Self-checkout hits a new high! Weed vending machines that can hold up to 2,000 products are being rolled out in Colorado and Massachusetts
- Weed vending machines are rolling out in Colorado and Massachusetts
- The machines, made by the company anna, allow customers to pre-order or purchase on the spot flower, edibles and vape oils
- The machines can hold up to 2,000 products each
- Four machines opened at the Strawberry Fields dispensary in central Pueblo, Colorado so far and some will be added to the Starbuds dispensary in Aurora
- The machines will also debut in Massachusetts in September
Weed vending machines debuted in Colorado, marking a new way to purchase cannabis in a contactless fashion.
The new machines, created by the company anna, are designed to take and fill orders for marijuana products allowing customers to purchase flower, edibles and vape oils without interacting with a salesperson.
Four anna vending machines opened at the Strawberry Fields dispensary in central Pueblo, Colorado last week and will debut at another dispensary called Starbuds in Aurora sometime this year, according to The Denver Post.
To use it customers need to show identification and check in. Each features a 27-inch touch screen where patrons can fill virtual baskets and pay with cash or debit card. From there anna dispenses the items and customers grab their items and go.
New weed vending machines that can hold up to 2,000 products made by the company anna debuted in Colorado. Four machines opened at the Strawberry Fields dispensary in central Pueblo, Colorado so far, one of those machines above
The machines can hold up to 2,000 products each.
Customers can also pre-order using the anna app and pick up using the machine.
The anna vending machines are the brainchild of founder and CEO Matt Frost, who has a background in healthcare data analytics.
He developed the idea to create a retail self-checkout system in the marijuana industry.
In his home state of Massachusetts, where the vending machines will debut in September, dispensaries see hours-long wait times and some require scheduled pick-up times for pre-ordered products.
A view of the front screen of the vending machine pictured above where customers can purchase flowers, edibles and vape oils
anna shared this promo video showing how customers can use the machines to make quick contactless purchases
By the fall there will be 14 anna units across Massachusetts and Colorado. Further rollouts are expected in Nevada, California, and Canada.
The COVID-19 pandemic increased the demand for online ordering and curbside pickups, leading Frost to develop a way to get cannabis goods through contactless purchases.
‘There are experienced cannabis customers who don’t necessarily need that one-on-one interaction with a budtender. They know what they want before they walk in, they’re ready to go in and out. By doing this we’re giving more time back to the people who do need hand holding and want that education from a live person,’ Frost said.
‘With COVID and social distancing and contactless, definitely we have an appeal there, as well,’ he added.
‘There are experienced cannabis customers who don’t necessarily need that one-on-one interaction with a budtender. They know what they want before they walk in, they’re ready to go in and out. By doing this we’re giving more time back to the people who do need hand holding and want that education from a live person,’ CEO Matt Frost said
By the fall there will be 14 anna units across Massachusetts and Colorado. Further rollouts are expected in Nevada, California, and Canada
Frost is considering selling non-psychoactive cannabis products in gas stations and retail stores in the future.
‘The partnership that we’re about to strike I have to keep under wraps for now, but [it’s] a very significant CBD distribution opportunity that we’re excited about,’ Frost said.
‘I think you’ll be seeing this rollout absolutely in the fall,’ he added.
The machines are expected to be major success in Massachusetts, where dispensaries have topped $785million in total sales since recreational cannabis sales began in November 2018. The industry made $320million in the state this year alone.