How to choose a POS system for a small shop

Start with your business

First write down how you sell. Each business needs something different.

Try out a normal purchase, not only the seller's demo.

What a POS really costs

The price in an advert is often only part of the cost. Work it out for a whole year.

Price with or without VAT

Price lists for businesses are often without VAT. If you are not a VAT payer (plátce DPH), you cannot deduct the tax and you pay the price with VAT. Example: CZK 199 without VAT comes to CZK 240.79 in total at a 21% rate. Always ask for the final price.

Extra devices

Find out how many devices are included in the price. A second till, a tablet for receiving goods and a phone for a temporary worker may each be paid for separately.

Hardware

Work out what you already have and what you must buy: a computer or tablet, a receipt printer, a barcode scanner, a cash drawer and a card terminal. Ask whether the system works with your equipment, or only with the seller's.

Add-ons and fees

Attendance, a loyalty programme or reservations often cost extra. Also ask about fees on sales and card payments, about any contract commitment and about the cost of ending it.

Example calculation

With SuperKasa the price is CZK 199 a month or CZK 2,149 a year, always including VAT. A café that also wants Recipes and portion costing for CZK 79 pays CZK 278 a month. It buys its hardware itself.

EET 2.0

The EET 2.0 sales registration begins on 1 January 2027. The POS must be able to send a sale to EET. It helps if it can also issue a receipt during an outage. Ask about these things:

• Is EET included in the price, or does it cost extra?
• What happens if the internet goes down? The POS must send the sale later. The law gives 48 hours.
• Will someone help me with the certificate from DIS+?
• Will the POS warn me that the certificate is about to expire?

You download the POS certificate (pokladní certifikát) yourself in DIS+. The full procedure is in the guide EET 2.0 step by step. If you may not have to register sales, you can find out in the article EET OFF and the flat-rate tax.

Stock and scanner

If you have a lot of goods with barcodes, try these situations:

• Unknown code. What does the POS do when the scanner reads an item that is not in it? A good POS offers to create it on the spot.
• Moving your goods. Can you upload the list from your old POS or from Excel? Must you type thousands of items by hand?
• Receiving goods and stock counts. Can you put a delivery into stock by scanning?
• Scanner. Does an ordinary USB scanner work, or only one model? Can you scan with the camera on a tablet?

A hairdresser may not need stock at all. Stock is one of the things you should be able to switch off, so that the POS stays clear.

Internet outage

Before you decide, find out how the POS behaves without internet:

• Can you keep selling and printing receipts?
• Which payments work without internet?
• Where is the data stored and how does it upload after an outage?
• Can you open the POS after restarting the computer or tablet?

A POS installed on a computer in the shop usually does not need internet for selling itself. A POS in a browser must have an offline mode. With SuperKasa in a browser you can take cash and card payments without internet, but not QR payments. Details are in the guide The POS on a phone or tablet.

Language and your data

A cashier makes fewer mistakes when the POS is in their own language. At the same time you want the customer receipt in Czech. Ask whether the staff language can be set separately. There is more in the guide The POS in Vietnamese.

Also check how you can get to your data. Can you download receipts, sales and items to Excel? Does this work even after the contract ends? Can you download the data when you move to another supplier?

A half-hour test in your shop

A seller's demo is not enough. During the free trial, do this test right at your till, ideally with a cashier who will use the POS.

1. Scan ten ordinary products and create one that the POS does not know.
2. Sell a purchase for cash and measure how long it takes.
3. Print a receipt and check what is on it.
4. Refund one item.
5. Switch off the Wi-Fi and try to sell another purchase.
6. Do a closing and compare it with the money in the drawer.
7. Download the receipts to Excel and show them to your accountant.

If a step does not work, write it down and ask the supplier. The answer will also show you how their support works.

Checklist of questions

Ask every seller these questions. Write down the answers.

1. How much will I pay in total for a year, including VAT?
2. How many devices are included in the price?
3. Which features cost extra?
4. Do you take a fee on sales or card payments?
5. How long is the free trial and must I enter a card?
6. What is the notice period?
7. Must I buy your hardware?
8. Which receipt printer and barcode scanner work?
9. How does EET 2.0 work and who will help me set it up?
10. What happens in an internet outage?
11. How do I upload my goods?
12. Can the POS be used in my language?
13. How do I download my data when I leave?
14. Who will help me when the POS is not working and the shop is full?

How SuperKasa answers the questions

You will find a full comparison of plans on the pricing page.

Sources

• Finanční správa: Who must register sales

This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice. For your own situation, ask a tax adviser or the tax office (finanční úřad).