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Admin Users vs. POS Users: What's the Difference?

The difference between Admin Users and POS Users — how each logs in, what they can access, POS permissions like price override, and what happens when a POS user is set inactive.

Overview

Corksy has two separate types of staff user accounts: Admin Users and POS Users. Both are created and managed from the admin portal, but they serve different purposes and log in differently. Understanding the distinction helps you set up the right type of access for each person on your team.

At a Glance

Admin Users

POS Users

What it's for

Managing your winery's back-office operations

Processing sales and running the POS terminal

How they log in

Email + password at admin.corksy.io

4-digit PIN on the POS terminal or POS app

Access controls

Role-based permissions (customizable)

PIN-based, with specific permissions such as price override grantable to individual users

Where to manage them

Settings → Admin Users

Settings → Point of Sale → POS Users

Admin Users

Admin users log into the Corksy back office at admin.corksy.io using an email address and password. They can access things like orders, wine club management, customers, reporting, website editing, and settings — depending on what permissions their role includes.

Admin users are ideal for:

  • Office staff who manage orders and fulfillment

  • Wine club managers

  • Marketing staff who update the website

  • Anyone who needs to run reports or manage customers

To create an Admin User:

  1. Go to Settings → Admin Users → Users

  2. Click Create User

  3. Enter their name, email address, and password

  4. Assign a Role to control what they can access

  5. Click Save

If you need a role with limited permissions (e.g., website-only access), create the role first under Settings → Admin Users → Roles before adding the user. See Admin User Roles and Permissions for details.

POS Users

POS users log into the POS terminal or POS app using a 4-digit PIN. They don't have an email/password login and cannot access the admin portal. POS users are tasting room staff who process in-person transactions.

POS users are ideal for:

  • Tasting room staff running sales

  • Anyone who needs POS-only access without admin portal visibility

To create a POS User:

  1. Go to Settings → Point of Sale → POS Users

  2. Click Create User (or Add User)

  3. Enter their name and assign a 4-digit PIN

  4. Click Save

The user can then log into any POS terminal at your location using their PIN.

POS User Permissions

POS users are not all identical. Certain privileged actions — most notably price override — are controlled by a dedicated permission you can grant to an individual POS user without making them a full POS Admin.

If a staff member is told "Incorrect Pin" when attempting a price override, the PIN is usually fine — that message also appears when the user doesn't have permission for the action. Resetting the PIN or creating a new user won't help; grant the permission instead.

Setting a POS User Inactive

Be deliberate about this one: setting a POS user to inactive currently can't be undone from the admin portal. Once inactive, the record is locked — it can't be edited, reactivated, or deleted.

If you need an inactive POS user restored, contact Corksy support with the user's name and we'll reactivate them. Don't try to recreate the person as a new POS user with the same details — the original username stays reserved by the inactive record, so the duplicate often fails to save.

For staff who'll be back — seasonal or part-time employees — consider leaving the user active rather than deactivating and needing a restore later.

Updating Passwords and PINs

  • Admin User password: Go to Settings → Admin Users → Users, find the user, and edit their record to update the password. The primary account holder must contact Corksy support to reset their own password.

  • POS User PIN: Go to Settings → Point of Sale → POS Users, find the user, and edit their record to update the PIN. This cannot be changed from within the POS terminal itself — it must be done from the admin portal.

Can Someone Be Both?

Yes. A staff member can have both an Admin User account (for back-office access) and a POS User record (for in-person sales). These are separate accounts managed in separate places — having one doesn't automatically create the other.

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