• Survey
  • Book Becky to speak
  • The book: Small Town Rules
  • Shop Local video
  • SaveYour.Town

Small Biz Survival

The small town and rural business resource

A row of small town shops
  • Front Page
  • Latest stories
  • About
  • Guided Tour
  • Subscribe
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • RSS

Square beats a merchant account in a crisis

By Becky McCray

What is your backup plan,
if your phone line is ripped
out during the busy
Christmas season?

Here is another reason to consider Square for credit card processing over a traditional merchant account.

Yesterday, the phone line was ripped off of the back of our store. (It looks like it was snagged by a truck and drug down the alley because the end that normally connects to our service box is laying about 200 feet away from our building.) Our phone line and DSL service are out, with no repair planned until at least tomorrow. This is Christmas week, a critical time for our retail business.

When we were using a traditional merchant processor, we could not process credit cards at all without a land line. How many customers would we have to turn away?

With Square, I took my Android phone to the store, plugged in the Square reader, and we’ve used it all day. Having that as a backup option makes a big difference.

Read our story about converting to Square for credit card processing.

New to SmallBizSurvival.com? Take the Guided Tour. Like what you see? Get our updates.

  • About the Author
  • Latest Posts

About Becky McCray

Becky started Small Biz Survival in 2006 to share rural business and community building stories and ideas with other small town business people. She and her husband have a small cattle ranch and are lifelong entrepreneurs. Becky is an international speaker on small business and rural topics.
  • Zoom Towns: attracting and supporting remote workers in rural small towns - December 10, 2020
  • In an economic crisis, spend your brainpower before your dollars - November 25, 2020
  • Video: How to fill empty car dealership buildings for the holidays - November 6, 2020
  • How has 2020 changed the challenges rural small towns face? Tell us here - October 20, 2020
  • The Idea Friendly Method to surviving a business crisis - October 6, 2020
  • Join me for the Rural Renewal Symposium online Oct 13 - September 26, 2020
  • Cheap placemaking idea: instant murals - September 11, 2020
  • Refilling the rural business pipeline - July 7, 2020
  • Huge vacant buildings: grants to renovate? - June 9, 2020
  • Economic self defense for small towns  - June 7, 2020

December 22, 2011 Filed Under: entrepreneurship

Wondering what is and is not allowed in the comments?
Or how to get a nifty photo beside your name?
Check our commenting policy.
Use your real name, not a business name.


Don't see the comment form?
Comments are automatically closed on older posts, but you can send me your comment via this contact form and I'll add it manually for you. Thanks!

Comments

  1. Paul Merrill says

    December 23, 2011 at 12:09 am

    Yay for Square!

    And merry Christmas, Becky.

  2. Becky McCray says

    December 23, 2011 at 12:20 am

    Thank you, Paul. The same to you!

  3. Linda Crim says

    December 23, 2011 at 11:42 pm

    Becky, I was wondering what device you normally run Square on..iPad??

  4. Becky McCray says

    December 23, 2011 at 11:46 pm

    Yes, we normally use an iPad. Like this: iPad with Square in the liquor store photo

  5. Becky McCray says

    December 23, 2011 at 11:47 pm

    Also, our phone line is back up! Yay!

Howdy!

Glad you dropped in to the rural and small town business blog, established in 2006.

We want you to feel at home, so please take our guided tour.

Meet our authors on the About page.

Have something to say? You can give us a holler on the contact form.

If you would like permission to re-use an article you've read here, please make a Reprint Request.

Want to search our past articles? Catch up with the latest stories? Browse through the categories? All the good stuff is on the Front Page.

Shop Local

Buy local buttonReady to set up a shop local campaign in your small town? You'll need a guide who understands how we're different and what really works: Shop Local Campaigns for Small Towns.

Best of Small Biz Survival

What is holding us back? Why does every project take so long in small towns?

How any business can be part of downtown events by going mobile

Concert-goers talking and enjoying the evening in downtown Webster City, Iowa.

Why do people say there’s nothing to do here then not come to our concerts?

Retailers: Fill all empty space, floor to ceiling

More of the best of Small Biz Survival

Copyright © 2021 Becky McCray
Front Page · Log in