POS User Guide Docs

Selling offline

Internet drops happen — and they always seem to happen at the busiest moment. The POS is built to keep selling without a connection. Your sales are saved on the device and quietly sync to the server the moment you're back online.

Who uses itEvery cashier — it works automatically.
How long it takesNo effort — keep ringing up sales as normal.
Where to find itThe connectivity dot in the POS top bar.

Overview

When the POS screen first loads online, it quietly copies your product catalog onto the device. That local copy means the checkout can keep working even if the connection later drops — you can scan items, build a cart, take cash and print receipts with no internet at all.

Any sale you make offline is queued (held safely on the device). As soon as the connection returns, those sales sync automatically to the server. You don't press anything — it just catches up, usually within seconds.

The connectivity dot and popover in the POS top bar showing online, degraded and offline states
The connectivity dot in the top bar — green for online, amber when the connection is shaky, red when offline.

Why it's useful

  • You never stop selling. A dropped connection doesn't close your till — the queue moves and customers get served.
  • Nothing gets lost. Offline sales are saved on the device and sync the instant you reconnect.
  • It's invisible to customers. No errors, no waiting — checkout feels exactly the same offline.

Reading the connectivity dot

A small coloured dot in the POS top bar always tells you the connection state. Click it for a short popover with more detail and a couple of actions.

DotMeansWhat to do
OnlineConnected; sales save to the server straight away.Nothing — carry on as normal.
DegradedThe connection is shaky and being checked.Keep selling; it usually recovers on its own.
OfflineNo connection; sales are being queued on the device.Keep selling. Sales sync once you're back online.

What happens when the internet drops

  1. The dot turns red

    The top-bar dot shows Offline. There's no pop-up and no error — just the quiet indicator.

  2. Keep ringing up sales

    Scan items, take cash, print receipts exactly as before. Each completed sale is added to the offline queue.

  3. Watch the queue, if you like

    Click the dot to open the popover. It shows how long you've been offline and how many sales are waiting to sync.

  4. Reconnect — and it catches up

    When the internet returns, the dot turns green and the queued sales sync automatically. You'll see the waiting count fall to zero.

The offline queue popover showing sales waiting to sync to the server
The queue popover: sales made offline wait here and sync on their own when you reconnect.

Where the owner reviews synced sales

Owners and managers can see exactly what synced — and flag anything that needed attention — in the sync log at /admin/sync-log. It lists each offline sale that came in, marks them as synced or flagged, and lets a manager open the details. As a cashier you don't normally need this; it's there for peace of mind and for sorting out the rare hiccup.

Tips & best practices

  • Open the POS online at least once a day. That refreshes the catalog copy so offline prices and products are up to date.
  • Reconnect before you finish your shift so all queued sales sync and your end-of-day totals are complete.
  • Glance at the dot now and then. It's the quickest way to know whether you're saving to the server or to the queue.

Notes & warnings

Some things need the internet. Online card and QR payments can't be taken offline — use cash or record a card on your bank machine. Adding a brand-new customer on the fly may also be limited until you're back online.

Sales queued on a device stay on that device. Don't clear the browser data or wipe the device while sales are still waiting to sync, or they could be lost.

Related: The POS screen · Taking payments · Reports