Allow text modifiers with Square POS

[ConfluenceGal]

We are a non-profit gallery that sells work for local artists on consignment. We need to be able to identify an individual artist and their work when it sells during a gallery exhibit. These items are not entered as inventory since they are only captured in our system once they sell so we use the exhibit name as our item in Square. Using this system is great but their is no place for us to identify the art piece that was sold so that we can pay the artist for their work.

[ryanwanner]

@ConfluenceGal  I know that text based modifiers are available on the online side of things, so I'm hoping it won't be long before they make their way to the POS.

For the time being, you can always add a note to the item. This will print on receipts and will show in the transactions history. To do this, once you've added the item to the sale, tap on the item in the "tape" on the right side of the screen. That will bring up an item edit window. Look for the Notes section.

[EnochS]

This is honestly a make or break feature. We will probably cancel our square account and return our POS and switch to Shopify if this feature is not implemented, from a logistical point of view.

[SVAFC]

We are also a small volunteer-based art center. I also put in a request for modifiers on POS. I didn't think of using in the way you describe but this is also an awesome way to use the modifiers.

Here is how our organization would use modifiers: 

I think it would be great to make text modifiers available for POS. We are an art center that needs to collect quite a bit of customer data; however, we have many volunteers who only work every few months. If we could make our POS checkout for each item the same as the one on the online website, We would not have so much missing information for each customer/client. 

For example, online, we can require customers to enter their email and phone numbers. On the POS, we have to rely on our volunteers and staff to remember to enter this information into the notes portion of the item we are selling. If we could require these answers before check-out in-store at the POS, it would make everything much smoother.

The idea is that when a staff member adds an item with required text modifiers to the check-out, the required modifiers pop up, and the staff is prompted to fill in the information for the customer who is checking out in-store, and the customer would have the option to pay cash, check, or card. 

I do know that if someone pays with a CC, their information is auto-attached through their CC. However, many clients like to pay with checks or cash; some of our clients are older and cannot check out online, and our volunteer staff members cannot remember to input a customer into each transaction. So, if text modifiers were a pop-up and required when a particular item is added to the checkout, it would make things much easier for our staff and volunteers to collect the appropriate information during each transaction.

[RedBarnStudio]

I absolutely love the idea of adding text modifiers to the Square POS system! At our museum, we could use this feature in so many ways, including tracking artist information for craft fair applications. When artists pay their application fee in-store, having the POS prompt staff to collect all necessary details before accepting payment would ensure no questions are missed. While we could use separate software for this, having it integrated into the POS would be far more convenient for our team and volunteers.

For example, online, we can require fields like email, phone numbers, or other details as part of a checkout process. On the POS, however, we currently have to rely on staff or volunteers to remember to manually enter this information into the notes section of an item during the transaction, which often leads to missing or incomplete data. If required text modifiers were available at the POS, it could ensure a smoother and more consistent experience.

This functionality would also benefit organizations like ours, where volunteers work sporadically as well and may not be familiar with every process. By embedding prompts directly into the POS system, we could streamline transactions, improve data accuracy, and enhance the customer experience. It’s a feature with countless practical applications, and it would be a game-changer for organizations that collect detailed customer or client information during in-person transactions.

[DCHumaneSociety]

This feature seems so simple to add to the POS and I'm not sure why it isn't available yet! We are a non-profit humane society, and we are specifically looking for text based modifiers for our donations. When a donor requests a donation be "In Memory of" or "In Honor of" we need a way to add the individual's name right in the transaction. We use ipads that were donated to us, so our team doesn't have access to the online portal (only I do as the admin, but I don't want to confuse volunteers and make things more complicated for them).

I know we can add the details in the Notes section, but since we have specific financial reporting as a nonprofit, we need to be able to quickly filter through donations based on their allocation. Currently, we have to manually look through every donation transaction to find the memorials and honorariums. It would be much easier & simpler for our limited staff and volunteers if they could use the text modifier instead.

Please, please, please add in this functionality for the POS!

[ryanwanner]

@DCHumaneSociety  That is an absolutely perfect reason to have text modifiers on the POS. Hopefully someone from the dev team is still pursuing how to do this for in person sales.

Have you thought about having specific in store donation items? Something like an item titled "In Memory Donation" where you enter the name then. If you make a Donation Category, you can lump all the donation items here: your reporting will be able to show a lump sum plus individual types of donations. It's a workaround, yes, but it may make your reporting easier.