Operating a nonprofit thrift store is a great way to give back to your community, promote sustainability, and offer affordable finds to those in need. But it comes with its challenges: Managing inventory, organizing donations, ensuring smooth transactions, and creating a positive shopping experience all take time and effort.
A comprehensive point of sale (POS) system can simplify these tasks, providing detailed sales reports and faster transaction processing. Check out these top five POS systems for nonprofit thrift stores, and find the perfect one to streamline your operations and boost your retail store’s success.
1. ThriftCart
ThriftCart is a cloud-based point of sale (POS) solution designed by thrift business professionals for thrift store owners. It features an intuitive interface that requires minimal training, making it quick and easy to grasp. Volunteers and staff will find it simple to use, ensuring your thrift store runs efficiently.
- Easy to learn and use: Mastering ThriftCart’s features is a breeze. The clear and easy-to-read interface makes navigating between thrift store POS tools, donation management, payment processing, and other functions simple.
The comprehensive tutorial knowledge base is packed with info on advanced features and tips to help you manage your store more efficiently. And if you or one of your volunteers needs a little extra help, the ThriftCart customer support team is always ready to provide quick and thorough troubleshooting.
- Simplified donation management: ThriftCart makes donation dropoffs and pickups easy with self-scheduling and optimized routes for your staff. Donors receive print or e-receipts for tax purposes, and automated thank you messages encourage future contributions to support your cause.
The system also allows for roundup donations where your customers can increase the amount they want to pay directly from the card reader to give more back to your nonprofit.
- Integrated payment processing: ThriftCart’s Thrift Pay system replaces outdated cash registers and non-integrated payment systems. It supports EMV, credit and debit cards, and mobile-based payment systems like Apple Pay and Google Pay. Customers can easily purchase their items regardless of their preferred payment method.
ThriftCart is the top-rated POS system for thrift stores — and one of the most trusted solutions to manage nonprofit thrift stores on the market.
Customer Reviews:
- “Our overall experience with ThriftCart has been one of the best I ever had with a company. Their whole team is absolutely great and very helpful and I am recommending ThriftCart to every thrift store that I talk to.” — Scott C., nonprofit thrift store director
- “ThriftCart has been one of the most positive and pivotal decisions we’ve made as an organization. Their POS is easy to set up and use, and they make helpful suggestions in what hardware and other supplies to purchase. Their customer service is quick to respond and provide the right answer.” — Tim K., social enterprise director for a nonprofit organization
2. Thrift Works
Thrift Works is an industry-specific point of sale system that provides easy-to-use inventory management, efficient sales tracking, and effortless integration with accounting software. With Thrift Works, you can simplify your thrift store’s day-to-day tasks so you can focus on what really counts: Supporting your mission and making a positive impact in the community.
- No in-store servers: Thrift Works POS system’s cloud-based dashboard means you can manage every aspect of your business — from donations to sales — all from your smartphone, and print receipts from a WiFi-enabled printer.
- Integrated vouchers: Thrift Works makes it easy to keep track of the help you provide with integrated vouchers. With scannable Care Cards, people can shop with dignity using their assigned vouchers. You can also monitor usage for billing and keep tabs on food pantry visitors.
- Online data reports: Thrift Works makes accessing your data easy. Whether you’re tracking sales, production, or payroll, online reports let you compare stores and date ranges effortlessly, all from anywhere with internet access. Enjoy ready-made reports and real-time insights on any web browser or phone.
Thrift Works offers customizable, all-in-one software for efficient store operations, backed by over 15 years of experience in thrift store POS and software development.
Customer Reviews:
- “Within 6 months we went from 30,000 per month to 65,000 per month in sales. We are now hitting 70,000+” — Kim, St. Vincent de Paul, Wausau, WI
- “Thrift Works has brought our nonprofit to another level! Totally customized for thrift, it has replaced time consuming report gathering. Faster checkout process, easy to use and they are VERY responsive anytime we have questions.” — Lisa, St. Vincent de Paut, Kenosha, WI
3. S-Tags Retail
S-Tags Retail was designed by specialists in the thrift store and used clothing industries to meet the needs of thrift shop operators. It is part of the L-Boss family of retail software and hardware, designed to support thrift shops and retail businesses with large and complex inventories.
- Simple layout: S-Tags features a simple interface and options layout resembling traditional retail system screens. It is designed for easier training and helps volunteers and inexperienced users quickly master the system.
- Built-in loyalty program builder: Create barcode-based loyalty and gift card programs with the built-in S-Tags Customer Loyalty feature. Strengthen customer relationships and design loyalty programs as simple or comprehensive as your store needs.
- Low cost of ownership: With S-Tags Retail, you don’t need to maintain expensive hardware or local servers to save your thrift store’s data. All your business data is automatically uploaded and synced to the cloud on the POS provider’s hardware.
While the S-Tags Retail POS system is easy to use, it is designed as one element of an extensive software and hardware system. It may not be suitable for your thrift shop if you only need a POS software tool instead of a complete solution.
Customer Reviews:
- “I would recommend not only the Secure Retail Production system, but having seen their POS system in action, would cast a strong vote in teaming both systems together for a complete POS solution.” — Erick Watson
- “I feel confident in recommending their services for anyone considering a new POS system for their business.” — Fay Wisted
4. ThriftTrac
ThriftTrac is a smart software solution designed specifically for the thrift industry. It makes it simple to track customer transactions, donations, and processes. ThriftTrac offers three powerful modules — point of sale, donations, and business metrics — providing insights and actionable data points to help boost your thrift store’s profitability.
- Integration with web portal: ThriftTrac’s web portal makes it easy to customize your store’s operational flow. You can tweak categories, set tax rates, and choose payment types for each of your store’s locations.
- Intuitive interface: ThriftTrac’s iPad app is easy to use, meaning that your staff members and volunteers will be able to get the hang of it in no time. With its integrated, user-friendly design, they’ll be able to assist customers quickly and confidently.
- Comprehensive donations module: Donations are crucial to running a thriving thrift store, and ThriftTrac’s donations module makes tracking them simple. Easily keep track of each donation and donor, send automated receipts, and capture information on related churches, businesses, and organizations for effective follow-up and increased giving.
ThriftTrac is ideal for nonprofit thrift store franchises, giving you control over everything from how you accept donations to the payment options you offer. If you are interested in ThriftTrac for your business, reach out to the team. They’ll give you a customized quote based on the modules you need and the number of locations you operate.
Customer Reviews:
- “DeCYFEring our data has never been easier thanks to the integrated and tailor made system SMCO has designed for our organization! The real-time metrics and ability to track our historical data has definitely optimized not only our production and efficiency requirements but our profitability as well!” — SMCo Thrift Software User
5. Square
Square for Retail is a versatile POS system for all kinds of businesses, from restaurants to clothing stores. It’s also a good choice for thrift stores, particularly startups and smaller businesses.
- All-in-one features: Square POS offers comprehensive tools to help you manage your thrift shop. You can handle inventory and fulfillment, analyze customer relationships, build loyalty, and streamline day-to-day operations all in one place.
- No upfront operating costs: Square is an excellent option for startups and smaller thrift stores on a tight budget. With a free tier available, you can serve your customers and manage donations without upfront costs — just pay processing fees for each credit card transaction.
- Quick payment processing: Square supports most major payment options both at the physical counter and in your online store. From cash and standard credit cards to contactless payments and Tap-to-Pay with iPhone and Android devices, Square has you covered.
Square POS has enough basic features to support your small business’ operations in the early stages. But as your thrift shop grows and becomes more specialized, you might need a system more tailored to your unique needs. Advanced features come with additional subscription costs, so keep this in mind as well.
Customer Reviews:
- “I am extremely pleased with the professionalism of this company. I’m not computer savvy so when I do have a problem, we are quick to resolve it. I highly recommend it to anybody who’s taking cash payments.” — CarbonesCab
- “We’re a small nonprofit with low transactions, getting a lower rate was an initial key factor. Transactions have been easy and payments to us have consistently been deposited in our account the next business day.” — Daniel
Experience the Best POS System for Your Nonprofit With ThriftCart
With countless POS systems for nonprofit thrift stores available, finding the right one for your small business can be overwhelming.
ThriftCart is an excellent choice because it’s the only POS solution specifically designed for thrift stores — with all of the advanced and industry-specific features you need baked in. While other systems might offer features that partially fit, they’re general-use tools not tailored to your business’ unique needs.
Book a live demo today and discover how ThriftCart can help you operate your nonprofit thrift store more efficiently and better connect with your community.
