Days away from Thanksgiving, many people in the US are looking forward to enjoying a delicious, golden-brown turkey. Actually, it’s hard to imagine something better than a turkey on Thanksgiving when you gather together with family and friends around a table — or nibbling on leftovers during football games before a nice, turkey-dinner-induced nap.

As great as a turkey dinner is, turkeys walking around in a barnyard have a very different reputation. They’re awkward, clumsy, and stare at the sky — which some people claim could make them drown themselves in the rain. Show business drew a parallel decades ago when Broadway shows that got bad ratings were dubbed “turkeys.”

If you’re a business owner, the last thing you want at Thanksgiving — or worse, yet, on Black Friday — is a point of sale system (POS system) that’s a turkey. Here are four things to look for in a POS system that will, instead, equip your business with the tools you need to operate efficiently and cost-effectively and provide top-of-the-line customer service.

Durable: Some business owners choose POS systems that run on consumer-grade tablets or other mobile devices. While that may be a viable option for some merchants, it’s not a smart choice for retailers or restaurants where spills, impacts, and exposure to dust and dirt are common. Dropping a consumer-grade device or using it in a humid restaurant kitchen probably means you’ll need to replace it often. And if you use a consumer-grade device around water or liquids, well, let’s just say it’s a lot like that turkey standing in the rain. Choose durable POS hardware built to stand up to your business’ environment. 

Secure: Your business can’t afford a data breach. Any point of sale technology you consider for your business must be designed with security features that protect customer data, payment card information — and your business systems and reputation. Ensure your POS system complies with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard and gives you the ability to control access.  

Reliable: Your business also can’t afford downtime: the average cost to a business of tech outages is between $140,003 and $540,358 per incident when you add up lost business, labor and overhead, and IT service. A total POS solution provider can equip your business with backup internet or cellular failover to make sure your business is always up and running. 

Functional: Your point of sale system should be more than just a cash register. It should have the features that help you manage a successful business. Make a checklist of the POS functionality that is most important to your business operations and the customer experiences you provide, such as robust inventory management, loyalty rewards, labor management, integrated payments, and data analysis and reporting. 

One of the advantages of operating your business in the St. Louis area is that you don’t have to save the wishbone to wish for a full-featured, durable and secure POS system. Contact local POS provider PlazSales for information on a smart, affordable POS system choice for your business.