Metrc Retail ID: Retailer guide

Table of contents

• How does it work?
• What's the benefit?
• Video overview
• How Retailers Leverage Metrc Retail ID with Dutchie

  • Receiving Inventory

  • Scanning QR Codes at the register

• What Dutchie retailers need to do

  • Enable settings in Dutchie POS

  • Required permissions in Dutchie

  • Required permissions in Metrc

  • Acquire a 2D Scanner

• Manage Retail IDs in Dutchie

  • QR code icons

  • Scan to search

  • Manage Retail IDs - Print, View, and Fetch

    • Print Retail ID labels

    • View Retail IDs

    • Fetch Retail IDs

    • Set Label Source

• Use Retail IDs in inventory audits

• FAQs

How does it work?

1. Brands set up products and packages in Metrc as usual, selecting the package for labeling with “Test Passed” results.
2. Brands select their preferred option, download serialized labels, print and affix labels to each item and repackage using current transfer process.
3. Distributors seamlessly move product through the supply chain without additional scanning.
4. Retailers receive package(s) in Metrc, scanning each Metrc package with Retail ID codes to complete transfer and check out, syncing QR codes with Dutchie POS inventory.
5. Consumers can scan QR codes for product information, certificates of analysis (COAs), ingredients, and more.

What's the benefit?

• Efficiency: QR code labeling eliminates the need for extra POS stickers. Faster product intake and verification. Reduces manual data entry errors. Speeding up transactions for a better customer experience. 
• Compliance: Ensures products are legal, lab-tested, and safe for consumption. Improves compliance and increases market confidence. Validates legal product to deter illicit activity. Protects brand reputation and bottom line.
• COA visibility: Allows real-time access to item-level product data in a single scan. Builds consumer confidence with validation of lab testing.
• Product review and effects reporting: Amplifies voice of consumer data with access to direct product review and effects reporting. Improves public health with ability to track product effects directly in the app.

Video overview

How retailers leverage Metrc Retail ID with Dutchie

Metrc Retail ID integrates seamlessly with Dutchie Backoffice and Dutchie Register, offering a more efficient workflow.

Receiving Inventory

When you select a pending transfer, Dutchie POS automatically fetches the QR IDs from Metrc and makes them scannable in the Register. To receive inventory with QR codes:

1. Navigate to Inventory: In Dutchie Backoffice, go to Products > Inventory.
2. Initiate Receive: Click the Receive Inventory button.
3. Select Manifest: Choose the relevant manifest from the Pending transfers dropdown.
4. Identify retail ID packages: In the "Items received" section, items with a QR code icon next to the package indicate the package has Retail IDs.
5. Complete Receiving: Once all items are scanned and show a green checkmark, click Receive.

Scanning QR Codes at the register

See video overview at 00:23

Metrc Retail ID streamlines the checkout process, making it quicker and more accurate for budtenders.

When using Retail ID, Dutchie automatically sends the QR ID to Metrc upon sale completion, ensuring real-time compliance reporting.

1. Select Customer: Select the customer's card from the Guestlist page.
2. Add Items to Cart: Scan each Metrc QR code (or a barcode printed from Dutchie POS if needed) to add items to the customer's cart.
3. Complete Transaction: Tap the Checkout button and finalize the transaction as you normally would.

What Dutchie retailers need to do

To enable and fully utilize Metrc Retail ID in your Dutchie operations, follow these setup steps:

Enable Metrc Retail ID in Dutchie

1. Go to Settings > Integrations > Metrc > Settings.
2. Set Use Retail ID to Yes.
3. Click Save.

After enabling Retail ID, fetch Retail IDs for your existing inventory. See Manage Retail IDs in Dutchie.

Required permissions in Dutchie

See video overview at 15:13

Users must have these permissions in Dutchie to work with Retail IDs:

1. In the Dutchie Backoffice, navigate to Settings > Users.
2. Select a user or permission group.
3. Under Inventory > Retail ID, enable the following permissions:
   • Print Retail IDs – Allows user to print labels with Retail ID QR codes (typically a supplier's responsibility, but may be necessary in some cases for retailers)
   • View Retail IDs – Allows user to see associated Retail IDs for packages 
   • Fetch Retail IDs – Allows user to manually pull Retail IDs from Metrc

Required permissions in Metrc

Users must have these permissions in Metrc to work with Retail IDs:

1. In Metrc, navigate to Admin > Employees.
2. Select an employee responsible for managing inventory.
3. Set each of the following permissions to Manage:
   • Packages Page: Product Labels
   • Transfers Menu: Licensed & External
   • Transfers Menu: Templates
4. Save changes and repeat for each additional employee who manages inventory.
5. From Admin > Employees, select the employee whose API key is used as the main key for the Dutchie/Metrc integration and set the Admin Menu: Employees permission to Manage.
6. Save changes.

7. Generate a new API key and enter it into Dutchie for each employee with updated permissions.

Acquire a 2D Scanner

A 2D scanner is required for scanning QR codes. Dutchie recommends the following scanners:

• Zebra H-6672 (2D, wired only)
• Zebra DS2208
• Zebra CS6080
• Zebra CR6080
• Zebra DS2278 2D Barcode Scanner

Manage retail IDs in Dutchie

Here's an overview of the actions dispensaries can take to manage Retail IDs in their Dutchie inventory:

QR code icons

See video overview at 07:46

QR icons appear in various places in Dutchie Backoffice to help you identify packages that have Retail IDs:

• On the Inventory page, click the cog wheel to enable the Retail ID column, which will show a QR icon for each package that has Retail IDs. This column is sortable so you can group Retail ID packages together.
  
• On the Inventory page, you can also click the More filters button and toggle Show only packages with retail ID.
  
• On package detail pages, a package that has Retail IDs will have a QR code icon next to its product name. 
  
• When receiving inventory, Retail ID packages will also be denoted with a QR code icon.
  

Scan to search

Scan a Retail ID QR code to pull it up in the Inventory table.

Manage retail IDs - Print, View, Fetch, and Set Label Source

You can print QR code labels, view Retail IDs associated with a package, fetch retail IDs from Metrc, or set label sources from the Manage retail IDs screen:

1. Go to Products > Inventory.
2. Click the ellipsis (...) next to a package and select Manage retail IDs.
   
   Or, use the checkboxes to select multiple packages, then select bulk Actions > Manage retail IDs.
   
3. You'll then see four options: Print Retail ID labels, View Retail IDs (for single packages only, not if you selected multiple), Fetch Retail IDs, and Set Label Source.
   

Print Retail ID labels

See video overview at 12:47

Generating Retail IDs and printing the corresponding QR code labels is the supplier's responsibility, so this feature in Dutchie is generally not intended for retailer use. 

If any products you received from a supplier have damaged or missing QR code labels, ask the supplier to send you replacement labels instead of printing them yourself. If a supplier generates new Retail IDs for a package after you've received it, use Fetch Retail IDs to sync the new IDs from Metrc to your Dutchie inventory.

Each Retail ID QR code label is unique. If a customer buys two of the same product, budtenders must scan each one individually. Do not reuse or rescan QR code labels on multiple units of a product.

View Retail IDs

See video overview at 13:47

From the Manage Retail IDs screen, select View Retail IDs and click Next.

This feature shows the Retail IDs from a given source package that are in an open cart or have been sold from your location, along with the last printed date, sold date, and receipt number. Note, however, that the items must have been scanned into the cart using the Retail ID QR code to be reflected here.

Fetch Retail IDs

See video overview at 10:36

After first enabling Retail ID in Dutchie, use this option to pull in any existing Retail IDs from Metrc. You may also need to fetch Retail IDs if a supplier generated more Retail IDs in Metrc after you received the package in Dutchie.

1. From the Manage Retail IDs screen, select Fetch Retail IDs and click Next.
2. A confirmation message will show the number of Retail IDs successfully fetched for each package.

Set Label Source

See video overview at 03:25

If you get a Scan failed message in the register due to no packages being found, you can solve this issue by setting the label source.

1. In the Backoffice, go to Products > Inventory and look up the package in question.
2. Click the package to open its details.
3. Find the Label source field and place your cursor into it.
   
4. Scan the QR code that produced an error at the Register or paste its Retail ID URL.
5. Dutchie automatically decodes the QR code or URL to set the correct label source.
6. Retry scanning at the Register.

You can also set the label source from the Manage Retail IDs menu for one or multiple packages.

Use Retail IDs in inventory audits

When auditing your inventory, you can scan a Retail ID QR code to pull up the associated package ID and enter its quantity or add the package to your audit if it's not already included. 

FAQs

Am I required to scan the Retail ID on the package at the Register? 

No, scanning Retail IDs to transact is not a compliance requirement. You can still scan the main Metrc tag or internal barcode instead the Retail ID QR code.

Why is it recommended to scan the Retail ID? 

When you scan the Retail ID QR code at the Register, Dutchie will send the associated ID in the sales data to Metrc, and will capture the sold date and receipt number of the sale that you can review on the inventory package. 

To review sold dates and receipt numbers: 

1. Look up the package in Products > Inventory. 

2. Click the ellipsis (...) next to the package and select Manage Retail IDs.

3. Select View Retail IDs, which shows columns for sold dates and receipt numbers.

Items added to carts and sold without scanning the Retail ID QR code will not be reflected in View Retail IDs.

Why do I get errors when scanning the QR code in a cart?

Enabling Retail ID in Dutchie does not automatically fetch existing Retail IDs from Metrc. Go through your existing inventory and fetch existing Retail IDs before attempting to scan QR codes into a cart. You can fetch in bulk by selecting multiple packages, then Bulk actions > Manage Retail IDs > Fetch Retail IDs.

Other possible reasons for scanning errors include no packages found, which can be resolved by setting the correct label source (see video overview at 03:25), or the matching package not being on a sales floor, which can be resolved by moving the package from its current room to a sales floor room (see video overview at 06:35)

How do I process returns for Retail ID products?

You can process returns for Retail ID products using the standard returns workflow. Scanning the original Retail ID QR code is no longer required for returns. See video overview at 02:05.

Related content

Metrc Retail ID: Cultivator, manufacturer, and distributor guide