4/20 is the cannabis industry's biggest day of the year, and your team is about to put in serious work. This guide covers everything you need to do before, during, and after the rush, plus what Flowhub is doing on our end to make sure you're fully supported.

To handle the increased traffic expected on 4/20, we’ll scale up our infrastructure during the busiest of times. This ensures critical applications remain highly available and responsive throughout this busy time.

We’re upgrading specific reporting databases to enhance analytics capabilities, ensuring that you can access essential data without interruptions.

We're conducting thorough tests of critical processes, including our response in the unlikely event of an emergency.

Use these milestones to work toward the big day.

1-2 Weeks Out

Review Historical Data

Pull your sales report from last 4/20 in Flowhub Analytics. Look at peak transaction windows, top-selling SKUs, and average basket size. Use that data to plan your staffing schedule and pre-stage inventory for the day.

Build and test your promotions

Configure all deals and discount campaigns in Flowhub well before the day. Run a test transaction for each one — pay close attention to discount stacking rules, BOGO logic, and tiered pricing. Catching a misconfigured promo on April 18 is a lot better than catching it at 4:20 PM on April 20.

Plan your online presence

If you use Flowhub Ecommerce, update your menu with 420-specific deals and make sure your pre-order queue is configured to handle higher volume. Enabling online ordering is one of the best ways to reduce in-store congestion on a busy day.

Set up your loyalty and marketing campaigns

Use your marketing tool, like AIQ, to schedule SMS and email campaigns ahead of time. Pre-day reminder messages and "shop early, beat the line" campaigns can meaningfully spread demand across the day.

Before Friday April 17th

Verify employee access

Have every team member log in to Flowhub at least two days before. Verify register permissions, manager override access, and any new role assignments. Don't discover a login issue at 9 AM on 4/20.

Check hardware and software

Restart all hardware devices (iPads, receipt printers, card readers) and check for pending OS and software updates. Install updates now — not the morning of. If you're using Flowhub Payments, confirm your debit readers are tested and ready.

Review workflows with your team

Walk your staff through any new 4/20-specific workflows, express checkout lanes, pre-order pickup flows, or updated ID check processes. A 15-minute team huddle the day before saves a lot of confusion on the floor.

Document your SOPs

Make sure your team knows what to do if something unexpected happens. Review your standard operating procedures, and pay special attention to the outage SOP. Flowhub's offline mode keeps transactions running if connectivity drops — make sure your staff knows how to use it.

Day Of

Open with a team check-in

Start the day with a quick huddle. Review roles, confirm everyone's logged in, and make sure your busiest team members know who to contact if something needs escalating. Set the tone and your team's energy is contagious.

Monitor transactions in real time

Keep an eye on your Flowhub dashboard throughout the day. Watch for transaction errors, drawer discrepancies, or inventory alerts that could slow down the line.

Appreciate your team

4/20 is a long day. Show your budtenders and floor staff some love with snacks, a word of encouragement, and a post-shift celebration. They're the ones making it happen!

We are available Monday through Saturday 8 AM - 8 PM Mountain Time & Sundays 9 AM - 6 PM Mountain Time.