Guest Checkout lets your budtenders sell to a recreational customer without creating a customer profile. After the sale, the transaction is anonymized.
Two Store Settings control what your team does at the start of a guest sale: whether they collect a Customer Identifier, or whether they verify and enter the guest's birthday. This article explains what each option does, how to choose, and how to use each at the register.
Before you begin
Guest Checkout is for recreational sales only. It is not available for Medical Only stores, and it never works in a medical cart because patient information is required for reporting and purchase limit checks.
Guest Checkout must be enabled for your store first. Contact Product Support to request it.
Guest sales are not permitted in every state. Check your state's rules before enabling.
You need a Role with the Can Edit permission under Stores to change Store Settings.
Which option should I use?
| Customer Identifier (default) | Birthday verification |
Best for | Busy stores that want guests in the Customer Queue | Stores that must confirm age on every sale but don't want a name on file |
What the budtender enters | An optional nickname, shirt color, or number | A required Date of Birth, plus an optional identifier |
Guest appears in the queue? | Yes, as "Guest – [identifier]" | Yes, with Check In (or skip the queue with Open Cart) |
Customer profile created? | No | No |
Appears in reports as | "Rec Customer" | "Rec Customer" [VERIFY: whether birthday is stored on the sale] |
The short version: use the identifier option when you only need to keep guests straight in a line. Use birthday verification when your store, your state, or your customers need age confirmed at the register without collecting a name.
Option 1: Guest Checkout with a Customer Identifier
By default, a budtender can give each guest an identifier so the guest can wait in the Customer Queue.
In the Customer Queue, select Guest Checkout above New Customer.
Enter an identifier, such as a first name, shirt color, or a number you give the customer.
Select Check In. The guest appears in the queue as Guest – [identifier].
Select the guest from the queue and complete the sale as you normally would.
Good example: Three guests arrive at once. The budtender checks each in as "Guest – Red Hat," "Guest – 14," and "Guest – Sam." Each is called to the counter in order.
Bad example: The budtender checks in two guests both as "Guest – Chris." Nobody knows which cart belongs to whom, and the wrong guest is handed the wrong order. Use something unique to each guest.
To skip the identifier and ring a guest out immediately, select Open Cart instead of Check In. A cart opens labeled "Guest," and the guest is never added to the queue.
Turn off the identifier prompt (1-click Guest Checkout)
Go to Account → Store settings.
In the Cashier section, enable Guest Checkout - No Customer Identifier.
Select Save all settings.
With this on, selecting Guest Checkout opens a guest cart directly. The button shows a loading indicator while the cart opens; wait for the cart before continuing.
Option 2: Guest Checkout with birthday verification
Use this option when you need to confirm and record a guest's age at the register without creating a customer profile.
Turn it on
Go to Account → Store settings.
In the Cashier section, enable Guest Checkout - Verify and Enter Birthday.
Select Save all settings.
Use it at the register
Select Guest Checkout in the Customer Queue.
Check the guest's ID, then enter the guest's birthday in the required Date of Birth field (mm/dd/yyyy, or use the calendar icon). The Customer Identifier above it is optional and defaults to "Guest".
Select Check In to add the guest to the queue, or Open Cart to ring the sale right away. Both buttons stay greyed out until a birthday is entered.
Good example: A guest says they don't want their name in your system. The budtender checks their ID, enters the birthday, and rings the sale. Age is confirmed, and no name is saved.
Bad example: The budtender enters a placeholder birthday to get past the prompt. The age check is meaningless, and you've created a compliance problem. Always enter the birthday from the guest's ID.
Using both settings together
You can turn on both settings. The Guest Checkout window then asks for a Date of Birth (required) and a Customer Identifier (optional, defaults to "Guest"). Check In and Open Cart stay greyed out until a birthday is entered, so every guest sale has an age on record at the register without a name on file.
What happens after any guest sale
The guest is anonymized and shown as Rec Customer in Completed Sales and reports.
Guests can't join Loyalty, and no purchase history is tied to them.
To refund a guest sale, find it by receipt ID in the Sales tab.
If the guest leaves without buying, select Customer Left in the upper right of the cart to return to the queue.
The guest wants to share their information
While the cart is open, select Edit Profile, enter the name and birthdate, check Consents to Data Retention (if applicable), and save. The sale is no longer anonymous, the customer is saved in Customers, and they can earn Loyalty points on the sale.
Choosing between this and data-retention consent
If your store turns on Require Consent for Customer Data Retention, guests can have a profile created without consent, but that profile is not stored or searchable. That is different from Guest Checkout. See Managing Store Settings for details.
FAQ
Can I use Guest Checkout for medical customers?
No. Guest Checkout is for recreational sales only. It isn’t available for Medical Only stores, and it doesn’t work in a medical cart because patient information is required for reporting and purchase limit checks.
I don’t see the Guest Checkout button or the settings. Why?
Guest Checkout has to be enabled for your store first. Contact Product Support to request it. You also need a Role with the Can Edit permission under Stores to change Store Settings.
Why are Check In and Open Cart greyed out?
If Guest Checkout - Verify and Enter Birthday is on, both buttons stay greyed out until you enter a Date of Birth.
Can I turn on both settings?
Yes. The Guest Checkout window then asks for a required Date of Birth and an optional Customer Identifier that defaults to “Guest.”
Do guests earn Loyalty points?
No. Guests can’t join Loyalty, and no purchase history is tied to them. If a guest decides to share their information, select Edit Profile while the cart is open, enter their name and birthdate, and save. They can then earn points on that sale.
How do I refund a guest sale?
Find the sale by its receipt ID in the Sales tab. Guest sales are anonymized as “Rec Customer,” so you can’t look them up by name.
What if the guest leaves without buying?
Select Customer Left in the upper right of the cart to close it and return to the Customer Queue.
You’re all set 🎉 Your team can now ring up guest sales the way your store needs, whether that’s a quick identifier, a verified birthday, or both.