I’ve been having an interesting email discussion about credit cards.
I thought I’d let you in on the conversation so you can give us your opinion…
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Hi Steve,
I got an important question regarding Credit card merchants, I’m getting ready to open next week. I saw the square mentioned a few weeks ago by you, I researched and I like the Square. I have also contacted several different companies that offer passthrough rates to % and per swipe fees. Do you have another company that has good rates for us, remember our avg sale could be $4.00 to $9.00 and I believe half my biz will be debit cards. What or who do you recommend? Sincerely,
Allan
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Hi Allen,
I have merchant accounts for my online publishing business but the cost would be a bit much for a low average transaction business, so I use Square in my hot dog business. I would still recommend Square. It’s simple, it works, and it saves lost sales every day.
Steve
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What about the receipt issue? i would think people would be leary swiping their card and not having a receipt, i know i would. Pass through accts are at same rate as square only it costs $4oo for a swipe/printer. This is the hardest choice I’ve come across regarding the entire hot dog cart process LOL
Thanks for your thoughts.
Allan
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Hey Allan,
When I first started out in this business I kept a paper receipt pad in my pocket and I would ask each customer if they wanted a receipt. 99 percent said no. Granted this was for a cash transaction. I have been using square for several years and have not had anyone balk at it. In fact, most people get excited about the “cool technology“. It creates word of mouth. As for the receipt issue… problem solved – Square lets you send a receipt to the purchaser by email. Easy as pie. I’ll post it so we can get input from the dogosphere.
Steve
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So how about it slingers? How important is the ability to generate receipts? I know a bunch of you are using Square, but how many are using another credit card solution?
Let us know in the comments. Thanks!
-Steve
Very few people I have dealt with ask for a receipt.. in fact the only person to ask for a receipt was another vendor. I have used Square for 4 months now and I don’t even mention the receipt.
I would contact Square directly and ask the question… I’m pretty sure this has been addressed by now..
The square can provide a receipt for your customers. You can have a receipt sent to your cell phone or to your email address. To do this you need the customers cell phone number or email address. It takes a few seconds to set this up the first time, but after that its not too bad. The customer can receive an electronic receipt for each purchase.
Hi Allan, much like you I thought that at least half of my business would be debit or credit card so I signed up with BankCard USA and purchased a verifone wireless machine. Unfortunately I really mis-read my market and I rarely used it. In a 4 month period I used it twice. I still had to pay the monthly fee and the whole deal ended up being costly not to mention the cost of the machine. I would sell you the Verifone for $350.00 if you are interested in going that route. That will save you a bunch on the initial set up at least. This will give you the printer you want as well as a batch slip at the end of the day. We are now just doing events instead of the daily routine and although we do have people ask about the debit purchase at shows they usually just go hit an ATM and come back.
Stay away from the lease deals. They are all bad! The fine print will cost you thousands. Trust me. I got screwed. Work with a local bank is your best bet.
When we first opened we had a cc machine that was wireless. Most people did not want a reciept. We have switched to square due to the fact that we have no monthly fees. Yes it is higher in swipe rate but doing the math we save about 50-80 in fees per month which really helps not paying them when your not working. If people want a reciept Square does have the ability though to send a reciept to their cell phone or email and we just do that.
Suare does offer a free reader so try it and see if it works or inituit also has the same ability, but has a wider selection of phones it will work on.
Hope this helps.
I was in the same boat as you Steve. I got my Square a little late in the summer, but the few people who used it loved the technology of it.
Most did not even want the receipt. I am using an Android phone. This summer I plan to have a tablet, wirelessly tethered to my phone, so it will be a little larger for the customer to see what’s going on, and bigger to sign. I love the Square tho!
I suggest sticking with cash unless your sales volume exceeds 150 per day. Besides, cash is still King!
I have been using Square & Go Payment by Intuit… I have had only 1 customer ask for a reciept and Square provides the ability of text message or emailing the reciept… There is no need (I have yet to come across) for a printed reciept.
Mike
we do use the square. It has worked on our Droid and our iphones. We do have a reciept option that allows us to send a reciept to either an e-mail address or text to a phone. I would say that in 7 months we may have used that option about 3 times and when the people came back again, they did not ask for the reciept a second time. Also, just bought an 1 phone for out son at $99. but it did raise the phone bill for a smart phone about $30 a month, so it is a committment.
First of all beware and read all the fine print on
credit card processing fees and costs. What they
don’t tell you is that most cards are a different fee
as a corporate card is the high rate and a debit lower rate a rewards card is outrageous.
Monitor your fees every month they can get
out of hand.
I have taken cc in several different conditions.
such as c-store, general store, flea market etc.
The fees get out of hand quickly.
My daughter just switched hers to the iphone app for her daycare business and is quite happy
i will find out the name and details etc and send to steve. I just am saying be careful i have been
screwed twice now and once by a bank .
Hi! I never went with a card swiper. People expect to pay with cash at a cart, so they generally wont approach you if they have no “green” in their pockets. I wouldn’t sweat it. I have actually fed people for “free” and they bring me back money the next day. No one has ever stiffed me for the cash, either! Good luck doggin, you will love it! Dixie
Steve, I have been using Square for several months. Square allows you to send a receipt via text or email. Most of my customers do not care about a receipt.
You can ALWAYS email them a receipt during the transaction with Square.
I think the cube is a little to fragile when you’re % of my CC customers want a receipt. I’ve used the Nurit 8000/8020 for my mobile unit. It’s been very durable and has a built in thermal printer. As far as choosing a CC processor. There are many different credit card processors that can set up the account with wireless capability. The difficulty comes in choosing the losest rates. I’ve never understood all the different industry logo that they use to explain the different rates. You’ll need need to do some work to figure out which processor will honestly give you the best rates.
I also have an extra Nurit unit that I was going to sell. I can post up here over the next week or so if you’re interested.
I apologize. My last post half way deleted. I was going to say that when you have 10 or 15 customers in line and get to quickly swiping credit cards, a unit like the cube is a little fragile. It can easily break the adapter plug where it plugs into your phone. In addition, when you have nearly 40% of your customers asking for a receipt, it gets very frustrating to try an type in an email address to send them a receipt online.
I use the square in my t-shirt business and the hot dog biz. It works great. I have a droid and am on page plus as my server. I have no problem sending a receipt to their phone or their e-mail. It was the wisest choice I ever made. Just buy a used droid and you will have no problem, or a new one is well worth the investment.
receipts are not important and you will find most people dont want one. As far as receipt with square you can email them one at the end of the transaction, the latest square version is 2.0 make sure you have that version, it would be worth upgrading your phone if necessary to use it, square is well worth it after all its free.
I use square and have never had anyone mad about a receipt, you can text or email them a receipt and they are always fine with that. Also you can get a smart phone free. I have had two different phones and it worked with both. They were android operating..
Last year I used Intuit. The app is free (I have an iPhone), and they will also send you the card swiper attachment for free. You also have the option to send a receipt to the customer after the transaction via email or text message. Although I cannot think of the % at the moment, I know Intuit’s fees are extremely low, and the money goes into your account within a day or 2. I found this program to be very useful for the catering side of the business that i so, as well. Highly suggest!!
I am still in the “gonna do the cart” phase…I am still knee deep in my own job and it’s travel and can’t right now. but this IS what I want to do – each email I pour over and save a lot of them.
On Square: It’s gaining everywhere. If you have teens or young adults…this is an entire generation that will NEVER have a paper reciept. My daughter looked at me like I was from Mars for wanting a paper reciept!
She showed me (our own banks’!) iphone app….and how she can see everything updated on her phone – for the use of her card – in pretty much Real Time. As she said….she “balances” daily now…and looks / double checks every transaction she makes every day or every other day for sure.
I work in an industry of “paper proves it”….so I was sort of shocked…but how many times have you filled up and the pump asks you if you want a reciept? I used to say “yes, of course” out loud…and wonder who wouldn’t. Now, I am one of those who push the “no reciept” button. I don’t need it anymore. For my bank or my 4 different amex cards. less paper – thinner wallet. lol.
-john
Hey Steve,
I have a HTC Aria smart phone. I have been using the Square Card reader app and am very satisfied with it. As for a receipts the app has a option to send the customer a e-mail receipt. But 99.99% of my customers do not ask for one. For my personal use reminder of how many Dogs I sell. I keep a small note book with a daily list of products sold using hash marks. Much less paper work involved and we all need something SIMPLE……..
Attila “Big Dog House”
We started using a credit card reader thru a Samsung Galaxy Tablet without the capability of producing a paper reciept but could send one to their email account if they wanted one. I have changed to a merchant account with my bank using a wireless reader that produces a merchant reciept for the customer to sign and then prompts me to ask the customer if they want a reciept. In the past 3 months no one has ever taken a copy for themselves. I just figure this is due to the fact that most of my credit card customers are spending around $10.00. By the way my average sales amount has definately increased my per sale average amount.
Good luck
After reading about square in this newsletter, I decided to give it a try because I knew how much business I was losing not accepting cards. Its not a good feeling when asked if you accept cards and you say no and watch them walk away. I was worried about the receipt thing but have not had a problem. They are just happy I accept cards. Twice I have had my phone shut off during processing and had to wait fir phone to come back up, but that wasn’t a big deal. The phone I use is something Droid2. Each time I get a card I smile knowing that sale didn’t get away.
To mix it up a bit, what about the Square app running on the iPad? Glad you asked! It is fantastic; old guys like me can actually see the darn thing without our cheater glasses, and the sunlight has very little effect on the screen. I love the fact that you can take pictures of all your products and use them as icons for your keys to key in the sale. To address the receipt issue, you are prompted with every transaction with the opportunity to send the customer a receipt, either to their phone or email. Also, Square just added a paper receipt printer and updated software to handle it, so you can even give a paper receipt. I find that most of my customers decline a receipt. Downside–sometimes it’s hard for me to get a good swipe thru the reader; it takes some practice and, thankfully, in the app it gives you a place to practice the swipe so you can get a feel for it. The other great thing is, and the biggest reason for me going iPad, I can cancel and start my data service at the begining and end of my season, therefore stopping an expense I don’t need in my off months. No hassle to it either, its all done on the iPad in settings>data. Two thumbs up from this hot dog guy! –Matt
(P.S. Square has also added an electronic cash box feature that turns your iPad into a virtual cash register…very cool.)
Steve, I have been using Square for almost a year now. Since I started using it the transaction fees have gone down. the Money is in my acct the next day, and as far as giving a receipt, the customer can have one delivered instantly by text to their phone or by email to their email address. I use an iPhone or iPad, but I had them already.. I think, (cant swear to it) but I understood that most smart phones are compatible. I would say if you are thinking about accepting CCs and upgrading your phone, make sure they work together.. Yes, most transactions are $4-10, but have you ever had a garage sale? sold something on ebay? craigs list? want ads? lots of uses…. a positive, IMO…..
All of our “Hi-Tech” items are cool. But I get the feeling that people want to take a break from it. If you watch the cooking channels, or some other type of learning or discovery channels, you see a lot of daily activities just getting back to the basics. In Sacramento, and other places you are seeing activites like, ‘SactoMoFo.’ People in various citys gatherings around a group mobile food vehicles. Get it ‘MoFo.’ Go on line and type in, sactomofo and see what I am talking about. With all of that said. Make your life simple, “JUST DO THE CASH”
Don’t forget about the ‘Droid’! It will work w/ Square & there are much better deals & plans for that phone. Also, look into ‘Bluetooth’ printers that can receive your reciept data…
Great topic! I’m not doggin, YET, but I’m one of those people that prefers a receipt for everything. Lots of people out there are using check cards to make purchases instead of credit cards, and receipts are important for checkbook balancing purposes.
These are the details I want to sort through before starting my cart business. Thanks guys!
I would think that the cost of the IPhone would be nothing compared to the number of sales that would be created through the use of the phone with Square Up. I’m just waiting for the square to be available here in Canada. Personally, when I use my debit, I very rarely ask for a receipt. I agree with Steve that the customer receipt is basically a non-issue. Hope this helps.
I’ve been using Square for over a year. I concur with what Steve said. Less than 1% ask or want a receipt. For those that do you can send a electronic receipt to their phone or Email account.
I am using a Android phone with no issues. You can get a phone free with a 2 year contract from most carriers, You will need a data plan. Just do it and good luck.
Bill
Perhaps a sign near your credit card logos to let people know that their receipt is e-mailed to them instantly?
Overall, my feeling is that Square is going to secure customers you wouldn’t have had in the first place anyway, so any “lost” customers would be seen as “virtual”.
I guess that I don’t think not having a conventional receipt would be a huge deal at the cart, but if so, only to a few.
Am I making sense?
I use a company named first data that you can get in contact with them thur Sams club. I like this credit card machine it does all purchases as a credit card and will give you a receipt for you and the customer . I been using it for about year now and do $300 to $500 in sales a month at cost of about $70 a month cost for machine and fees for using the machine. I lease the machine and i’m very happy with this instead of purchursing it out right. hope this information helps out.
I use Square and Intuit. I am able to send my customers receipts via their email address. I haven’t encountered any customer complaints about my swipe process. I agree with Steve, my customers like the service and technology.
My android offers a receipt via email or mobile phone. Very few people are lacking an email and a cell phone. Does the iphone have that option? I agree the square does offer much “awe” among the community/customers about how neat it is.
I have an iphone and have Square to use but I don’t have a lot of customers who’ve wanted to use a debit card. I don’t mind though because there’s no set up fee and I’d rather have Square available than lose a customer. I’ve had my iphone for years. They are WONDERFUL and very inexpensive now.
Hi: We utilize the gopayment from Intuit. Once I got it working correctly on my phone….it is very easy to use. The customer actually signs his signature with his finger on my phone and can send him a receipt if he desires. So far people think the device is a cool thing. Also, without something like this, I believe you will lose business…
I used square with an ipad this summer. The Ipad processed my square transactions and functioned as my cash register recording all my sales. I did not meet with any resistance about email or cell phone receipts when I used square to process credit cards. I have also used my android phone to process credit cards. The upside of the phone is that it can be stored in an apron pocket and pulled out quickly to make a sale. Personally, I liked the Ipad because it gives the customer a larger surface to sign for their purchase.
Hi fellow Doggers. We just wrapped up a 4 event weekend and only had about 5 people ask if we took cards. We don’t..we take a check if need be, but most had cash…even the few that asked about cards. We didn’t loose any sales.
Gary
We use Square and a similar app from Intuit purchased through Verizon. Both work great. Have had no complaints about email receipt. Most people pay cash anyway. Good luck.
Have not read all the replies, but Square will send a receipt to your customer VIA e-mail (as though it came from you) all your customer has to do is enter their email address.
Thank you Steve, and Thank all of you that have taken the time to verify my thoughts, I open next week and damned if i do or don’t scenario regarding receipts for credit/debit cards. I have the Square and account and will use it and will test receipts to customers if they want.
Thanks again to everyone 🙂
Allan
Interesting read… I have been in the CC processing business for 3+ years and I am in the process of building my dog cart. Those that have advised reading & understanding any Processor’s contract are very correct, the Credit Card Processing industry is the only area of the Banking industry that is un-regulated by the government. I have seen very deceptive practices my many in this industry. There are only a hand full of Processors that actually work directly with the Card Brands and thousands of Independent Sales Organizations that sell CC processing, so be ware. This also is true of your local bank… 99.9% of them are also middle men and sell their merchant’s processing needs to someone else. About the Square, it’s great that they don’t require a contract which is rare in this industry. The rate they list of 2.75% plus a 15 cent transaction fee for swiped transaction is I suspect (I used the word suspect because I have not been able to verify if Square’s rates include Interchange fees) are only their fees and do not include Interchange fees. Interchange Fees are the fees the Card Brands (Visa M/C, Discover, Amex) apply to each card they offer. These fees can range from 14 cents for a debit card to over 2.95% plus a 20 cent transaction fee for corporate/rewards cards.
I am wondering if someone that is using Square for processing could confirm if their listed rate includes Interchange fees.
One last bit of info… to determine your actual cost for accepting credit cards take your total fees divided by the total volume of processing for a given period of time. Example: Today $30.00 was processed and the total fees were $1.70. $1.70 divided by $30 = .056666667 or 5.6%.
About the receipt question, if the transaction is under $25 you are not required to give a receipt and in my experience dealing with 100s of merchants the vast majority of people do not want a receipt on such a small ticket item. Now days most people just go online at their banks website to check balances, reconcile and check transactions made. Looking forward to sling dogs!!
I have been dogging since 2009 and I have always kept my business CASH. I have checked out some of the credit card companies like Square and have found that they were not for me. In the the years that I have been doing this I have not had more than a few people want me to take there credit card. I have taken a few checks but when I take a check I take it with the understanding that it may be bad and I just fed someone for free (I have never been burned on a check). Yes, I have had $1100.00 days (all cash). I have also found that when I do festivals I always take extra cash for change. I also set up at my normal location in front of two banks and one ATM (location, location)If you want to invest in a item invest in a counterfeit pen. Start your business and add little things as you go. If after you set up you find that you have a lot of customers ask for credit card then do what the customers want but start out with cash, you can always add the square or something else down the road.
Duggs Doggs
Good!! Good!!
Duggs Doggs..yours is the best advice. Change when needed, be aware of your customer wants.
amen
I’ve had merchant credit card accounts in the past and they are just too darn expensive. I was concerned when I signed up for Square because they said my phone (HTC Sensation – Android) was not supported. But I ordered it anyway. While I was waiting I discovered that Intuit (makers of Turbo Tax & Quick Books) also have a similar device & program. I believe it’s called Go-Payment. They also said my phone was not supported. Both devices arrived and both work fine. Now I use one method for day to day and the other for large events. I ask every customer if they would like a receipt and they usually laugh, or smile and politely decline. One guy even asked “receipt? For a hot dog?” I also carry a paper guest check book in case some one wants a paper receipt but no one ever does. I also have a sign up that states that I have a minimum 5 dollar purchase to use a credit card. My business is still primarily a cash business but I have picked up approximately 30-40 in extra sales per day by taking credit cards with the square.
Keep it simple – cash. I’m for keeping Big Brother at an arms distance. This way I just pay my taxes, license fees and a few other small goverment fees and I am on my way. There isn’t to many small business you can do this with.
You’re cutting your own sales by 20% or more. In this day and age you need to accept plastic.
It is true that Square does allow you to text or email a receipt, but I recently (last week) saw that Square has a printer and cash drawer that will work with iPad. This way you have a complete cash register system because it also lets you enter cash sales
I don’t think I would want to add to my expense by paying fees for credit card transactions as my limited experiance has shown me that most would rather deal in cash at a hot dog cart
this is a great site I’ve learned a lot from you folks thanks for sharing your expertise
Thanks Bob
After researching everything HD Cart related for over a year I can say this;
Use square, the fee is 2.75%, that’s less then 3 cents on the dollar. So for a dog, chips and a soda at $5, that’s less then 15 CENTS, so well worth it.
Bottom line though, cash is king.
just signed up for my free square reader today linked all my accounts for ease of service cant wait to start swiping
It’s fast, it’s fun, and it makes you more sales. I love mine.
Square is great — just do it. You don’t need a traditional credit card processing company — their business model is ridiculously expensive, and they often nothing meaningful that you need, when compared with Square.
Some people say cash is king — can’t dispute that — especially if you are gaming the taxes. But the question “cash” people usually can’t answer is the difference between the average cash transaction, and credit card transaction. My guess is that people will spend more if using a credit card. If you have up-sell options available — premium drinks, deserts like cookies, whatever, my guess is that you will sell more of them if you have a Credit Card option.
Yes, yes, and yes.
Square now offers support for Star Micronics portable MFi certified Bluetooth printers. The SM-S220i prints 2 inch receipts and SM-T300i prints 3 inch receipts. I use the SM-S220i because it’s more cost effective ($325-$350 online listing). It’s pretty easy to set up and pair. You can either put it on your belt with a clip or i prefer to mount it to my cart. The only thing is you might want to get an extra battery since the battery will only last you 6-8 hours depending on use.