“We’re not going to replace our systems, but it’s been fantastic for our tent sales. It’s hard to quantify [compared to previous years], but our tent sales have been easier and faster,” Waxman said.

COMPLETELY WIRELESS

Created by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey in 2009, Square began as a start-up in Silicon Valley and has since spread across the country. Any individual can request a free device at squareup.com and download the free application on a iOS or Android device.

The device requires a cellular network or a wireless connection and can make a transaction in about three seconds, according to Katie R. Baynes, public relations manager at Square.

The company charges 2.75 percent of the transaction cost per credit card swipe. The same fee applies to all accepted credit cards.

After swiping the credit card, customers can sign on the screen and receive an email or text message receipt.

Square insures security by complying with Payment Card Industry standards and encrypting all of its data. The application does not store any information, and users must go through a short security check before opening an account.

But some still find the mechanism a bit disconcerting.

“It’s almost concerning how easy it is. You could take someone’s credit card and give yourself a lot of money,” said Waxman.

MOBILE BUSINESSES

Not all local businesses have had glowing experiences with Square.

Clover Food Lab, a vegetarian restaurant on Holyoke St., began using Square in October 2010 but has since switched to using it only as a back-up if their current system goes down.

Ayr M. Muir, owner and founder of Clover, noted that at the restaurant the system had tended to be slow and unreliable.

The benefit, Ayr said, is that the system does work with an iPhone, which they use to take orders onboard every food truck. As a result, if the primary system goes down inside the truck, they can still accept credit cards.

Even with the monthly fee, transaction fee and percentage transaction fee of Clover’s current system, Muir said it is cheaper than using the Square due to the number of transactions Clover does per day.