Counter sales mode is designed for venues where customers order and pay before being served — such as retail stores, bakeries, and coffee stands.

In counter mode, each sale is completed in one go. Once the payment is done, the next sale starts automatically, so your staff can serve the next customer straight away.

Previously, if a server tapped the back button or switched screens while a sale was open in counter mode, the order could be silently lost. From Release 1.71, the app shows a prompt whenever you try to navigate away from an active sale.

You'll be asked what you'd like to do:

This means accidental taps no longer cause lost orders mid-transaction.

In counter sales mode, prep tickets are only sent to the prep station after the payment is completed — not when the order is submitted. This is because counter sales are typically paid before preparation begins. See Adding a prep station (coursing) in the Back Office for more detail on how prep stations work with different sales modes.

Service sales mode is designed for venues where staff serve multiple customers at the same time using the same device — such as cafes and restaurants with multiple staff members and limited POS devices.

In service mode, you can start a payment and move on to the next sale while the payment is still in progress. This keeps things moving during busy service.

You can set the sales mode per device or use the default from your Profit Center.

Note: This setting can be configured at both device and ledger level. See Preferences for a full overview of all available settings.

Several features in Tebi behave differently depending on which sales mode is active. For example, when setting up discounts and service charges, you can choose whether they apply to counter sales, service sales, or both. See Managing discounts and service charges for more detail.