There is a specific type of software known as retail point of sale software. This is used specifically at the cash register where the payment for goods transaction is made. Think of this software like an electronic cash register though it can do a lot more. You can keep track of stock, print out receipts and even print out vouchers. The very first version of point of sale was in 1973 from IBM though it did not do much. Pathmark and Dillards department stores were the first to use them.
The next advance in this software was in 1979 and was mainly important to the food industry as you could take a food order and then have the complete preparation of that food printed out in the back of the house. But the software that most resembles what is used today did not come about until Windows and Unix were developed in the 1990s.
The current versions of the software were designed specifically to be very easy to use, be consistent, reliable, have plenty of remote support, rich functionality, low cost and have fast operating speed.
There are also specific types of software that are web based and can be used on the internet. Web based point of sale versions are much less expensive than the full systems needed for just the retail store.
The software you need will be much different depending on the industry that you work in. Besides printing up bills and reports the medical industry also needs to be able to be networked and connect to other peripheral equipment. Restaurant industries rely heavily on this type of software and are used to increase efficiency and shorten the service time for you to receive your food. Restaurants tend to use touch screens.
You will need specific hardware to use this kind of software and the usually accompaniments include a barcode scanner, receipt printer, card wipe with pin pad, cash drawer and credit card reader. You can easily connect all of these items to one workstation using a USB connection. The most used software for point of sale in the US are, internally developed programs, MICROS, Radiant/Aloha and Citadel POS.
Setting up this software in a retail store is always a bit of a pain and the older the equipment the more difficult this can be. You can also purchase a basic software and as your store grows you can add on to your software as there are many mix and match features.