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National Retail Solutions Helps Independent Retailers Modernize, Stay Safe, and Unlock New Revenue, Podcast
Elie Y. Katz, Founder, President & CEO of National Retail Solutions (NRS), joined Doug Green, Publisher of Technology Reseller News, for a wide-ranging conversation about what’s changing right now for independent convenience stores—and why technology partners should be paying attention. Katz opened with a candid, real-world story from home that set the tone for the episode: small-business life is relentless, unpredictable, and personal. “I’m here, ready to roll… and tell them about National Retail Solutions and how we could help them make more money and put more money in their pocket,” he said—framing NRS as both a technology provider and a support system for business owners who are often juggling everything themselves. NRS serves the “onesies, twosies” of retail: independent convenience stores, bodegas, and similar single-operator businesses. Katz said NRS has deployed more than 40,000 point-of-sale registers across the U.S., supporting stores that compete daily against national chains with far deeper resources. The discussion highlighted how these stores—often located at street level in dense neighborhoods—are increasingly becoming the preferred option for shoppers who want convenience, familiarity, and a sense of safety. A key theme was how consumer behavior shifts can quickly reshape revenue. Katz noted that many NRS-supported stores are seeing strong growth in e-commerce and delivery, enabled by POS integrations that connect store inventories to their own websites and to marketplaces like DoorDash and Grubhub. In his view, this is a repeatable pattern: during COVID, convenience stores went from shutdown panic to becoming essential community hubs, and those that embraced digital ordering surged. “The ones that were smart enough to be hooked into online ordering and the marketplaces… they thrived,” Katz said. Green and Katz also explored what Katz called a “quiet revolution” inside these neighborhood businesses—moving from cash-first operations to modern payment methods, loyalty programs, and digitally enabled workflows. Katz argued that the next generation of customers expects to order, pay, and interact through mobile experiences, and retailers that resist change risk getting left behind. “If you don’t want to embrace the technology… you’re going to wake up like Blockbuster, Kodak, Yahoo,” he warned. The conversation also covered safety and risk reduction, especially for stores operating in high-crime environments. Katz pointed to a patented feature built into NRS registers: a “panic alarm” workflow that can silently alert police in the event of a robbery while opening the cash drawer to comply with demands. “We have a patented alarm system embedded in our point of sale register… the drawer opens up and a silent alarm goes to the police department,” he said. Beyond POS, Katz positioned NRS as a broader financial and operational services provider for small businesses, including credit card processing, cash advance services to help with cash flow, and payroll services. His message to the channel was direct: technology resellers already have trusted relationships with Main Street businesses, and those relationships can translate into new revenue streams. “They’re leaving money on the table by not taking advantage of the fact that they’re trusted already by their customer,” Katz said. Finally, Katz emphasized that NRS wraps these capabilities with what he described as “white glove, back-of-house assistance,” helping store owners navigate programs, compliance issues, and operational setup—critical for owners who are often, as he put it, “the employee of the month, the pot washer, the HR person, head of legal, head of purchasing.” To learn more, visit https://nrsplus.com/. Katz also noted there is a “contact the CEO” option at the bottom of the site for direct outreach.
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