At your local cannabis dispensary, the sleek jars of fresh flower, neatly organized edibles, and shimmering vape cartridges may look effortless on the shelves—but behind every product is a dedicated team ensuring compliance, accuracy, and quality. Receiving and processing a new shipment is one of the most important responsibilities dispensary staff manage, blending logistics with legal compliance and customer care. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look from the perspective of dispensary staff.
Morning Arrival: The Shipment Check-In
The day begins with a knock at the secure delivery entrance—usually during scheduled intake hours. All cannabis deliveries must follow strict state regulations, including being transported by a licensed distributor, often accompanied by a manifest.
Before anything is touched, the delivery driver presents the shipping manifest, which includes product details, batch numbers, and tracking IDs from the state’s seed-to-sale system (like METRC or BioTrack, depending on the state). Our first step is confirming that everything on the manifest matches what was ordered in our inventory management system. Any discrepancies—wrong product, damaged packaging, or missing items—are documented and reported immediately.
Once approved, the product is signed in and accepted. At this point, it’s officially the dispensary’s responsibility.
Inventory Intake: Scan, Label, and Store
With the product in hand, the intake process begins. Each item is carefully scanned into our point-of-sale and inventory system, logging critical information such as:
- Product type and strain
- THC/CBD content
- Batch/lot number
- Manufacture and expiration date
- Quantity received
Some systems automatically sync with the state’s tracking software to maintain real-time compliance. For flower, we weigh and verify pre-packaged units or bulk inventory. Vape cartridges and edibles are counted, and all SKUs are matched with their barcodes and labeled accordingly.
Every product also receives a unique internal label with our dispensary’s specific tracking data—some states require additional labels for compliance with child-proofing, dosage, or health warnings.
Quality Check: Compliance and Customer Safety
While logging inventory, we also do a quality control check. Are the labels clear and accurate? Are the packages sealed and undamaged? Are COAs (Certificates of Analysis) available and accessible?
If anything looks questionable—like damaged packaging, incorrect labeling, or a missing COA—the product is flagged and held from being stocked. Safety and compliance go hand in hand, and no product touches the shelf unless it passes our internal checklist.
Storage: Organizing by Category and Potency
Once logged and approved, products are sorted and stored in secure backroom inventory. Flower is stored in climate-controlled areas to maintain freshness, while edibles are separated to avoid contamination and ensure regulatory safety. Products are rotated using FIFO (First-In, First-Out) to make sure older inventory sells before newer batches.
Security protocols are strictly followed—access is limited to authorized staff only, and every gram is accounted for. Any error or loss could trigger a compliance audit, so precision is everything.
Floor Prep: Stocking, Updating Menus, and Staff Briefings
After storage, select products are moved to the sales floor. Display cases are restocked, vape testers are updated, and menu screens are revised to include the new additions. Our marketing team may also schedule announcements, social posts, or loyalty member alerts.
Meanwhile, staff get a product briefing—especially if it’s a new brand or unique cultivar. We cover effects, terpenes, dosing recommendations, and pricing. This helps budtenders deliver knowledgeable recommendations to customers right from launch.
Final Thoughts
What looks like a simple shelf restock is actually a tightly controlled, step-by-step process designed to protect consumers, meet state regulations, and ensure product quality. From manifest to menu, every product in your favorite dispensary has been carefully processed by a team of professionals who treat compliance like second nature and care deeply about your cannabis experience.
Related Article: How Massachusetts Tracks Cannabis Distribution from Seed to Sale