Retail Mode Overview
Retail Mode is designed to deliver a faster, more accurate, and more intuitive checkout experience for retail transactions on the POS. By streamlining common checkout workflows, Retail Mode helps cashiers process sales efficiently while reducing manual entry and errors.
This launch introduces three core capabilities that support a modern retail checkout experience:
Barcode scanning for quick product identification
Scale-based weighing for items sold by weight
PLU (Price Look-Up) code lookup for produce and other PLU-enabled products
Together, these features enable retailers to process transactions faster, more accurately, and more easily, improving both cashier productivity and the customer checkout experience.
Retail Mode Configuration
Step 1: Toast Web Configuration
In Toast Web, navigate to Front of house > Order screen setup > UI options.
Confirm that the following settings are toggled Off:
Prompt to tab name (Quick order only)
Prompt for dining options (Quick order only) Note: If any changes are made in this step, be sure to Save and publish your changes.
Navigate back to Front of house > Quick order.
Confirm that Send, Stay, and Hold are not enabled.
Next, confirm that the following settings are set to Off:
Require a tab name
Prompt for dining option
Seat numbers
Coursing
Save and publish any changes.
Step 2: Retail Mode POS Settings
On the Toast POS, navigate to Device Settings and confirm and/or update the following settings:
Primary Mode: Retail
Enable SKUs: Yes
Default Dining Option: Off
Order Screen Menu View: Focus View
Note:
The Mode button (used to switch into Retail Mode) cannot be removed from POS navigation. If you don't use Retail Mode at a given terminal, you don't need to set Primary Mode to Retail — leaving it set to Quick Order or Payment Terminal keeps staff from being dropped into Retail Mode by default. The Mode button will remain visible but unused.
Once configured, you can confirm these settings remotely across your retail terminals via the Settings tab in Device Hub, without walking up to each device.
These setup steps (Step 1: Toast Web Configuration and Step 2: Retail Mode POS Settings above) apply to Toast POS terminals, configured in Device Settings on the terminal itself. This article does not cover Toast Go® handhelds. If you want to use these settings on a Toast Go® handheld, contact Toast Customer Care to confirm availability for your device.
Use Retail Mode on the Toast POS
Follow the steps below to use Retail Mode on the Toast POS.
On the Toast POS, navigate to Mode > Retail Mode.
In Retail Mode, you can add an item by one of the following:
Use the search bar to enter the item.
If enabled, scan using an in-counter or handheld scanner, or enter the PLU.
The Speed menu is a configurable list of items users can quickly add to an order without searching for the item or entering a code.
Items from the speed menu can be added by selecting the + icon or removed by selecting the overflow menu on the item. Note: Only 12 items can be listed on the speed menu.
Once edits have been made, select Save.
Speed action settings are a configurable set of frequently used action buttons that let cashiers perform routine tasks quickly to keep lines moving.
Or, you can access the full menu view by selecting Menu view.
Once all items have been added, select Pay to accept payment and complete the transaction.
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