Why Every Dispensary Manager Needs POS Reports for Dispensary Theft Prevention
Do you run a cannabis dispensary? Your POS system holds the clues to thousands of dollars in hidden losses every week.
Industry data shows most dispensaries lose 1–2% of sales to internal shrinkage. Smart operators cut that to under 1% with five simple POS reports for dispensary theft prevention they run every Monday.
Top chains swear by them. For example, one regional operator caught a $130,000 theft ring in 2025 just by spotting patterns in these reports.
5 Essential POS Reports for Dispensary Theft Prevention
Run these five reports weekly. They take less than 15 minutes and pay for themselves immediately.
1. Voided & Deleted Transactions Report
This is the fastest way to spot fake cancellations.
Red flags to watch:
- Voids over 2–3% of total transactions
- One budtender appearing in more than 30% of voids
- Voids clustered right before or after shift change
- High-value items voided as “customer changed mind”
Action: Require manager biometric approval for every void. Most top operators do this and cut fake voids by 90% overnight.
2. Discount Usage by Employee Report
Discount abuse remains the #1 theft method.
Red flags:
- Any budtender giving more than 8% total discounts (industry average is 4–6%)
- Repeated manual “manager discounts” with no note
- Discount spikes on premium strains or certain shifts
Quick fix: Auto-apply senior, medical, and birthday discounts. Remove manual override completely.
3. Cash Drawer Over/Short Report
The simplest theft indicator in existence.
Red flags:
- Consistent shorts greater than $10 per week from the same employee
- Large shorts followed by exact “make-up” overs the next shift
- Suspicious overs after big cash days
Best practice: Use blind drops and dual-count every drawer under camera.
4. Product Movement vs. Sales (Inventory Variance) Report
This catches gifting, trunking, and backdoor sales instantly.
Red flags:
- Variance over 0.8% on flower or 1.5% on concentrates
- Specific strains always short when certain employees work
- Negative variance only on high-THC or premium items
Pro move: Connect scales to employee logins so every gram weighed is tied to a specific budtender.
5. Employee Sales Performance & Average Ticket Report
Turn theft detection into profit growth.
What to look for:
- Budtenders $10–$30 below store average ticket
- Zero upsell attachment on vapes, edibles, or papers
- Top 10% vs bottom 10% performance gap
One Denver dispensary raised average ticket 18% simply by publishing this leaderboard every Monday morning.
POS Settings That Make Your Dispensary Theft Prevention Reports Even Stronger
| Setting | Where to Enable It | Theft Prevented |
|---|---|---|
| Manager biometric for voids/refunds | Dutchie, Flowhub, Treez, Cova | Sweethearting & fake refunds |
| Blind cash drops | Most POS + safe interfaces | Drawer skimming |
| Auto-logout after 60 seconds | All major systems | Shared logins & ghost sales |
| Scale + employee login | BLAZE, IndicaOnline, MJ Freeway | Backdoor weighing scams |
| Real-time inventory alerts | Flowhub + webhooks | Instant shrink notification |
These settings take minutes to turn on and stop 90% of common theft before it happens.
Your 15-Minute Monday Routine (Do This Every Week)
- Export all five POS reports for dispensary theft prevention as one dashboard
- Highlight anything that matches the red flags above
- Schedule one-on-one talks with offenders by Wednesday
- Publicly praise top performers
- Update training before the weekend rush
After four weeks you’ll recover the entire cost of your POS system in found money.
The Bottom Line in 2025–2026
The dispensaries quietly hitting 28–35% net margins aren’t luckier. They simply run these five POS reports for dispensary theft prevention every single week.
Stop hoping your team is honest. Start knowing they are.
Start your Monday routine this week. Your profit (and peace of mind) will thank you. 🌿
✍️ By Daniel Sabet, Cannabis CFO & Financial Advisor at @GreenGrowthCPAs. Daniel advises cannabis operators nationwide on finance, compliance, and strategy.
📅 Schedule a consultation with GreenGrowth CPAs and keep your financial foundation strong.
