How Much Are Cash Registers

how much does a cash register cost

By Dan Barraclough | Updated: February 13 2019

The price of a cash register depends on the type, model, and range of features that come with it, so you can expect to pay anywhere from under to $100 to more than $2,000.

The good news is that there's a cash register for every budget, but they're only really suitable for very small stores that aren't processing many sales. That's why we recommend an POS system (point of sale) for modern businesses looking to scale. For more information on cash registers, however, keep on reading.

Entry Level Cash Register Prices

The Sam4s ER 380 is the best basic cash register you can buy for $290.

Entry level cash registers come equipped with a simple display, keypad, receipt printer, and cash drawer. These are suitable for small businesses with few staff.

Clerks have to manually key in prices, and printed receipts often only show basic information. Registers at this price lack advanced features such as employee numbers or advertisements.

You can pick up an entry level register from most industry retailers, such as Sharp, Royal, and Casio. At this level, feature sets are similar, so price should definitely be your main focus.

Price range: Under $100-$350

Mid-level Cash Register Prices

The Casio SE 3500 can handle any customer order, big or small – and all for $400.

If you're willing to spend a bit more, you can get a model with better functionality. Cash registers in this tier tend to feature customer-facing displays and thermal receipt printers.

Most mid-level models also include a laser barcode scanner to cut down on transaction time.

The processing chips in these models enable them to remember product information. Price lookups – or PLUs – are the unique numbers that let you access product pricing details when there's no barcode to hand. Naturally, you should look for a machine that can store enough PLUs for your stock line.

Price range: $300-$800

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High End Cash Register Prices

The Sam4s SPS-530FT — At $1,049, the Sam4s SPS-530FT isn't cheap – but you get a lot for your money.

A great example of a top-line cash register is theSPS-530FT Hybrid by SAM4s. Retailing at just over $1,000, it's perfect for retail and service industry use. It has dual keypad and touchscreen controls, a high-speed Epson thermal printer, and support for 60,000 PLUs.

Transactions are recorded automatically and you can easily export data via an SD card to a computer for analysis.

Price range: $1,000+

How Much Does a Touchscreen Cash Register Cost?

The Casio V-R7100 for hospitality and retail starts from around $1,200.

Touchscreen cash registers are a great choice for small businesses that have modest usage requirements – for example, small stores making a few sales per hour.

A basic touchscreen cash register will cost around$350.

Higher end models, such as those used in bars and restaurants, could cost around$1,200.

An advanced touchscreen register, like the Casio VR 7100 (pictured above), will cost upwards of$2,000.

This kind of device would best serve businesses with a constant flow of customers.

A few brands to look out for are Sam4s, Sharp, Royal, and Casio. Their touchscreen cash registers range in price from around$800-$1,500.

Which Cash Register is Best for Your Business?

Cash register costs vary from model to model depending on their feature set. You should invest in one that's equipped to handle all of your point-of-sale needs.

Smaller businesses like independent book shops or food service vehicles might not need laser scanners or thousands of PLUs. For these kinds of businesses, a basic machine is probably a better bet.

Others, such as grocery stores, clubs and bars, may need fast machines that can power through lots of sales quickly. For these businesses, a more expensive register may prove the better buy.

Next Steps: Cash Registers vs POS Systems

By now, you should have a better idea of cash register prices.

Still, you may find that a cash register only takes you so far. For one thing, cash registers can't scale with your business, so when you need to upgrade, you have to buy completely new equipment.

A more scalable solution is an electronicpoint-of-sale (POS) system. POS systems consist of easily upgradeable hardware and software. They're typically available on a software-as-a-subscription (SaaS) model, which means you pay a supplier a monthly fee for access to their software. The right POS software can assist with everything from stock management to financial reporting.

Questions to ask before you buy:

Restaurant	Retail	Service Sector
Could portable payment terminals help me serve customers faster?	Can my customers get the same in-store discounts as they would online?	Can my front desk staff easily access bookings and customer account details?
Do I ever run low on key ingredients at critical moments?	Do we pre-schedule weekly and seasonal special offers?	Do I have integrated in-store and online appointment booking?
Do any of my competitors run electronic customer rewards schemes?	Does reporting and budgeting take longer than an hour a week?	Are HR processes more difficult than they need to be?

Dan's a Senior Writer at Expert Market, specialising in digital marketing, web design, and photocopiers, amongst other topics.

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