The best use of a POS trial is to answer one question about your own shop: can this system handle our normal trading day, including the awkward parts? A demo is a good start, but your own products, hardware and staff are what show whether the workflow fits.
Starbooks POS is BIGXSTAR's offline-first billing, GST invoicing and inventory software for retail and restaurants. It runs on Windows 10/11, Android and iOS, and syncs across your devices. Early-access stores get a three-month free trial, and our team sets it up with you. Three months is enough time to test properly, so here is a plan for using it well.
Before setup: write down what must work
List the tasks the system must handle before you rely on it: ordinary sales, returns, stock receipts, customer dues and day-close. Add what is specific to your shop, such as expiry tracking, several billing counters or a particular receipt printer.
For each task, write down what "working" looks like. For example: a sale made without internet is saved and reduces stock, then shows up on your other devices after reconnecting. That is far more useful than "sync should be good."
Separate must-haves from nice-to-haves. Share both lists with us at the start, so setup focuses on what your shop actually depends on.
Phase 1: set up devices and opening data
Tell us your device models, scanners and printers, and we will confirm the setup with you. Test scanning and receipts with real products, using our barcode billing checklist.
Start with a small catalogue and a counted opening stock. Include products with different pack sizes and any batch or expiry items you sell; Starbooks tracks batches with FEFO. Talk to us about your current data before preparing a large import file.
Agree on how you will report problems to us and who in the shop approves data changes. Keep practice bills separate from real trading, and ask us how to clear test data before you go live.
Phase 2: rehearse a complete shop day
Walk through opening the counter, billing, taking payment, handling a return and closing the shift. Then ask a staff member who was not part of setup to repeat it. If they can, the workflow can be taught.
Include exceptions: an unknown barcode, a wrong quantity, a printer that disconnects and a customer who pays only part of their balance. Use test records so practice does not mix with real accounts.
For customer dues, compare the khata balance in Starbooks with the hand-worked example in our khata workflow guide.
Phase 3: test offline billing and reconnection
Offline-first billing is central to Starbooks: billing and inventory keep working without internet and sync automatically when you are back online. Prove it in your shop. Make a sale while disconnected, check the bill and stock on that device, reconnect, and confirm the sale appears on your other devices.
If you have several counters, try selling the same item on two disconnected devices. Neither device can see the other's sale until both reconnect, so agree how staff should treat low-stock items during an outage.
Offline billing is not a backup plan. Ask us separately about backups, recovery if a device fails, and exporting your data.
Phase 4: run a controlled live period
Once the rehearsal covers your must-haves, agree a live start date with us. Pick a clear cutover time and use one system for sales from then on, so nothing is billed twice in the old and new systems.
At each close, compare expected cash, UPI and card collections, customer dues, returns and stock movements. Treat combined reports as provisional until every device has synced. Our day-close checklist has a worked example.
Keep an issue log with the bill number, what you expected, what happened, the impact and how it was resolved. Judge the trial by the problems that affect trading, not by how many features you tried.
Use a simple decision sheet
| Area | Evidence to keep |
|---|---|
| Billing and printing | Sample bills and printed receipts |
| Catalogue and stock | Counted opening stock and movement checks |
| Offline operation | A disconnected sale and the result after sync |
| Customer khata | Opening balance, credit sale, repayment and return example |
| Staff readiness | A shift run independently by a staff member |
| Support | Issue log and resolved setup questions |
| Commercial fit | Agreed pricing after the trial and any open requirements |
Before the trial ends, ask us about pricing after the trial, support, data export and anything still on your must-have list. Decide with those answers in hand.
Request Starbooks early access
Request access on the Starbooks POS page. Tell us your type of business, number of counters, devices and must-have workflows, so we can plan the right setup.
At the end of the trial, decide based on what happened in your shop. A documented fit across billing, stock and closing is a far stronger basis for a decision than any feature list.
Frequently asked questions
Is Starbooks generally available?
Not yet. Starbooks is in early access: request access on the product page and our team will contact you to set it up for your business.
How long is the free trial?
Early-access stores can use Starbooks free for three months. We will confirm your start date and terms when we set you up.
Should I wait until the end of the trial to report problems?
No. Report issues as they happen, with a bill number or example. The earlier we hear about them, the more of your trial is spent on a setup that works.