What should the best cannabis POS have?
Bring three problems from your store to every POS demo: a difficult sale, a delivery discrepancy and a report you struggle to reconcile. The way each system handles them is more useful than a feature count.
PURP makes cannabis retail software. This is our buying framework, not an independent vendor ranking.
Before the demo, gather a small product list, one supplier document and your latest weekly report. Remove customer details and sensitive pricing if you need to. Give every vendor the same examples.
Write down what would stop you buying
Make a short list of requirements you cannot work around: a payment terminal you intend to keep, a report your local regulator requires, or a permission that keeps staff out of another store’s records. Get a clear answer on those before spending an hour on optional features.
Then list the work you want to improve. Be specific: “receiving a short delivery without losing the outstanding order” is something a vendor can demonstrate. “Better inventory” is difficult to evaluate.
Put a budtender at the register
Have an employee find two similarly named products in different sizes, attach a sample customer and finish a sale on the hardware you plan to use. Give them a turn after the salesperson demonstrates it. Note where they need help.
For a hypothetical exchange, return a $30 item and choose a $25 replacement. Have the vendor explain the tax, the $5 price difference and where any refund goes under your policy. Keep the receipt and follow the stock and customer balances.
Ask for a payment interruption in a test environment. If the terminal approved payment but the register lost its connection, where would staff check before charging again? Get the recovery steps and the supported offline functions in writing.
- Can a budtender see the relevant product information while building the sale?
- Can you distinguish a declined payment from a completed one before trying again?
- Does an exchange preserve the original sale and explain the new amount due?
- Do restricted staff accounts receive the right approval prompts?
Keep a record of what was shown
Mark each requirement shown, promised or unavailable. Beside it, record the plan, add-on, device and any separate provider involved. Leave an essential marked “promised” open until you have seen it work or agreed how it will be verified before purchase.
| Area | Ask them to show |
|---|---|
| Checkout | A sale, a payment problem and an exchange on your intended hardware. |
| Inventory | A short delivery, a stock count with a difference and the resulting audit history. |
| Customers | Points, store credit and gift-card balances before and after a refund. |
| Permissions | The same task as a budtender, manager and owner, including store access. |
| Reporting | Your actual weekly questions answered from a report you can export. |
| Market requirements | The exact workflow and integrations for your jurisdiction, including how exceptions are handled. |
| Hardware and integrations | Your specific devices and connected services, with who supports each connection. |
| Service and exit | Support hours, urgent escalation, data export, contract terms and total costs in writing. |
Check what changed after the sale
Write down the starting stock and sample customer balance. After the sale, find the new quantities, points or credit movement, and report entry. Repeat with the return and a cancelled transaction. If the numbers differ from what you expected, have the vendor explain the difference while you are still in the demo.
Go deeper on the areas that consume your team's time. Our cannabis inventory checklist focuses on receiving and stock control. The dispensary loyalty guide explains how to evaluate points, store credit and gift cards without treating them as interchangeable.
For multiple stores, ask which settings are shared and which are local. Check who can see another store's customers, stock, costs and reports. The answer should match how your business is run.
Compare the full cost of running and leaving
Request a quote for your actual number of stores and registers, including payment arrangements, hardware, onboarding, training, integrations and add-ons. Calculate the first year separately from a normal renewal year. Ask what happens to the price if you add a register, change payment providers or cancel early.
Describe a register blocked at 7 p.m. on a Saturday. Who answers, what information do they need, and who takes over if the first person cannot fix it? Confirm the support hours, contact method and any response commitments in the agreement.
Discuss your exit before you sign. Which records can you export, in which formats, and what access remains after cancellation? Use the switching checklist to turn onboarding and data transfer promises into an agreed plan.
See how PURP approaches the retail day
Our cannabis point-of-sale walkthrough shows customer lookup, product information, checkout and exchanges. The retail management walkthrough shows staff roles, store access and stock-count approval. You can also explore retail reporting.
Use those demonstrations as a starting point. Bring your own workflows, devices and market requirements to a conversation with PURP so the fit, included features and any add-ons can be confirmed for your store.