Huck’s Market has gone live with an artificial intelligence-native point-of-sale system at its flagship location in Carmi, Illinois, becoming the first c-store chain to deploy the technology in-store.
The employee-owned 135-store Midwest chain partnered with Tote, an AI-native POS platform built for fuel and convenience retail, with a chainwide rollout planned for completion by the end of 2026.
Huck’s Market served as Tote’s first convenience store design partner, playing a role in shaping the platform’s development by providing real-world operational insights that helped build technology focused on usability, visual design and store workflows.
Murat Tokad, president and CEO of Martin & Bayley Inc., parent company of Huck’s Market, said the collaboration gave the chain direct influence over how the platform operates in the field.
“Working with Tote from the earliest stages allowed us to influence how this platform works in real-world convenience store operations,” Tokad said.
“We’re proud to be the first to bring this technology to our customers and demonstrate what’s possible when retailers embrace innovation.”
What’s changed at the register
Early feedback from Huck’s in-store team highlights faster transactions, easier product lookup and a visually clean, intuitive interface.
Store managers also cited clearer transaction guidance, including improved visibility into EBT-eligible items – day-to-day improvement that reduces confusion for staff and customers.
Built-in on-screen assistance provides quick access to POS help and training guidance at the register.
For operations and IT teams, the move to a centralized, cloud-based system has simplified tasks such as fuel price updates, enabling changes to be made centrally and pushed to stores in real time without the need for on-site intervention.
Tote’s hardware-agnostic approach enabled Huck’s Market to modernize without replacing terminals, reducing implementation complexity and cost while maintaining operational continuity.
The platform’s AI-powered features also provide real-time support for store employees, reducing training requirements – a critical advantage in an industry characterized by high turnover.
The initial deployment includes self-checkout, with additional POS and fuel capabilities rolling out in subsequent phases as Huck’s prepares to expand the platform across its full store network.
Tote has other collaborations in the pipeline, including a deployment at Spinx’s 96 c-stores in North and South Carolina, with systems expected to go live in the second half of 2026 and full rollout targeted by spring 2027.