The Meadow Blog
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Colleen
Head of Communications
Colleen has worked in tech, cannabis and communications for over a decade, specializing in retail strategy, industry leadership, and operations. She creates resources to empower dispensary teams, drive success, and highlight innovative retail models.

Posts by Colleen

Take better care of your VIP dispensary customers blog banner image depicting B-Real signing autographs in a cannabis retail store.

Dispensary Customer Retention: Keeping Your VIPs in 2026

Dispensary customer retention, step by step: define your VIP tier, build a compliant loyalty program, protect margin, and win back lapsed regulars.
Learn how to build a VIP program that lifts repeat visits without cutting margin.
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Colleen
Head of Communications
Cannabis RetailCannabis Marketing
Banner image for Meadow's 2026 guide to the best Dutchie alternatives, comparing the top five cannabis POS systems for dispensary operators. A banner graphic with a pink center panel and red side panels. The headline reads "Best Dutchie Alternatives, 2026" in bold gray and coral type, with the subhead "The top five cannabis POS systems compared" below a purple divider. A vertical column of five rounded app-icon logos runs down the right side: Dutchie, Jane, Meadow, Treez, and BLAZE.

Best Dutchie Alternatives in 2026: Top Cannabis POS Systems Compared

Looking for a Dutchie alternative? Compare the top cannabis POS systems of 2026 — Meadow, Jane, Flowhub, Treez, and BLAZE — by reliability, features, payments, and cost.
Why dispensaries are leaving Dutchie, and the top alternatives in 2026.
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Colleen
Head of Communications
Cannabis RetailCannabis Delivery
Cannabis POS Pricing: What Dispensaries Actually Pay, 2026 Guide, over a photo of a modern dispensary sales floor with product displays, digital menu screens, and a retail counter.

Cannabis POS Pricing: What Dispensaries Actually Pay in 2026

How cannabis POS pricing works: flat fee vs. per-transaction vs. revenue share, what drives total cost, and the hidden fees to watch. Talk to our team.
Two platforms, same headline rate, wildly different bills. Here's where the gap opens.
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Colleen
Head of Communications
Cannabis RetailDispensary Inventory ManagementCannabis Compliance
Best Flowhub Alternatives, 2026 blog banner with the subtitle The Top Five Cannabis POS Systems Compared and five cannabis POS platform logos on a purple background.

Best Flowhub Alternatives for Dispensaries for 2026

Looking for a Flowhub alternative? Compare the top dispensary POS options for 2026 on compliance, uptime, pricing, and support, including Meadow.
Switching POS twice in two years is the expensive mistake. Compare before you commit.
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Colleen
Head of Communications
Cannabis RetailDispensary Inventory ManagementCannabis Compliance
Best Biotrack Alternatives, 2026 blog banner with the subtitle The Top Five Cannabis POS Systems Compared and five cannabis POS platform logos on a purple background.

Best BioTrack Alternatives for Dispensaries for 2026

Looking for a BioTrack alternative? Compare modern cannabis POS options for 2026 on compliance, uptime, all-in-one features, and support, including Meadow.
Your state's track-and-trace system may have already decided this for you.
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Colleen
Head of Communications
Cannabis RetailDispensary Inventory ManagementCannabis Compliance
This image features a split-screen design, with Jane's logo on the left side against a bright yellow background and Dutchie's logo on the right side set against a bold red background. A prominent "VS" in white text is positioned in the center, dividing the two sides with a diagonal line, symbolizing a direct comparison between the two companies.

Jane vs Dutchie: 2026 Dispensary POS Comparison

Jane vs Dutchie compared for 2026: e-commerce menus, POS maturity, 4/20 reliability records, payment flexibility, and total cost, plus where Meadow fits.
Which dispensary software is best for your business? Learn about their features, challenges, and the hidden costs you need to know.
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Colleen
Head of Communications
Cannabis DeliveryCannabis MarketingCannabis ComplianceDispensary Inventory ManagementCannabis Retail
Budtender showing a customer cannabis products from a glass display case at a dispensary, illustrating the blog post Budtender Incentives: Motivate Your Team and Lift Sales

Budtender Incentives: Motivate Your Team and Lift Sales

How budtender incentives boost dispensary sales and cut turnover, five plays you can run this week, and how Meadow and SparkPlug automate the whole thing.
Your budtenders influence 3 in 4 purchases. Five plays that turn that into revenue.
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Colleen
Head of Communications
IntegrationsCannabis Retail
California Cannabis Delivery Ledger Requirements compliance guide banner showing a red LA Kush delivery bag with an attached receipt on a dispensary counter

California Cannabis Delivery Ledger Requirements: A Compliance Guide

How California's delivery inventory ledger works: what CCR Section 15049.3 requires, what to record on every trip, penalties for violations, and how to verify your ledgers are reaching Metrc.
What the delivery ledger rule requires and how to run it without slowing down your drivers.
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Colleen
Head of Communications
Cannabis DeliveryCannabis Compliance
Choosing a cannabis POS system is an important decision that goes beyond just searching for the lowest monthly fee. Each system offers a different approach to workflows that will affect all facets of your operations every single day, and it's an important decision as your POS system not only processes sales but interfaces with required Metrc tracking, and will affect how easy it is for your operation to remain compliant.

How to Choose the Best Dispensary POS System in California: A Metrc-Focused Guide

Running a dispensary in California comes with challenges—but Metrc compliance shouldn’t be one of them. Discover what to look for in a cannabis POS system to simplify compliance, optimize inventory, and enhance your customer experience.
Ensure compliance, streamline operations, and grow your CA dispensary. Learn how.
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Colleen
Head of Communications
Cannabis RetailCannabis DeliveryCannabis Compliance
A stylish interior of PleasureMed on Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles, showcasing its unique blend of cannabis retail and hospitality. The focal point is the sleek, modern cocktail bar with polished countertops and elegant glassware. Behind the bar, a server stands attentively, ready to take an order, embodying the warm and welcoming atmosphere of the space. In the background, hints of the upscale dispensary and farm-to-table restaurant elements are visible, seamlessly integrated into the setting. The ambiance exudes sophistication, innovation, and the pioneering spirit of PleasureMed’s mission to redefine the cannabis retail experience.

PleasureMed: A First-of-Its-Kind Cannabis Experience Built on Meadow’s Dispensary Software

See how PleasureMed runs a dispensary, restaurant, and cannabis lounge as one seamless experience — 800+ SKUs, sub-30-second checkouts — on Meadow POS.
See how Meadow helped PleasureMed streamline operations and elevate customer experiences.
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Colleen
Head of Communications
Cannabis Events and CultureCannabis Industry LeadershipCannabis RetailCase Study