WooCommerce POS for a physical shop: one stock for the counter and the website

To run a physical shop on WooCommerce without two stock figures, record every counter sale as a WooCommerce order that reduces the same stock your website sells from. A point-of-sale screen inside WooCommerce does this the moment you scan. A separate till system has to be synced, and the two drift apart.

Why a separate till and a website drift apart

Many shops start with a till system in the shop and WooCommerce online. Each one keeps its own stock. Sooner or later something happens between two syncs: the last unit sells at the counter while a shopper buys it online, or a return in the shop is never booked on the website. Someone then spends the evening deciding which number is right.

The fix is not a faster sync but one record. When the counter sale is itself a WooCommerce order, there is nothing to compare at the end of the day.

What WooCommerce gives you without a POS

WooCommerce's web admin has no till screen. The nearest built-in tool is a manual order: Orders → Add order, find the customer, add each product by search, set the status, save. It works for an occasional phone order, but not for a queue at the counter: there is no scan box, no cash drawer, no change calculation and no receipt.

So a shop that sells in person needs a point-of-sale tool on top of WooCommerce. The question is how that tool records sales.

What to look for in a WooCommerce POS

• The sale is a WooCommerce order. Then it appears in your order list, your reports and your customer history, under your normal tax settings.
• Stock moves through WooCommerce. Not a copy of the stock that is synced later.
• Barcode scanning. A USB or Bluetooth scanner that types into the scan box, and ideally a phone camera for the odd item.
• Payments the way customers pay. Cash, card, or part of each in one sale.
• Returns and exchanges at the counter. From the receipt or the original order.
• A day close. An opening float, a drawer count and a record of the difference.
• Staff permissions. A cashier should not see purchase costs or change prices.

Common pitfalls when you sell in person with WooCommerce

• Expecting offline mode. A till that runs in the browser needs the internet. Know what you will do if the connection drops.
• Missing barcodes. Products without a barcode or SKU have to be found by name, which slows the queue. Fix the data first.
• Different prices without a plan. If shop prices differ from website prices, keep them as a separate price rather than editing the website price every morning.
• Treating the receipt as an invoice. In many countries a sale needs an official receipt or invoice from a certified system. A POS receipt printed from the browser is usually not that. Check your country's rules.
• Customer emails for walk-in sales. Make sure a counter sale does not send online-order emails to the shop owner every few minutes.

A setup checklist for selling in your shop

1. Turn on stock management for every product you sell in the shop, including each variation.
2. Give every product a barcode or SKU, and print labels for those without one.
3. Count the shop's stock once before the first sale, so both channels start from a true number.
4. Decide whether shop prices equal website prices.
5. Set up the cashier accounts with only the permissions they need.
6. Test a sale, a return and an exchange, then check the order list and the stock.
7. Open the drawer with a float, and close the first day with a real count.

How StoreRuler Plus runs the counter

StoreRuler Plus adds a Physical Store area with Quick Sale, Cash Register, On account and POS orders. Quick Sale has tabs for a sale, a return, an exchange and a sale on account.

yourstore.com/wp-admin › StoreRuler

• One box for codes and names. Scan a barcode or type a product name; a camera button scans with a phone. A product with options opens a picker with each option's price and stock.
• A real WooCommerce order. Each sale is created as a WooCommerce order (Completed by default), and its stock is reduced through WooCommerce. The website sells from the same stock, and the order desk shows the sale as completed with nothing to ship. Counter sales do not email the shop owner by default.
• Payments. Cash, card or both in one sale. A registered customer with a unique phone number can also buy on account; the customer gets a statement, and you get a list of who owes what.
• Returns and exchanges. From the receipt or the original order. A return counts on the day it happens, so a day you already closed never changes.
• Cash Register. Enter the opening float, count the drawer at the end of the day and close the day with the counted cash and what stays in the drawer for tomorrow.
• In-store prices and labels. An in-store price is stored separately and used only at the till; website prices and past orders do not change. Price and barcode labels print from the browser.
• Roles. StoreRuler's cashier role runs the till without seeing purchase costs.

yourstore.com/wp-admin › StoreRuler

Receipts print through the browser's print dialog. They are working papers for you and your customer: StoreRuler does not issue official invoices or fiscal receipts, so use a system that meets your country's rules for those. The till needs a live connection to your site; it does not work offline.

The till is part of StoreRuler Plus. With Business, a registered dealer recognised by phone at the till also buys at their dealer price. See the pricing page.

Next step: count before you open

Because the counter and the website share one stock, the first job is to make that stock true. How to do a WooCommerce stock take with a barcode scanner walks through it. The point of sale overview shows the till screens, and inventory and purchasing covers buying and goods in.

Frequently asked questions