The problem
Pro shops run out of the basics, such as balls, gloves and tees, at the weekend, and overstock lines that sit for a season. If the shop runs out of popular balls and gloves on 2 weekends a month and loses $200£150€179A$288C$282 of sales each time, that is $399£300€357A$576C$564 a month, on top of 3 hours a week counting stock by hand.
What the AI does
Square for Retail is a till and stock system. Square's inventory page says managing stock with Square is free, including a daily email listing items that are low or out of stock. The Plus plan ($65£49€58A$94C$92 a month per location) adds automatic purchase orders sent to your suppliers, smart stock forecasts, barcode label printing and more stock reports. Set a low-stock level for each line, scan deliveries in, and use the daily email and purchase orders to reorder before the weekend. You still decide what to order and check each order before it goes. Try the automatic purchase orders in the 30-day trial to see how they work for your suppliers.
A worked example
A members' club in Kent runs a pro shop selling balls, gloves, tees, clothing and some clubs, with stock counted by hand every Monday. The pro moves the till and stock onto Square for Retail Plus and sets low-stock levels on the 40 best-selling lines.
Before
Popular balls and gloves out of stock on about 2 weekends a month; 3 hours a week counting by hand
After
A daily low-stock email and purchase orders from the till system; about 1 hour a week on stock
What it's worth
About $368£277€330A$532C$521 a month, against $65£49€58A$94C$92 for Square for Retail Plus. That is $140£105€125A$202C$197 in profit at an assumed 35% margin on $399£300€357A$576C$564 of sales no longer lost to empty shelves, plus 2 hours a week of counting saved (8.6 hours a month at an assumed $27£20€24A$38C$38 an hour, $229£172€205A$330C$323). Card fees are extra but apply to any card till: 1.6% in person on Plus.
How to set it up
- Start a 30-day trial of Square for Retail Plus and import your product list from a spreadsheet.
- Set a low-stock level for each line that matters: balls, gloves, tees, markers and best-selling clothing sizes.
- Add your suppliers and test automatic purchase orders on a few lines before relying on them.
- Print barcode labels for anything without a barcode and scan every delivery in when it arrives.
- Read the low-stock email each morning, and check the stock reports monthly for lines that don't sell.
What goes wrong
- Plus is priced per location. Check how Square counts a separate bar or halfway hut before adding it.
- Stock figures are only as good as the till. Anything handed over without being rung through throws the numbers out.
- Demo clubs and stock held on sale or return from suppliers need their own items, or your stock value will be wrong.
- If you drop back to the Free plan, Square's page says you lose some of the advanced inventory features, so export your reports first.