having the employee hours on the same system.

Cons

The individual shift reports. I would like more detail on the individual’s shift, not just cash, When there’s more than one shift open on the same date at the same time.

Instore has made it easy to train employees on register and group items accordingly yo expedite service.

No

Pros

I like how you can control the format. It’s easy to add seasonal specials, adjust employee pay, and keep track of sales remotely. We also like the rewards program option.

Cons

It was slightly confusing to update and I had to reach out to tech support. I also wish there was an option to include half a cent for prices.

It's been a journey

Nice folks. If not for the fact that we're tied in to the gift cards that we've sold, we would probably experiment with different POS options. We're not convinced that other apps are better, we suspect that they all have pluses and minuses. But it would be nice to have the freedom to explore a bit more.

Pros

Generally speaking, it does what we need it to do in a way that makes sense.
We often go months without thinking about it or worrying about it.
The team at Instore genuinely cares, and while they don't listen to all of our feedback, we can see that our feedback has led to improvement.

Cons

I don't think the back end is robust enough. Sometimes it's impossible to download reports because the server times out before it processes and packages the reports.
We've never felt that the "end of day" functionality made much sense.
We'd like more flexibility with how it interacts with individual staff members.
Sometimes changes are made without us being informed that don't feel like improvements.
It would be nice if there were more flexibility in settings about how the app is set up.

Great POS program

At times when updates have occurred some information has been lost or repositioned

Pros

Its'simicity yet able to handle just about everything. Easy to make adjustments when necessary and communication with tech support is fast!

Cons

The lack of control we have over the rewards program, points, etc. I want to be able to handle customer issues immediately

Easy to use and fast to setup

good experience with my first POS ever used.

Pros

multiple locations, ability to set up different items at each location, all in one registers available

Cons

layout need to be changed to make more user friendly. I have a large menu with many categories where more category space would have been useful

Good POS system

Pros

I like the customization features. You can tailor the app to help it function best for your store needs.

Cons

Certain features can slow you down if not utilized correctly. Customer service can be slow and take weeks to remedy bugs and fixes.

Overall Good product but could be much better.

Pros

Ease of use and stability. System rarely has any problems and the credit card processing is stable.

Cons

Key features missing for food service business. Missing ingredient level inventory and a feature to track waste so that your end of day numbers are exact.

Easy, Intuitive - iPad Based POS Application for Restaurants and Retail

The folks behind this software know what they do well and understand their limitations. They do not "over sell" and provide great support.

Pros

Very Easy to Learn!
Great Reporting!
Great Customer Service!
They have a nice size install base with "real world reference cases".

Cons

Not ready for Multi-Unit use quite yet but close. Would like to see a Kitchen Video Display solution for restaurants.

User Friendly all the way!

Overall I am very satisfied with the instore software and the hardware. I love the reporting that is available and the easy of use.

Pros

I love the very simple interface. It is easy to program through the back office and the ability to customize is amazing. I also appreciate the easy of use with gift cards.

Cons

My only negative with the product is that it has a tendency to disconnect from the internet. The fix is usually unplugging the register and replugging in.

Point of sale for Cafe

Customer service is helpful to solve problems.

Pros

It is very easy for a first time user to navigate. The is a lot of space for categories on home page which frees up the space is makes it uncluttered.

Cons

the screen is light grey and is not easy to see. We have some people that cannot use it because of the light print.

So Happy in Austin

Support is great and I’m so happy I chose instore for our first shop!

Pros

Ease of use, detail of reports, reward system is loved by most, hold orders are very convenient and the overall look!

Cons

That there is no FINAL screen after the customer signs or pays . . . Something to say, “Thank you! See you tomorrow”
Customers are often confused and say, “am I done?” When it jumps to the next order screen

Has the opportunity to be great

Pros

I like the easy set-up
The online ability to see up to date sales
I like the ability to be mobile with the POS

Cons

Do not like the customer service
Do not like the fact you can’t split tabs or combine them
Don’t like how easy it drops service or ability to take credit cards

Does Pretty Good

I like the Instore product it is easy to use, they are constantly updating it with new features, and I like the metrics it measures. However, I am afraid my business might be a bit too busy for it to keep up with.

Pros

The overall product is very clean and intuitive. It was easy to program and is easy for my employees to learn how to use.

Cons

I have a small soda fountain and when we get busy during peak hours, the system will occasionally lag. This can be very frustrating when we have a line out the door and need to pick up the pace.

GREAT POS FOR A SMALL SHOP

Customer service communication via email is great. Everyone is very accommodating and helpful.

Pros

It has all the features we need for a small cheese/wine/beer shop. Very easy to use, clean and simple user face. We sell cheese so the integrated scale is extremely useful. Not many other POS systems have integrated scale. Instore is always working on updates to improve the POS system. Since we've been using the system, they've added a new feature on sales tax which is quite useful for when we need to file sales tax.

Cons

There are a few features that we would like to have -- I can't easily get a master list of all my inventory, a request would have to be sent to the engineers and it takes a few days to turnaround. Customer service is great through email but not as helpful when we have issues in real time. Normally, can't reach anyone on the phone, would have to leave vmail or email and have someone return your call within 24 hrs.

InStore : not a great pos

Pros

The monthly fee is reasonable, less than it’s competition. Other than that, I don’t really see too many pros.

Cons

None of the data I want is easy to access, if even possible at all. Customer data is limited, such as access to emails. Daily, monthly and annual data is hard to talley.

This is not a good choice for a busy restaurant.

My experience with Instore is overall favorable, but not without some frustrations

THANKS FOR ADDING TABS!!!!!

Pros

I like that usually when I call for assistance, I get a response within an hour. I also appreciate the ease of adjusting items through the back end of things. The ability to control tax on each item has also been vital to being able to use the system for my business.

Cons

The system isn't as intuitive as it could be. I'd also like to see more specifics in terms of back end reporting.

Very user friendly

Pros

Hand held are a great way to get orders quick and pay at the table.You can also use it off site for banquets.

Cons

You can’t ring in or split tickets by seat numbers. The printer looses communication with the iPad one or twice a week

Competitive

Overall great system. Just need better communication with in store reps.

Pros

Price and full control of menu everything is done in store. No need to contact anyone or call unless it’s really bad

Cons

I feel that the Credit card processing is a bit off. I would gave power outages often and also lost lots of money on offline processing.

Good enough but should be better

Pros

I can do everything i need right from the ipad. Customer support is very good. The help pages on the website are helpful

Cons

In the app rums a little slow and it seems like a lot of buttons to be constantly pressing,l to get the result i want, i feel like it should be simplified somehow. The website is difficult to navigate.