Best practices for cash management in Dutchie POS

Roles and responsibilities

• Budtender/Sales Associate:
  Handles transactions and maintains accurate drawer counts throughout their shift.
• Manager/General Manager:
  Oversees opening and closing of drawers, cash drops, reconciliation, and safe storage and deposit of funds.

Timing

Cash should be counted:

• At opening
• Throughout the day (for cash drops as needed)
• At the close of each shift/day

General recommendations

• Have a dedicated cash drawer (till) for each register, and label each one.
• Have a dedicated cash deposit envelope (bank bag with zipper) for each register.
• Do not combine all cash from registers until morning reconciliation is complete.
• Anyone working a register should face and orient their bills the same way
• Perform a manager double count whenever possible.
• Use Z reports to support audits and discrepancy tracking.
• Randomly audit individual registers weekly to ensure process adherence.

Opening process

Verify the starting balance

• The Opening Manager is responsible for counting each drawer before it is assigned for the day.
• The expected starting balance should be whatever your store’s designated “float” amount is (e.g., $400).
• Managers can count drawers in the safe room or directly at the POS, as long as it’s before staff or customers arrive.

Establish the drawer’s starting cash amount

• If the drawer contains exactly $X, it can be assigned to the corresponding POS station.
• Once assigned, have the budtender confirm the $X total upon receiving the drawer for their shift.
• This mutual verification sets the expectation for accuracy from the start of the shift.

Resolve overages or shortages

If the drawer is short:

• Record the shortage and continue counting all drawers to confirm if funds were misallocated during nightly change-making.
• If the shortage is unresolved after reviewing all drawers:
  • Document the final shortage amount.
  • Replenish the drawer from either:
    • The previous night’s deposit (recommended for tracking)
    • Or your petty cash/vault fund

If the drawer is over:

• Record the overage and continue checking the remaining drawers for balance.
• If overages remain:
  • Document the final amount.
  • Secure the overage in the safe.

It is possible that the overage/shortage from the drawer will be rectified by the deposit reconciliation process.

Follow a consistent process

• Repeat this process for each new drawer opened during the workday.
• Ensure every drawer starts with $X, verified by both a manager and the assigned budtender.

Closeout process

Count the drawer

1. Budtender counts up from coins to bills, confirming each denomination.
2. The count continues until the starting balance is reached.
3. Anything beyond the starting balance is pulled from the drawer as the deposit amount.

Close out in Dutchie POS

Enter the counted cash amounts when you close out the drawer. You can do this in the Dutchie Backoffice or in the Register.

In the Backoffice:

1. Go to Registers Transactions
2. Under the By register tab, select the register being closed
3. In the Register actions section, click Close out

In the Register:

1. Open the cash management menu (money bag icon) on the left navigation bar
2. Select the Close out tab

Dutchie will pre-populate:

• Starting balance (based on the previous closeout)
• Cash income (based on cash transactions during the shift)
• The Ending balance (starting + income) is calculated automatically.

1. Count all cash and coins in the drawer and enter that value in Cash counted.
2. Click Enter cash details if you’d like to break it down by denomination.
3. Click Save to calculate totals.
4. The system will show any difference between expected and actual cash — ideally, this is $0.00.
5. Enter the New balance (usually $400) as the float for the next shift.
6. The Deposit is auto-calculated as cash counted minus the new starting balance. This is the amount to be deposited into the safe or bank and will be reflected in your cash vault (if configured).
7. Optionally add a Note for context.
8. Click Close out, then Confirm.

Prepare and store the deposit

1. Place the deposit in a labeled bank bag (e.g., “Register 2 – May 5 PM”).
2. Include a printed Z report if applicable.
3. Store the deposit bag securely in the safe.

Deposit reconciliation

1. Count and Verify Each Deposit
   • Retrieve each labeled deposit bag.
   • Count the cash to confirm it matches the deposit recorded during closeout.
   • Cross-reference Dutchie closeout totals and Z reports.
2. Identify and Investigate Variances Common issues to look for:
   • Incorrect bill in a stack (e.g., $10 instead of $20)
   • Bills switched between registers
   • Manual debit mistakenly recorded as cash
   • Starting balance entered incorrectly
   • Cash left in the drawer or not sealed in the bag
   • Math/counting errors during closeout
3. Document and Escalate if Needed
   • Log variances in Dutchie if you utilize a vault register or your variance tracking sheet
   • Escalate significant discrepancies per your internal escalation protocol.
4. Consolidate Final Deposit
   • Combine all verified register deposits into a single daily deposit.
   • Record in your vault log, safe sheet, or accounting system.
   • Prepare for armored pickup or bank deposit as required.

Related content

• Manage cash and close out registers from Dutchie POS Backoffice
• Manage cash and close out registers in Dutchie POS Register
• What is a Z report?

• Configure receipt, fulfillment, and Z-report printers