RunKarobarPOS Billing Software for Retail Shops: A Plain-English Guide
Farhan runs a garment shop. He bought his billing machine in 2016.
He isn't a real person. The machine is. The 7 key stopped working two years ago, so every price with a 7 in it gets a small prayer and a firm press.
Last Saturday, a customer came to the counter with three shirts and a kurta.
The shirts were ₹699 each. The kurta was ₹1,199, with ₹200 off because of a loose thread only she had noticed.
"I'll give ₹1,000 cash," she said. "Rest on UPI."
The machine had no opinion on this. It had never heard of UPI.
So Farhan took out his phone calculator. Then a pen. Then he wrote "UPI 2096" on the back of the bill and hoped he'd remember what it meant at closing time.
Behind her, six people watched him do it.
One of them put a shirt back and left.
That's the moment a billing machine stops being a machine and starts being a very slow colleague.
What is POS billing software?
POS means point of sale. It's the spot where the customer pays and you hand over the bill.
POS billing software runs that moment. You scan or search for an item, it goes into a cart, the customer pays, and the bill prints.
The useful part is what happens next. The sale gets recorded, and stock goes down by itself. You don't have to write anything in a register at 9pm.
A POS billing system is just that software plus whatever hardware you connect to it, like a scanner and a printer.
Billing machine vs POS software
Plenty of good shops still run on a billing machine, so here's a fair comparison.
| Basic billing machine | POS billing software | |
|---|---|---|
| Makes a bill | Yes | Yes |
| Updates stock when you sell | Usually not | Yes |
| Shows today's sales from home | Usually not | Yes |
| Splits one bill across cash and UPI | Rarely | Yes |
| Works on a phone or PC you already own | No, it's its own box | Yes |
| Gets new features | Rarely | Yes, it updates itself |
A billing machine is fine if you only need a printed total. Once you want to know what sold, what's left and what you earned, you need software.
5 things good POS software should do
1. Find any item in seconds
Scanning a barcode is the fastest way to bill. Search is the backup for the one item whose sticker fell off.
In runkarobar, you scan or search, the item lands in the cart, and you print. If your products don't have barcodes yet, you can design and print your own labels.
2. Handle discounts without a calculator
A coupon for one customer. ₹200 off one kurta. A regular who expects "the usual rate."
A good POS software for retail handles all of these at the counter. runkarobar has coupons, saved customers and per-item discounts, so ₹200 off the kurta doesn't change the price of the shirts.
3. Split one bill across cash, UPI and card
Remember Farhan's customer? Here's her bill:
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| 3 shirts at ₹699 | ₹2,097 |
| 1 kurta, ₹1,199 less ₹200 | ₹999 |
| Total | ₹3,096 |
| Paid in cash | ₹1,000 |
| Paid on UPI | ₹2,096 |
On runkarobar, that's one bill with two payments on it. At closing time, your payment report shows how much came in through each mode, so your cash drawer has nothing to argue about.
4. Print without asking every time
Some software opens a print window for every single bill. Print. Confirm. Print. Confirm. By the tenth customer, you'll want to confirm something else entirely.
The runkarobar Windows desktop app prints silently, with one tap, on thermal and label printers. You can also customise the bill layout, so it looks like your shop and not like a default template.
5. Understand sizes and colours
If you sell clothes or shoes, "Blue Shirt" isn't one product. It's five sizes and three shades of blue that only your customers can tell apart.
runkarobar supports size-wise barcodes for footwear and apparel, and shows sizes and colours on every bill. Scan the shirt, and the bill knows it's the medium.
What hardware does a POS system need?
Less than the person selling you hardware will suggest.
You can start with the phone, tablet or PC you already own. runkarobar needs no special hardware. Add the rest when your counter gets busy enough to deserve it.
| Hardware | Do you need it? | Rough price in India |
|---|---|---|
| Phone, tablet or PC | Yes, one of them. You probably own one already | ₹0 if you do |
| USB barcode scanner | Yes, once you have a real queue | ₹900 to ₹4,000 |
| Thermal receipt printer | Yes, if customers expect a printed bill | ₹1,800 to ₹6,000 |
| Label printer | Only if you print your own barcodes | Varies by model |
These prices are rough figures from seller listings, and they change often. Check current rates before you buy.
Our suggestion for a busy counter: a Windows PC with a USB scanner and a thermal printer. Use your phone to check sales when you're away from the shop.
Billing a full queue on a phone is possible. So is cutting a lawn with scissors.
How to choose a POS system for a small business
Ignore the feature list for a moment. Take your real bills and test these:
- Time your most common bill. Scan five items and print. Do it with a queue in your head.
- Try your messiest bill. A discount on one item, a coupon, and two payment modes. This is where weak software gets stuck.
- Hand it to your newest staff member. If they need a full day of training, your Saturday is in trouble.
- Ask what happens to stock after a sale. If the answer involves "you can export it and then," keep looking.
- Check the printing. Print ten bills in a row on your own printer, and count the clicks.
- Add up the full price. Include extra devices, branches and anything sold separately.
The trial is the real test. A demo shows the software on a good day. Your shop will show it a Saturday.
Who runkarobar POS is for
runkarobar is built for retail shops and traders: clothing, footwear, kirana and grocery stores, and multi-branch chains.
It isn't built for restaurants. If you need table orders and kitchen tickets, look for software made for kitchens.
And billing is only one part of the app. Depending on your plan, the same login also covers live stock, staff attendance, reports and your own online store. If you're still working out of a spreadsheet, start with our guide to outgrowing your Excel stock sheet.
What does runkarobar POS cost?
Every subscription plan starts with a ₹1 first month, with full access. Prices exclude GST.
| Plan with POS billing | Yearly | Monthly | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| HRMS + POS + Finance | ₹15,000/year | ₹1,700/month | Billing, stock, reports and staff |
| Retail & Wholesale | ₹10,000 first year, then ₹5,000/year | – | Traders who need party khata |
| Complete + Online Store | ₹35,000/year | ₹3,500/month | Selling in-store and online |
What happened to Farhan?
He moved to runkarobar for ₹1.
His counter now has a scanner, a thermal printer and an old office PC. Split payments go on the bill itself. Nobody has written "UPI 2096" on anything since.
The billing machine still sits at the end of the counter. Now it holds down the plastic bags, and it's very good at that.
The 7 key still doesn't work. It no longer matters.
Start your first month for ₹1 →
FAQ
What is POS billing software?
It's software that runs your checkout. You scan or search for items, take payment and print the bill, and the sale and stock are recorded automatically.
What is the difference between a billing machine and POS software?
A basic billing machine mostly prints totals. POS software also records each sale, updates stock and gives you reports, and it runs on a phone, tablet or PC.
Do I need a barcode scanner for POS billing?
No. You can search for items by name. A scanner makes billing much faster once you have a regular queue, and you can print your own barcode labels if your products don't have any.
Can one bill be paid with both cash and UPI?
Yes. runkarobar supports split payments across cash, UPI and card on a single bill.
Which printer works best for POS billing?
Most shops use a thermal receipt printer. With the runkarobar Windows desktop app, bills print silently with one tap, without a print window every time.
Can I run POS billing on my phone?
Yes. runkarobar works on the Android app and in any browser. For a busy counter, a PC with a USB scanner is usually faster.
Does the Windows app need internet?
Yes. The desktop app needs an internet connection because your data is stored in the cloud, with daily backups. A phone hotspot is a handy backup if your shop's connection drops.
How much does POS billing software cost on runkarobar?
The first month on any subscription plan is ₹1. After that, HRMS + POS + Finance is ₹1,700/month or ₹15,000/year, excluding GST. See all plans.