Newark, NJ, November 2024 – Hurricane Helene brought unprecedented flooding and destruction to the Carolinas, sweeping away hundreds of homes and small businesses and devastating communities once peacefully situated by rivers and streams that transformed into deadly torrents. The flooding tragically claimed over 230 lives and caused an economic toll estimated at over $200 billion.
National Retail Solutions (NRS), which operates the most extensive point-of-sale (POS) platform for independent retailers across the United States, quickly mobilized an emergency response team to support NRS retailers and assist in relief efforts throughout North Carolina and South Carolina. With over 2300 North and South Carolina stores relying on the NRS platform, the company focused on helping these essential local businesses reopen and serve their communities in need.
Nationwide, more than 30,000 independent brick-and-mortar retail businesses—including convenience stores, bodegas, small grocery stores, tobacco shops, and liquor stores—depend on the NRS POS platform to process sales, manage operations, and enhance customer service. Many of these retailers are located in areas hardest hit by Hurricane Helene.
NRS representatives traveled from the company’s headquarters in Newark, New Jersey, to the disaster-stricken regions around Greenville, SC, and Asheville, NC. Once on the ground, the NRS team focused on helping damaged stores reopen, allowing these essential businesses to once again serve their communities. The team also donated non-perishable foods to local non-profits, including the Greenville-based Hispanic-American Women’s Association (AHAM – Asociación Hispano-Americana de Mujeres), to support food drives for impacted families.
“We witnessed extensive flood damage, with many store owners facing loss of merchandise and going over a week without electricity or internet,” an NRS team member on the scene shared. “We showed these store owners how the NRS handheld POS, paired with a SIM Card and equipped with NRS Pay credit card processing, could enable them to accept card payments without power or Wi-Fi. For stores with power, we provided technical support to restore their POS and card processing terminals.”
NRS’s community outreach officer, known for his ‘Ricky on the Road’ video segments, added, “The NRS POS terminal is at the core of our retailers’ operations. We must repair, replace, or reconnect these units quickly so these stores can continue serving their customers, especially since so many larger grocery and big box stores were closed or inaccessible. Independent NRS retailers have been a critical source of food and supplies for hard-hit communities.”
IDT Corporation, NRS’s parent company, also had team members on the ground, offering crucial support to NRS retailer customers and local communities during the recovery project.
Elie Y. Katz, President and CEO of National Retail Solutions (NRS), contacted impacted retailers to check on them and extend assistance. “We cannot begin to imagine the devastation that local small businesses have experienced. When news broke of the disaster’s broad scope in the Carolinas, we immediately sent a team of NRS volunteers to help these business owners through this crisis and stay afloat by keeping their stores running,” said Mr. Katz.
As the recovery continues, NRS remains committed to supporting the local retailers affected by Hurricane Helene. In a time when many larger stores remain closed or cut off from communities, the NRS network of independent retailers plays a vital role in the resilience and recovery of these hard-hit regions. NRS will continue to stand by its retail partners, ensuring they have the resources and support needed to serve their communities.
About National Retail Solutions (NRS)
National Retail Solutions operates one of the largest and most comprehensive point-of-sale networks for independent retailers in the U.S. With a POS system designed specifically for independent stores like convenience stores, bodegas, and grocery outlets, NRS empowers its customers with the tools they need to manage their business, grow their customer base, and serve their communities. NRS is a subsidiary of IDT Corporation (NYSE: IDT).
