Point of Sale

Overpriced, slow, and not designed for real retail use

We have been using Shopify for over 8 years, and switched to Shopify POS Pro 6 months ago for our gallery in Sitges after more than 2.5 years using Square, which worked flawlessly: fast, intuitive, and perfectly adapted to retail operations.

The decision to move to Shopify POS was driven by the need to centralize inventory and connect in-store and online sales. On paper, it made sense. In reality, the experience has been consistently frustrating.

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1. Pricing is completely disconnected from value

Shopify offers its core e-commerce platform starting at around €29/month, yet charges €79/month per location for POS Pro just to unlock basic retail features.

The standard POS version is simply not usable in a professional context:
no proper sales reporting
no breakdown by payment method (cash vs card)
no staff attribution

These are not advanced features. They are the minimum expected in any POS system.

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2. Slow and inefficient user experience

The app feels sluggish in daily use:
slow navigation between screens
delays when switching between products, cart, and checkout
lack of fluidity during busy store moments

In retail, speed is critical. This directly impacts customer experience.

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3. Sales data is not usable in real time

sales statistics take a long time to update
no reliable real-time view of performance
difficult to reconcile daily revenue

With Square, everything was instant and clear. Here, it feels delayed and unreliable.

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4. Reporting limitations (especially without POS Pro)

impossible to properly track total revenue in the free version
no clear breakdown by payment method
confusing tax-inclusive vs tax-exclusive reporting

For a physical store, this is a major issue.

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5. Inventory management from POS is unnecessarily complex

Adjusting stock directly from the POS is:
not intuitive
too many steps
not designed for quick retail operations

This should be simple and fast. It is neither.

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6. Missing basic usability features

Despite being available on mobile devices:
no biometric login (fingerprint / Face ID) for staff
no fast user switching for sellers

This makes daily use slower and less secure than it should be.

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7. Not a true retail product

Shopify POS feels like an add-on to an e-commerce platform, not a tool built for real-world retail.

After years with Square, the difference is clear:
Square is fast, retail-first, and reliable
Shopify POS is slower, restricted, and overpriced

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When opening our second gallery, we naturally considered rolling out POS Pro there as well. At €79 per month per location for this level of functionality, the answer was a clear no.

After 8 years using Shopify, this is particularly disappointing. We adopted Shopify POS to simplify operations, but it is adding friction instead.

If this does not improve significantly, it will push us to reconsider our entire reliance on Shopify, including for e-commerce. We value well-designed, fairly priced tools and do not appreciate feeling locked into an ecosystem where essential functionality is either missing or unreasonably priced.

i never see such a death POS i pay last 1 year and i never see this app works always when i check it is death

Since the latest update, the POS app no longer shows the number of items in the cart on tablets. This small detail is actually a critical part of preventing checkout errors for staff, especially during busy periods.

This change feels like it shipped without real-world UX testing in a retail environment. If it was intentional, it’s a serious design mistake. If it was accidental, it highlights a lack of QA before release.

I strongly recommend restoring this functionality as soon as possible and improving UX testing before future updates.

This regression directly impacts checkout accuracy and day-to-day store operations.

We found an active paid subscription for this app on our account — an app we never used, never set up, and had no need for. We don't run a POS system. Yet ₹14,000 was quietly charged to us.

When we raised this with Shopify support, they refused a refund. We followed up multiple times. Every response was either a dead end or a flat no.

This isn't a glitch. Charging merchants for apps they never signed up for, without any communication, and then refusing to own it — that's just wrong.

If you're on Shopify, please audit your active subscriptions. You might be paying for things you don't even know are running.

We're escalating this until it's resolved.

Really horrible in term of reporting and session management. They keep removing features.

From the REST API, we could have gotten the Device ID information for POS order but they have since removed it from the GraphQL API. Then we had access to the session data in the shopify admin and yet again, this feature was removed. We basically have little help in tracking orders at the POS.

Shopify has done little to nothing to support its customers in this regards and frankly seems to be pushing them away to use third party apps.

Eventhough it is the native app for shopify, it has recurrent connectivity and sincronization issues with barcodes and inventory
It is unpractical that only certain hardware is available for use with the app, and that this hardware is unexistent outside certain countries or extremely expensive.
It makes no sense that my current computers cant be used, and im forced to use tablets of mobile devices. This issue, next to the associated hardware makes scaling extremely expensive, and opening new venues implies purchasing the expensive and selective associated hardware.
Finally subscription costs are expensive, charging 80USd for being able to associate sales with employees. This should be a basic feature of the app, included with the plus 1000USD i pay monthly for shopify

Customer service has been extremely disappointing. This app was installed in the PRO version by a developer who has since had their access revoked. We are a production kitchen and do not operate a POS or retail checkout, so this app has never been required or used.

Despite this, I’ve only recently discovered that we’ve been paying for the subscription for years. The team can clearly see there has been no usage at all, yet they have refused any form of refund, hiding behind policy rather than exercising discretion.

As a small business ourselves, we regularly offer gestures of goodwill to customers when mistakes happen, even when policies technically allow us not to. It’s disappointing to see none of that same understanding or flexibility extended here, especially given the clear lack of use and circumstances surrounding the installation.

Very disappointing experience overall.

Reseña detallada de Shopify POS: 1/5

Shopify POS ofrece una interfaz amigable y una integración directa con la plataforma en línea de Shopify. Sin embargo, en nuestra experiencia operativa en México, hemos identificado múltiples limitaciones que afectan significativamente la eficiencia y la satisfacción del cliente en un entorno minorista dinámico. A continuación, se detallan diez puntos críticos:

1. Falta de soporte para múltiples divisas
Operando en una zona turística con clientela internacional, la incapacidad de Shopify POS para procesar pagos en efectivo en diferentes divisas sin conversión automática nos obliga a realizar cálculos manuales. Esto incrementa el riesgo de errores y ralentiza el proceso de pago, afectando negativamente la experiencia del cliente y la precisión en la gestión de caja.

2. Incompatibilidad con Shopify Payments en México
En México, Shopify Payments no está disponible, lo que nos obliga a utilizar terminales de pago externas para procesar tarjetas de crédito. Esta situación complica la integración de pagos y puede generar inconsistencias en la conciliación de ventas.

3. Disponibilidad limitada de hardware
La tienda de hardware de Shopify no realiza envíos a México, lo que nos obliga a adquirir equipos compatibles a través de minoristas externos. Esto puede resultar en dificultades para encontrar hardware compatible y en posibles problemas de integración.

4. Problemas de rendimiento y estabilidad
Hemos experimentado lentitud y fallos en el sistema durante eventos de alta demanda, lo que resulta en interrupciones en el servicio y pérdida de ventas. Por ejemplo, durante un evento con gran afluencia de clientes, el sistema se volvió inoperativo, impidiendo procesar transacciones y generando largas filas y frustración entre los clientes. Estas interrupciones afectan la confianza en el sistema y la reputación de nuestro negocio.

5. Integración limitada con hardware de terceros
La compatibilidad de Shopify POS con hardware de terceros es limitada, lo que nos ha obligado a invertir en equipos específicos de Shopify, incrementando los costos operativos. Por ejemplo, intentamos integrar un escáner de códigos de barras de un proveedor reconocido, pero la falta de compatibilidad nos forzó a adquirir el modelo específico que Shopify recomienda, generando gastos adicionales no previstos.

6. Soporte técnico insuficiente
En situaciones críticas, el soporte técnico no ha respondido con la rapidez y eficacia necesarias. Al enfrentar un problema técnico que impedía procesar pagos, contactamos al soporte y recibimos una respuesta después de 48 horas, tiempo durante el cual nuestras operaciones se vieron gravemente afectadas. La falta de asistencia oportuna en momentos cruciales compromete la continuidad del negocio.

7. Funcionalidades básicas ausentes
Funciones esenciales como la gestión avanzada de inventario y la personalización de recibos están ausentes o requieren costosas actualizaciones. Por ejemplo, la incapacidad de ajustar rápidamente los niveles de inventario desde el POS nos obliga a realizar estas modificaciones desde el panel de control en línea, lo que no es práctico en un entorno de venta al por menor de ritmo rápido.

8. Requisitos específicos de dispositivos
La aplicación Shopify POS está disponible solo para dispositivos iOS y Android, excluyendo su uso en computadoras de escritorio o portátiles. Esto limita la flexibilidad operativa y puede requerir inversiones adicionales en dispositivos compatibles.

9. Actualizaciones obligatorias
A partir del 3 de noviembre de 2023, Shopify POS requiere actualizaciones cada 180 días para mantener el acceso a la aplicación. Esto puede generar inconvenientes si no se gestionan adecuadamente las actualizaciones automáticas.

10. Falta de soporte para sistemas operativos beta
La aplicación Shopify POS no admite sistemas operativos beta. Esto restringe el uso en dispositivos que no cumplen con estas especificaciones.

Conclusión
Aunque Shopify POS se integra bien con la plataforma en línea, sus limitaciones en el manejo de múltiples divisas, incompatibilidad con Shopify Payments en México, disponibilidad limitada de hardware, problemas de rendimiento, integración restringida con hardware de terceros, soporte técnico insuficiente, ausencia de funcionalidades básicas, requisitos específicos de dispositivos, actualizaciones obligatorias y falta de soporte para sistemas operativos beta lo hacen inadecuado para operaciones minoristas complejas y de alto volumen en el mercado mexicano. Es esencial que Shopify aborde estas deficiencias para ofrecer una solución POS más robusta y confiable.

The update that happened in Spring 2024 made it so slow to process orders. You have to click 9-10 times to get the most basic sale done. Im looking for a better option now

This ap is not for Makers who travel out of their home tax area to do markets. There are other point of sale services that handle toggling taxes on and off in a more efficient and simple manner. While the thought of having synchronized inventory tallies between online and in person sales is appealing, this point of sale ap really doesn't manage the different sales tax collection requirements when you sell in person in a Province that is not your home Province. Glad I realized this before I subscribed to Pro.