The General Store

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.

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

1–10 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

Product category

Retail POS Software

SIC

Retail-Computer & Computer Software Stores (5734)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHDAEAEAD

Retail ERP (Merchandising, POS Back Office)

Hardware, Technology & Telecom/Enterprise Platforms & Databases/Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Platforms

Keywords

• Retail POS software
• Inventory management
• Payment processing
• Multi-store management
• Retail analytics

Headquarters

HQ city

Lakeland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. Payment Processing Services: Integrated payment processing solutions including support for multiple payment platforms, EMV, contactless payments, and high-risk merchant services
3. POS Hardware Sales: Sale of POS hardware including terminals, devices, and mobile POS tools

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core 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.

Named customers4 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration13 records

AI capability1 record

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Microsoft Power BIcoreTechnology or IntegrationThe 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 CommercecoreTechnology or Integration24Seven 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

Direct peers

• Lightspeed Retail:

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/GeneralStorePOS

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The General Store