The General Store
The General Store is a US-based retail management software company, founded in 1983 in Lakeland, Florida, selling an integrated POS and back-office SaaS platform for small and mid-sized independent retailers across convenience, liquor, grocery, hardware, boutique, gift, and sporting goods verticals.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1983
- HeadquartersLakeland, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What The General Store does
The General Store, legally Crichlow Data Sciences, Inc., is a private US retail-management software company founded in 1983 and headquartered in Lakeland, Florida. It sells an integrated POS and back-office platform — covering point of sale, inventory management, vendor management, customer management (loyalty, gift cards, recurring billing), labor management, optional built-in accounting with QuickBooks integration, and multi-store management scaling up to roughly ten locations — delivered primarily as a SaaS subscription with three pricing tiers starting at $49 per month, with an option to buy the license outright. The product is extended through integrations with Microsoft Power BI for analytics, 24Seven Commerce's Octopus Bridge for synchronization with Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, Amazon, and Walmart, Retail EDI for B2B document exchange, and a portfolio of EMV payment-processing partners (BlockChyp, Signature Processing, Cayan Genius, OpenEdge / Global Payments, and Datacap NETePay), plus a specialized High-Risk Payment Processing offering for regulated verticals such as firearms, tobacco/vape, and CBD.
The company targets small and mid-sized independent retailers across vertical-specific go-to-market motions — convenience, liquor, grocery, hardware, boutique/apparel, gift/party, and sporting goods — leveraging a dual direct-sales team (800-number and Request a Demo) and a reseller/dealer channel program with margins, training, and pre/post-sales support for value-added resellers. Revenue mechanics blend SaaS subscriptions, POS hardware sales (bundles, individual devices, mobile POS), and payment-processing transaction residuals, with cloud data backup, technical support, and software updates bundled into the monthly fee. The business shows no institutional investors, no parent company, and no disclosed funding rounds, consistent with a long-established founder-controlled operator serving a fragmented SMB merchant base in the United States.
The General Store firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The General Store
- Legal name
- Crichlow Data Sciences, Inc.
- Website
- https://thegeneralstore.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1983
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The General Store is a US-based retail management software company, founded in 1983 in Lakeland, Florida, selling an integrated POS and back-office SaaS platform for small and mid-sized independent retailers across convenience, liquor, grocery, hardware, boutique, gift, and sporting goods verticals.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where The General Store is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lakeland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The General Store business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- SaaS Subscription: The General Store operates primarily on a SaaS subscription model with three pricing tiers (Lite, Standard, Plus). The subscription model eliminates significant upfront capital expenses, shifting CapEx to operating expenses. Cloud data backup, maintenance, tech support, and software updates are included in the monthly fee.
- Payment Processing Services: Integrated payment processing solutions including support for multiple payment platforms, EMV, contactless payments, and high-risk merchant services
- POS Hardware Sales: Sale of POS hardware including terminals, devices, and mobile POS tools
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | SaaS POS pricing with three tiers: Lite, Standard, and Plus |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
The General Store product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The General Store provides a unified cloud-based retail management platform that combines point of sale (POS) software with integrated modules for inventory management, vendor management, customer loyalty, labor management, accounting, multi-store operations, eCommerce integration, payment processing, EDI, and business intelligence. The platform is offered as SaaS with monthly subscription tiers (Lite, Standard, Plus) and serves independent retailers across verticals including convenience, liquor, grocery, hardware, boutique, gift, and sporting goods stores.
Product overview
The General Store is a unified retail management platform designed for single or multi-location retailers, offering an integrated suite of point of sale and back-office modules. The core POS software handles sales transactions, while interconnected add-on modules cover inventory management (with Flash Create and case management), vendor management (invoices and reconciliation), customer management (loyalty programs, gift cards, recurring billing), labor management (commission and timesheet tracking), and optional built-in accounting (with QuickBooks integration). The platform extends to multi-store management supporting up to 10 locations with centralized operations, integrates with major ecommerce platforms (Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, Amazon, Walmart) via 24Seven Commerce's Octopus Bridge, accepts payments through multiple processors (BlockChyp, Signature Processing, Cayan, OpenEdge, Datacap NETePay), and provides business intelligence through Microsoft Power BI. Additional capabilities include Retail EDI for B2B transactions, tobacco scan data programs, high-risk payment processing, and SaaS pricing tiers starting at $49/month. The solution serves diverse retail verticals including boutique, convenience, grocery, hardware, liquor, gift shops, and sporting goods stores.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- High-Risk Payment Processing: Specialized payment processing services for high-risk merchants including firearm sales, tobacco, CBD, and other regulated industries.
- POS Reseller Program
Products and services
- Retail Point of Sale Software Core POS platform for retailers enabling easy processing of any type of sale with an easy-to-use checkout interface, supporting single or multi-store operations across verticals such as convenience, liquor, grocery, hardware, boutique, gift, and sporting goods stores.
- POS Hardware Physical POS hardware including POS systems/bundles, individual POS devices, and mobile POS tools featuring devices such as Unitech EA520 and Datalogic Memor 10, sold to retailers as part of the broader retail management solution.
- High-Risk Payment Processing Specialized payment processing service for high-risk industries including firearm sales, tobacco, vape, CBD, travel agencies, technical support services, and debt consolidation, featuring advanced security, unlimited processing without holds, and transparent fees.
- Retail eCommerce Integration eCommerce synchronization solution powered by 24Seven Commerce's Octopus Bridge that connects The General Store POS with Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, Amazon, and Walmart for near real-time inventory updates and streamlined order processing.
- Retail EDI Electronic Data Interchange system that streamlines B2B digital sales by replacing manual ordering and receiving with electronic exchange of shipping details, invoices, receipts, and payment information with trading partners.
- Tobacco Scan Data Program Scan data program for convenience stores enabling retailers to grow tobacco product sales and offer special discounts to customers by integrating manufacturer scan data into their POS systems.
- Cash Discount Program Cash discount solution that allows merchants to offset credit card processing fees by passing them directly to customers, offering discounts for non-credit transactions to incentivize cash payments.
Companies that use The General Store
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments8 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The General Store technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration13 records
AI capability1 record
Feature8 records
The General Store partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Microsoft Power BIcoreThe General Store has partnered with Microsoft to provide Power BI integration for retail business analytics. This enables retailers to access dynamic analytics with over 70+ data connectors, including Azure, Google Analytics, Salesforce, Excel, and on-premises databases. The partnership provides retail-specific reporting including customer trends, inventory performance, and multi-store management.
- 24Seven Commercecore24Seven Commerce is a global leader in Integration-As-A-Service and the driving force behind The General Store's eCommerce integration capabilities. Their Octopus Bridge cloud-based platform facilitates synchronization between The General Store POS and various eCommerce platforms and marketplaces including Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, Amazon, and Walmart.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The General Store competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The General Store social profiles
Digital presenceThe General Store compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
The General Store financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The General Store leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
The General Store funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The General Store M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The General Store
What does The General Store do?
The General Store provides a unified cloud-based retail management platform that combines point of sale (POS) software with integrated modules for inventory management, vendor management, customer loyalty, labor management, accounting, multi-store operations, eCommerce integration, payment processing, EDI, and business intelligence. The platform is offered as SaaS with monthly subscription tiers (Lite, Standard, Plus) and serves independent retailers across verticals including convenience, liquor, grocery, hardware, boutique, gift, and sporting goods stores.
Is The General Store a public or private company?
The General Store is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The General Store founded?
The General Store was founded in 1983. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The General Store based?
The General Store is headquartered in Lakeland, United States, in the North America region.
How does The General Store make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. SaaS Subscription is the primary driver. The others are payment Processing Services and POS Hardware Sales.
Who are The General Store's main competitors?
Lightspeed Retail is listed as a direct peer.
Does The General Store have an API?
No public API is recorded for The General Store.