Dispensaries don’t drift into profitability. They get managed there.
If you run an independent store (or a small chain), your store manager needs a weekly scorecard that’s small enough to use—and sharp enough to expose problems early.
Below is the scorecard we’d use if we had to walk into a store cold and figure out, in 15 minutes, whether it’s being run well.
THE RULE (BEFORE THE METRICS)
Weekly cadence, same day/time, same format. Monday morning is ideal.
Trends > trivia. The goal isn’t a perfect number; it’s seeing direction and catching breakpoints.
Every metric needs an owner + a “so what.” If a number moves, the manager must say what changed and what they’re doing next.
1) SALES HEALTH (are we growing—or just busy?)
Have your manager report:
Total weekly sales (vs prior week + vs same week last year if you have it)
Transactions (count)
Average basket size (sales ÷ transactions)
Discount rate (discounts ÷ gross sales), if you track it
What you’re looking for:
Sales up but basket down = you’re buying traffic with promos.
Transactions flat but sales up = merchandising or pricing is doing work (good—verify margin).
2) MARGIN REALITY (are we making money on what we sell?)
Have your manager report:
Gross margin % (weekly)
Top 10 SKUs by revenue + top 10 by gross profit dollars
Category margin callouts (any category that is dragging margin)
What you’re looking for:
Best-sellers that don’t make money. If it’s in the top 10 revenue but not top profit, it needs attention (pricing, promos, vendor terms, or swap).
3) LABOR CONTROL (is payroll aligned with demand?)
Have your manager report:
Labor % of sales (weekly payroll ÷ sales)
Hours scheduled vs hours worked (were we disciplined or chaotic?)
Sales per labor hour (simple productivity signal)
What you’re looking for:
Overtime and “we were slammed” stories that repeat every week = scheduling failure, not a surprise.
4) INVENTORY DISCIPLINE (is cash trapped on the shelf?)
Have your manager report:
Inventory on hand ($ at cost) and weeks of supply (rough is fine)
# of SKUs carried (total)
Top dead stock list: 10 SKUs with the oldest units / slowest movement
Stockouts that mattered (missed sales you can name)
What you’re looking for:
Too many SKUs + slow movers = margin and cash flow leak.
Frequent stockouts on core items = bad reorder points or vendor reliability issues.
5) COMPLIANCE + SHRINK (are we leaking product, money, or risk?)
Have your manager report:
Inventory adjustments (count + reason codes)
Void/refund counts (and top reasons)
Any compliance incidents (ID failures, labeling holds, METRC/BioTrack issues, etc.)
Camera/audit exceptions (if you track them)
What you’re looking for:
“Misc adjustments” is not an answer. Shrink must have categories and follow-up.
6) CUSTOMER SIGNALS (are we earning repeat business?)
Have your manager report:
Loyalty sign-ups (weekly) and loyalty redemption rate (if available)
Return customer % (if POS supports it)
Top 3 customer complaints (pattern-based, not one-offs)
What you’re looking for:
Complaints that map to operations: wait times, product knowledge, wrong item, out-of-stocks.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR OPERATORS
If you implement only one thing this quarter: make your manager own this scorecard weekly.
The scorecard is not for punishment—it’s for early detection. The best operators fix small issues before they become expensive ones.
Keep it tight. If you add a metric, remove a metric. A bloated scorecard becomes theater.
Your store manager doesn’t need 50 KPIs. They need 12–20 numbers that force clarity. Run this weekly for a month and you’ll know exactly where the business is strong—and where it’s leaking.
