PSA: My Square card reader broke during a big Friday lunch rush

Last Friday around 11:30 AM, my Square reader just died on me. No warning, no error message, just a blank screen. I had a line of 6 people waiting to pay for their sandwiches at my shop on Michigan Avenue. I tried resetting it, swapping batteries, even the old swipe trick. Nothing worked. I ended up writing down orders on napkins and taking phone numbers so I could bill people later. Lost about $300 in sales that hour because some folks just walked out when I said cash only. I drove to a Target on Gratiot and bought a backup reader for $50. Has anyone else had a reader fail midday like that? What do you keep as a spare?

3 comments

3 Comments

kelly6381mo ago

Did you try taking the battery out and holding the power button for a full 30 seconds? That's what finally worked for me when mine froze on a Saturday farmers market. I now keep a cheap Square reader in my glovebox and one in my register drawer just in case. Also started accepting Venmo as a backup payment method since most people already have it on their phones.

the_lee1mo ago

Wait you lost $300 in ONE hour? That's insane. I would have been panicking with a line like that.

ellioth371mo ago

Used to think backups were overkill till my Square died on a busy Friday just like yours.