[Mark C.]

So my Veriafone/nurit 8000 died yesterday before show started-I pulled out my i phone and square up and worked thru the day taking visa and cash.
As I thought when I got a line it took to long to ask for how people wanted the receipt. The asking is fast the response time is slow. Paper text or e-mail- how do you want your receipt?? but getting the phone # for a text or an e-mail for a receipt is slow stuff-writing a paper receipt is faster( they are stamped and just need the price filled in) but not everyone wants that.
I already have two of us working one the money the other wraps pots.

Square up is a slow deal as far as receipts-my 8000 just printed them RIGHT now and I could move on. No asking no worries
so for now the 8000 is 2nd day air back for repair.
Anyone out there with this and has done that with square up and has to a speedy solution when the line gets long.???
This will not be an issue at a slow show only where the sales are brisk.
Mark

[Brandee Ross]

I've been using Square since summer of 2010, and I avoid this problem by giving everyone a handwritten receipt and skipping receipt in the Square app after they sign.

It takes too long to enter someone's e-mail address and it's very easy to make a mistake (and you'll always encounter people who don't have a text plan or use e-mail). I use a pre-printed receipt on 2-part carbonless paper, 4.25x5.5" with my logo and contact information. I can easily and quickly jot down the item, size and color and give one part to the customer, keeping the other for myself. I have a checkbox for cash, credit or check. Using 1/4 of an 8.5x11" sheet of paper and black ink, these receipts are incredibly cheap to produce at my local printer.

Another benefit to the physical receipt: I've had many customers contact me for additional purchases using the information on their receipt because they've lost or given away my business card.

[GEP]

I don't use the square, but I have made purchases from other artists using the square. The first time I went through the process of providing my email address, and I was thinking "what a pain!" how can the vendor stand to go through this for every charge? So now when I buy things from someone using a square, I just say no thanks to the receipt. I wish they would offer me a paper receipt instead, so If I were to switch to a smartphone-based device, I would do it the way Brandee described. I already use a two-part receipt for all of my sales anyways. Also, I still have not developed a sense of trust for the square, so I don't want them to be stockpiling my customers' email addresses or phone numbers.

Mea

[Mark C.]

Thanks for the input-Its paper receipts all the way now.
I just want my customers to be happy with that
My nurit 8000 will be back in 3 weeks from being repaired-I'm still in the testing mode with square up-The economics is about 1% difference with the square up.
The other thing was that cards are a bit harder (slower) to swipe in that small footprint-I had to do many a few times to get them to take .
I did take the tutorial on swiping but even with that it was far from a one swipe deal.-I have several readers so that may help.
At least my nurit can store forward something the square up cannot do.
Mark

[buckbuck]

I just hand them my iPad and they do the rest. No objections or hesitation. Some cards are already coded with the text number when it's swiped!

[Dinah]

I've had some problems swiping with Square. Soooo, I just roll with the entering information option -- if I can't get it to "buzz" after two swipes, and have the customer read me their data; they're involved and card doesn't leave their hands. It works for me. I've never had an eye-roll or anything, as folks are generally keen to see how it all works and I make sure they are looking over my shoulder at what's going on with the Square entry process.

[scoobydoozie]

If you're using an iPhone or iPad, get the Apple bluetooth keyboard. no wires, and makes typing a snap. Hand the keyboard to the customer or do it yourself. When I'm writing documents in Pages on my iPad, I grab my wireless iMac keyboard and away I go!

[GEP]

Hey folks,

The original issue that Mark raised was not how to generate a receipt with the square, but rather how slow it is to type in an email address for every receipt. For artists like Mark, he will often have a line of customers waiting to pay him, and he needs to process them as fast as possible. I wish I could say I have a line of customers :-) but frequently I will have one person waiting. It's normal for me to process 50 credit card sales in one weekend, and typing in an email for each one sounds too slow to me too.

It's really important for your customers to enjoy the experience of the purchase. That's what makes them want to do it again. Modern consumers are very sensitive to an inefficient process. It doesn't take much to make someone feel like the process wasn't fun. Being slow is one of those things. I know when I am waiting to purchase something at an art festival, if the artist is being too slow I am not impressed. On the other hand, when someone has a smooth and efficient check-out process, makes me feel appreciated, then hands me a beautifully wrapped package, I think "nice!"

I just signed up for the Intuit GoPayment swiper, which I will use with my iPad (still too much of a cheapskate for a smartphone data plan, iPad lets you buy the data $15/month only when you need it). Like Mark and Brandee, I plan to skip the email address and just hand people a paper receipt.

Mea

[Mark C.]

Just in from a little 1700 mile drive from a big show.
My comparison with the square up and a traditional wireless veriphone/nurit 8020card processor is as follows.
I found the square up a tad slower by writing paper receipts (on my own custom printed receipt books)over the blazing speed of the 8020 spitting them out. I did not over the e-mail/text options to customers as this is way to slow.The swiping is also slower as the square is very touchy and a few swipes are the norm.-My 8020 takes cards on one swipe.One needs to go thru several steps with the smart phone screens to end sale-this all takes just a little longer .Not much but some
I had 208 visa sales (not counting checks and cash sales) of those I had 20 American express which I used the square on as I cannot take them via my other card account thru my 8020.
I had a steady line at times all three days and most folks wanted a receipt.
As Gep pointed out in todays want it RIGHT NOW WORLD- time in line needs to appear to move quickly so for now my square up is an American express special and I will continue to use my 8020.
One last not at every days end getting the totals for your square up account is also longer as you need to log into your account to get that-this all takes more time when you could be resting for the next days madness. For me with high volume sales the square is just another tool not the only tool to capture visa.
If your sales are small in numbers that is no lines of buyers the square up is perfect really just right in every way. Thats not my world so its not quite there yet.
Mark

[Brandee Ross]

Mark, one more thought: you can change your Square settings to not ask for signatures for all purchases under $25. This may speed up your transactions depending on what you sell (I have a lot of items under $24 so it makes a considerable difference for me).

The Square Register app for the iPad now allows you to connect a receipt printer but it only works with an Ethernet interface. I hope they are working on a similar solution for those of us selling at shows where Ethernet is not an option, because the Register app allows receipt printing for cash and check purchases as well. How great would it be to never write a receipt again?!

[Mark C.]

Brandee-
I have from the very beginning used the no receipt under 25$ function-but in most of my square use the average sale is larger than that.
. I will never have room on my small sales table for anything but a smart phone as the table already has a cash register and wireless visa machine and business cards and is 18x33 inch's-
So the rest of table is used for all the pottery to be put there as we wrap it.
I'll post a sales table photo when I download them.
I have used various table setups over the years and my current one is the best for me. very small has a drawer-matches my display and has room for bags under it as well as my jumper battery and inverter to make 110 volts to power the register. It also runs on batteries. My setup is makes for short quick work with various tax zones as they are figured out in the register .
Mark

[Mark C.]

Last weekends show is my most roomy sales area of all the shows I do . Due to the unusual layout of this double booth (not at all what I usually do I have a lot of space around my sales table)
This booth is a corner double in the middle of flow.
Heres my table-all pots are brought to this tab alone.
Mark

[Mark C.]

Just went thru the paper work for visa capturing for month of August-my processor is merchant warehouse.Thats for a wireless connection and monthly paper statement with phone support.
My fees deducted from 6k in visa where running at 3.4% of total.
I also used the square up on top of this total and its was as advertised 2.75% of square up total
For me its still use both for awhile.
Mark

[neilestrick]

I use Intuit GoPayment, but the receipts are the same problem. Way too slow to type in an email on my phone. So I just give them a paper receipt from a standard receipt book from Staples, and a business card. While I run their card I have them write down their name, address, phone number and email on the receipt, just in case there's in problem with the credit card down the line. Might be nice to have some receipts printed with my letterhead, if anyone does it cheap....

[GEP]

I used my Intuit GoPayment for the first time this past weekend. Overall, I liked it. I did find myself getting annoyed that it is much slower than my Nurit, even when I skip the electronic receipt and just hand customers a paper receipt. And it's really hard to see the screen of an iPad when you're outdoors.

However it totally saved my butt on one sale ... one customer went through three credit cards until she found one that wasn't declined. With my Nurit I "store and forward" all my charges so I wouldn't have known that until later. And the card that finally worked was an amex, which I couldn't accept with the Nurit. I've been using a knucklebuster or a "store and forward" terminal for almost 10 years, and only had TWO charges fail that way. My theory was that people who like handmade pottery are not inclined to max out their credit cards. But this is the second declined card I've gotten in the last two shows. At my last show in July, I emailed the customer and he came back to my booth the next day with a different credit card. And I'm pretty sure the customer this past weekend would have been good for the money too, it's just a lot of extra work to straighten those situations out. I guess in a post-recession era even pottery fans can max out their credit cards. So I'm really glad I can approve or decline their cards on the spot.

With my Nurit, I could get cellular service and instant approvals for $30/month, which I was too cheap to do. With the iPad, I can get a month of cellular service for $15, and I can skip that during months when I don't need it.

I'll probably hang onto the Nurit for a few more shows just in case. If I still like the Intuit swiper at the end of the year, then I'll cancel it.

Mea

[neilestrick]

I'd say screen visibility is my top complaint. When you're in the sun, most devices are really hard to see, whether a cell phone or an iPad. That's not Intuit's fault, of course. A Kindle would be ideal, as they are not back lit and can be read in the sun. I doubt I can use GoPayment on it, though.

[Dinah]

I am an advocate for letting the customer look over your shoulder as you process via Square...or whatever works for you. It's still hit or miss with a buzz swipe and those who use Square will understand. So, I say after two swipes, have a peek as we go along as you're going to enter your card details and this is how it all looks. Isn't it neat? I lean into customer and share. No complaints. No flouncing offs. And they are repeat customers. Love it when I'm told "Well done, you're firmly into the 21stC with Square...." Just go with the flow and try not to get tied into knots. Square is superb.

[Mark C.]

After doing a big show this past weekend -heres what happened while using the square-after 30 sales with it on Sat. I swiped a card ands it it got stuck in the processing mode -this was a large show so the network was most likely busy. I had a line of 5 customers waiting-I waited 5 minutes then got the customers phone #. I had to shut down the phone to get out of this never ending processing loop. The charge did not go thru. I had my virafone wireless machine and used it the rest of day till late afternoon.Then went back to square.
The next day same thing happened-almost exactly-

I always let the customer look at me swiping the card as it can take 10 swipes but usually 2-4.
I'm checking into intuit swiper as its a better card reader. The square is ok for a few charges but if you have 100 in a day you can have issues.

Mea I signed up with gopayment-looks to be a better card reader
Will not have it for Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival this weekend but thats fine.
Mark

[koreyej]

Unless you have lots of time, don't offer the email or text option. Just hand them a printed receipt.

[neilestrick]

I couldn't get my Intuit card reader to work at all at a small show two weekends ago. When I got home I tried a set of headphones in the jack and they didn't work either. Turns out there was a lot of pocket lint and muck inside the jack, preventing a good connection. I blasted it out with some canned air, then dipped the headphone plug into WD-40 and twisted it around in the jack a few times, then blasted it out again. Good to go. No problems at all this last weekend.