The right POS for a small shop does three things without drama: bills fast at rush hour, keeps stock honest, and prints correct tax. Everything else is secondary. Score candidates on these ten points.
The 10-point checklist
Offline billing — unplug the internet mid-demo; selling must continue.
Scan speed — 20 items in under 60 seconds including search fallback.
Stock truth — sell one, stock drops by exactly one, with a movement log.
Tax math — GST rate, exempt items, FBR-format receipt.
Credit ledger — udhaar balances with due reminders.
Your hardware — works with standard USB scanners/printers.
Data export — full CSV/JSON backup, no hostage data.
Real support — answers in hours, in your language.
Total cost — per branch, per user, onboarding, year two.
The 15-minute demo script
Run every vendor through the same five steps: unplug internet and sell; scan 20 mixed items; apply a discount and void it; sell on credit and collect half; export everything. The systems that survive all five are your shortlist — most fail at step one.