Cannabis POS returns, refunds and exchanges
A customer brings an item back. The cashier needs to find what was paid, choose the right outcome and leave a clear record. A consistent returns routine makes that conversation easier for everyone.
PURP makes cannabis retail software. Return and refund options depend on retailer policy, customer eligibility, staff permissions and applicable local requirements.
Begin with the original sale, select the exact item and quantity, then confirm the permitted refund or exchange outcome. Keep money, stock and customer value clear throughout the process.
Know which action the customer needs
A return records the goods coming back and their condition. A refund returns value through an allowed destination. An exchange uses the returned value toward a replacement purchase. Those decisions are connected, but they are not interchangeable: taking an item back does not by itself prove money has been returned.
“Void” commonly refers to cancelling a payment before settlement. Confirm the action your payment provider and register actually offer; do not use the word as shorthand for refunding a completed sale. In PURP, start a completed-sale return or exchange from the original sale and follow the available workflow.
Retailer policy, customer eligibility and staff permissions determine the choices. Agree who can initiate a return and who can approve a refund, then rehearse both roles using the staff permissions checklist. Your policy also needs to reflect the requirements applicable to your business.
Use the amount actually recorded
PURP calculates a return from the original sale’s recorded lines, prices, discounts and tax. Today’s shelf price does not replace what the customer paid. Select the exact sale line and returned quantity, and check any previous returns before confirming the preview.
For a fictional example, a customer bought two identical items priced at C$40 each. The original line recorded C$80 before discount, a C$8 discount and C$3.60 tax, giving C$75.60 paid. Returning one item reverses C$36 of discounted merchandise and C$1.80 of recorded tax: C$37.80 in this example, rather than the current C$40 shelf price.
The tax amount illustrates a recorded transaction, not a recommended rate. Actual fees, rounding, earlier returns and sale details can affect a preview. Use the amount PURP presents from that sale, including its remaining refundable quantity and value.
Confirm where the value goes
PURP supports returning value to the original payment or issuing PURP Credit where retailer policy, customer eligibility and permissions allow it. PURP Credit is store credit on the customer’s account; it is distinct from a card refund, loyalty points or a gift card. Confirm the selected customer and destination before proceeding.
A split-tender purchase needs particular care. Review the available original-tender allocation rather than assuming the entire amount can go to whichever card or cash drawer the customer prefers. If the original sale used points, PURP Credit or a gift card, check the resulting customer value and transaction history. Do not promise a blanket points or gift-card adjustment without reviewing the actual outcome.
Follow the exchange through checkout
PURP’s exchange flow issues exchange credit from the return, then applies that credit to the replacement sale. It is tracked purchase value, rather than an extra discount invented at the counter. Ring up the replacement and settle the difference at that checkout.
Using the C$37.80 returned value above, a replacement total of C$45.15 leaves C$7.35 to collect. A replacement totalling C$31.50 leaves C$6.30 to resolve. For a cheaper replacement, select an available permitted destination for the remainder, such as the eligible original payment or PURP Credit. Confirm that result before calling the exchange complete.
Check stock, payment and receipts
Inspect the returned item and select the appropriate stock outcome. A refund does not automatically mean an item belongs back on the sellable shelf. Condition, configuration, permissions and your approved handling procedure determine whether it is restocked, held separately or recorded without a stock return.
If a terminal result is uncertain, check the existing refund’s status and follow the offered recovery before retrying. Do not issue a second refund or PURP Credit simply because the first response was unclear. Tell the customer what is confirmed; provider processing times are separate from the register action.
- Review returned items, quantities, reason and stock disposition.
- Confirm the refund destination or completed exchange difference.
- Check the receipt and customer value history where applicable.
- Review the refund’s date and tender in reports, especially when it occurs after the sale day.
Use the reporting guide for reconciliation, the loyalty guide for customer value and the gift card guide for that separate program.