Tier Pricing
Tier pricing combines quality grades with weight tiers to create a pricing matrix for cannabis products. Instead of a single price, each product has a price for every combination of quality grade and weight. This is the standard pricing model for cannabis flower in Canadian dispensaries.
Prerequisites
Tier pricing requires two feature flags to be enabled:
- Cannabis Features -- Must be on.
- Quality Tiers -- Must be on.
To enable these:
- Go to Admin > Settings > Edit Settings > Products & Inventory tab.
- Toggle on Cannabis Features and Quality Tiers.
- Click Save.
You also need weight presets configured. See Weight Presets for setup.
How Tier Pricing Works
The Pricing Matrix
Each quality tier is a separate quality tier configuration with its own pricing matrix (a set of weight-to-price pairs). The tier pricing page shows a table of tier settings, where each row is an individual quality tier.
For example, the AAAA tier might have this pricing matrix:
| Weight | Price |
|---|---|
| 1g | $10.00 |
| 3.5g | $32.00 |
| 7g | $58.00 |
| 14g | $105.00 |
| 28g | $190.00 |
And the AAA tier would have its own separate matrix with different prices.
At the POS Register
When a cashier selects a tier-priced product:
- The weight selection modal opens showing the available weight tiers.
- The price displayed for each weight corresponds to the product's assigned quality grade.
- The cashier taps the desired weight, and the item is added to the cart at the correct price.
For example, if "Blue Dream" is graded AAAA and the customer wants 3.5g, the price is $32.00 from the matrix above.
Setting Up Tier Pricing
Accessing the Tier Pricing Page
Navigate to the Products page dropdown and select Tier Pricing.
The index page displays a table of all quality tier settings. Each tier is a separate record with the following actions available:
- Edit -- Open the tier's pricing matrix for editing.
- Copy -- Create a new tier by copying the pricing matrix from an existing tier.
- Sync Products -- Push the tier's pricing matrix to all products assigned to that quality grade, ensuring consistency.
- Delete -- Remove the tier setting entirely. Deletion also triggers a WooCommerce sync if the integration is active.
Editing a Tier's Pricing Matrix
- Click the Edit button on the tier you want to modify.
- The edit page shows the pricing matrix for that specific tier -- a list of weight presets with a price field for each.
- Enter the price for each weight you want to offer at this quality level.
- Leave weight fields blank for combinations you do not sell. The POS will not offer that weight option for products at this tier.
- Click Save.
Leave weights blank for combinations you do not sell. For example, if you never sell AA grade at 28g, leave that weight empty on the AA tier. The POS will not offer that weight option for AA-grade products.
Product-Level Override (Custom Pricing)
Individual products can override the store-level tier pricing with custom prices.
- Go to Admin > Products and open the product.
- In the Pricing section, click Switch to Custom Pricing.
- A product-specific pricing matrix appears.
- Enter custom prices for any weights you want to override.
- Click Save.
Use overrides for products that are priced differently from the norm -- premium strains that command a higher price, clearance items, or exclusive products. Most products should use the store-level tier pricing for consistency.
Quality Grades
Quality tiers can have any name -- they are not limited to the AA/AAA/AAAA/AAAA+ convention. While those are the most common grades in the Canadian cannabis market, you can name your tiers anything that fits your store's grading system.
Common Quality Grades
| Grade | Description | Typical Characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| AA | Budget / value tier | Lower THC, less visual appeal, good for price-conscious customers |
| AAA | Mid-range | Solid quality, decent THC/terpene profile, balanced price-to-quality |
| AAAA | Premium | High THC, strong terpene profile, excellent bag appeal |
| AAAA+ | Ultra-premium / top shelf | Exceptional quality, highest THC, craft-grown, limited availability |
Assigning a Quality Grade to a Product
- Open the product in Admin > Products.
- In the Cannabis Details section, find the Quality Tier dropdown.
- Select the appropriate grade.
- Click Save.
Once a grade is assigned, the product uses the pricing matrix from that tier's quality tier configuration.
Weight Tiers
The weights in each tier's pricing matrix correspond to your store's configured weight presets. The default presets are:
| Weight | Common Name |
|---|---|
| 1g | Gram |
| 3.5g | Eighth (1/8 oz) |
| 7g | Quarter (1/4 oz) |
| 14g | Half (1/2 oz) |
| 28g | Ounce (1 oz) |
These can be customized in Admin > Cannabis > Weight Presets. If you add or remove weight presets, the pricing matrix weights update to match.
If you remove a weight preset that has prices in the matrix, those prices are deleted. Make sure you do not need a weight tier before removing it.
Volume Discounts in Tier Pricing
Tier pricing inherently supports volume discounts because you set each weight tier's price independently. The per-gram price typically decreases as the weight increases:
| Weight | Price (AAAA) | Per Gram |
|---|---|---|
| 1g | $10.00 | $10.00/g |
| 3.5g | $32.00 | $9.14/g |
| 7g | $58.00 | $8.29/g |
| 14g | $105.00 | $7.50/g |
| 28g | $190.00 | $6.79/g |
This incentivizes customers to purchase larger quantities.
Managing the Pricing Matrix
Auto-Fill Empty
When editing a tier's pricing matrix, you can use the Auto-Fill Empty feature to interpolate prices between anchor prices you have already set. Set prices for a few key weights (e.g., 1g and 28g) and let auto-fill calculate reasonable prices for the weights in between.
Populate Weights
The Populate Weights button fills in the weight list from your configured weight presets, ensuring the pricing matrix includes all active weights.
POS Visibility Checkboxes
Each weight in the pricing matrix has a POS Visible checkbox. Unchecking this hides that weight option from the POS register for products using this tier, even if a price is set. This gives you fine-grained control over which weight options are available for sale.
Tier Pricing and Discounts
Tier prices interact with other discount mechanisms:
Sale Campaigns
Sale campaigns can apply to tier-priced products. The discount is applied to the tier price:
- 20% off a $32.00 (AAAA 3.5g) item = $25.60
- $5 off a $32.00 item = $27.00
Loyalty Tier Discounts
If your store uses loyalty tiers, customers with higher loyalty levels may receive automatic discounts on tier-priced products. The loyalty discount is applied after the tier price is determined.
Manual Discounts
Cashiers (with permission) or managers can apply manual discounts on top of tier pricing at the POS.
When multiple discounts apply, Brother POS processes them in this order:
- Tier price is determined from the matrix.
- Sale campaign discount is applied (if applicable).
- Loyalty tier discount is applied (if applicable).
- Manual discount is applied (if applicable).
Each discount applies to the result of the previous step, not to the original tier price.
Tier Pricing at Scale
Consistency Across Products
The store-level tier pricing ensures pricing consistency. When you update the AAAA tier's pricing matrix, every AAAA-graded product in your store updates automatically. This is much more efficient than updating prices product by product.
Adding a New Product
When you create a new product and assign it a quality grade:
- The product automatically uses the tier's pricing matrix.
- No additional pricing configuration is needed.
- The product immediately appears at the POS with the correct prices for each weight tier.
Changing a Product's Grade
If you reclassify a product (e.g., upgrading from AAA to AAAA after a batch review):
- Open the product and change the Quality Tier to the new grade.
- Click Save.
- The product now uses the new grade's pricing matrix.
- Prices update at the POS immediately.
Custom Weight Entry
In addition to the preset weight tiers, Brother POS supports custom weight entry at the POS. When a cashier enters a custom weight (e.g., 2.5g):
- The system calculates the price using the per-gram rate from the nearest matching tier.
- The calculation uses linear interpolation between tiers for fair pricing.
- Custom weight sales are tracked separately in reports.
Reporting on Tier Pricing
Tier pricing data is reflected in several reports:
- Sales Reports -- Sales can be broken down by quality grade and weight tier.
- Margin Analysis -- Margins are calculated per tier, helping you see which grades and weights are most profitable.
- Category Performance -- Cannabis category performance includes tier-level detail.
- Top Products -- See which quality-weight combinations sell the most.
Best Practices
- Start with market rates. Research what competing dispensaries charge per grade per weight, and set your initial matrix accordingly.
- Maintain a clear grade differential. There should be a noticeable price difference between tiers. If grades are priced too close together, customers will always choose the higher grade.
- Reward volume purchases. Make sure the per-gram price decreases meaningfully at higher weights. This encourages larger purchases.
- Review the matrix monthly. Cannabis market prices fluctuate. Review your matrix at least monthly to ensure you are competitive and maintaining healthy margins.
- Use product overrides sparingly. The more overrides you create, the harder it is to manage pricing. Reserve overrides for truly exceptional products.
- Grade products honestly. Overgrading products (calling AA flower "AAAA") will lead to customer complaints and returns. The grade should reflect the actual quality.
Common Workflows
Setting up tier pricing for a new store
- Enable Cannabis Features and Quality Tiers in Feature Flags.
- Configure weight presets (or use the defaults).
- Navigate to Tier Pricing and edit each quality tier's pricing matrix.
- Create your cannabis products and assign quality grades.
- Test at the POS to verify correct prices appear.
Changing a product's quality grade
- Open the product in Admin > Products.
- Change the Quality Tier to the new grade.
- Save. The product now uses the new grade's pricing matrix.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Solution |
|---|---|
| Product not showing tier pricing at POS | Verify the product has a quality grade assigned and has tiered pricing enabled. Check that Quality Tiers feature flag is enabled. |
| Some weight options missing at POS | The corresponding weight in the tier's pricing matrix may be blank or have POS Visible unchecked. Open the tier and add a price or check the visibility box. |
| Price override not taking effect | Check that the product has been switched to Custom Pricing and the override price is entered for the correct weight. |
| Quality grades not appearing as a product option | Enable the Quality Tiers setting in Admin > Settings > Edit Settings > Products & Inventory tab. |
What's Next?
- Pricing Models -- Understand all available pricing models in Brother POS.
- Sale Campaigns -- Run promotions on tier-priced products.
- Quality Tiers -- Deep dive into quality grade configuration.
- Weight Presets -- Customize the available weight options.