Looking for any advice on a solution for our band's merch table - we currently use the basic square reader linked to whatever device the person running the table has handy, but it often involves a lot of inconvenient pairing and re-pairing the reader or whoever has the paired phone having to run back to the table if an unexpected sale comes up at some point during the night.

Ideally we're after a very cheap and small android based device (7in tablet or smaller) capable of running square that we can just leave in the merch box along with the reader and just charge both up before a gig. We've looked at old phones and devices that we have kicking around but unfortunately they are all too old and out of date to run square or are not compatible.

We've also looked at the square terminal as a possible solution but it's too pricey, we don't need receipt functionality and it's unfortunately much more attractive to thieves as the merch table is often unmanned.

Any suggestions for a device or solution that won't break the bank and will not be a major issue should it get stolen would be greatly appreciated!

Edit: We already use the Square POS tile reader to take payments and don't intend to change for the foreseeable future, it's the device that runs the android app that we need cheap and cheerful model recommendations for.

Anyone here use Square as their point-of-sale system? I'm taking ownership of my family business and the system in place is very outdated. I'm looking for an upgrade that will allow staff to interface with customers and handle certain types of transactions from any location in our retail facility. I'd like to provide each employee with a tablet that allows them to process payments, track and manage inventory, etc.

This seems to be an option with no upfront costs, which I find too good to be true. Where do the hidden costs come in? How much am I going to get from this "free" service before I start getting hit with fees? I've been looking into a bunch of POS systems and am not interested in a full head to toe revamp at this time, which is what a lot of POS companies try to sell, and the cost is astronomical. Maybe worth it down the line, but for now, I just want a simpler solution that will meet my basic needs.

I read some reviews that Square may not be the best platform for handling large volumes of sales/transactions - can anyone validate this? Would it be recommended to use the square debit card/checking account that is offered, or link my already existing business/checking account?

Looking for low-cost efficiency with my main priority being inventory management - which is something that the business does not have a good handle on right now. If there is another system that anyone could recommend instead of Square, I am all ears!