Two Businesses, One POS
The Milton location is one of the largest-footprint stores in the Tokyo Smoke network, offering a large selection across 6 categories processing hundreds of transactions daily both in-store and online. When the location’s franchise owner, who runs four other Tokyo Smoke stores, wanted to pilot a vape retail concept, Milton was the perfect proving ground as the community continues to grow.
There was just one catch: in Canada, cannabis and vape have to remain separate, each with its own sealed-off space, security system, dedicated entrance and regulatory requirements. Educators can move between the two; inventory, systems and databases can’t. Jogee’s team was already fluent in Cova OS/UI on the cannabis side, so introducing a second, unrelated POS for the vape shop risked unnecessary confusion, slower checkout times, and more calls to support.
Two Payment Systems Go Head-to-Head
Running both payment systems side by side made the difference between the two impossible to ignore. On a recent weekend, another payment provider outage on the cannabis side left the store unable to process card card payments. Jogee contrasts that kind of disruption with the confidence he has running Cova Pay in the vape shop, where payments have been smooth, fast, and reliable. No longer do we spend time identifying form(s) of payment with our clients.
We now just confirm the total amount so local clients can just tap their device or physical card they prefer.
Jogee also appreciates the differences in the hardware itself. He described Cova’s terminal as premium feeling, with simplified UI, cable-free look on the counter that gives educators and clients more confidence at checkout.
Fast Dashboard and Analytics
Jogee monitors Cova’s dashboard from various devices to see real-time traffic patterns and average basket size at a glance, and he uses that data to update product selection and investment in training. Beyond staffing, he relies on Cova’s reports to track product performance and purchase orders week to week, replacing the generic, already-dated PDF exports he’d used in the past with reporting that reflects what’s happening in the store right now.
The Results
- Cova Pay up and running within 5-10 minutes of unboxing, with the vape shop fully operational within a day
- Avoided average of 30 minutes of downtime the cannabis side experienced with another leading cannabis payment provider.
- Zero additional training curve for educators moving between the cannabis and vape store within store design
- Daily real-time dashboard reporting to inform staffing decisions instead of manual, after-the-fact calculations
Ultimately, Jogee says he recommends Cova for three key reasons: “Speed, efficiency, and deployment,” he said. “It gives you your time back. You’re trying to open a dispensary in very competitive times; the last thing you should be figuring out is how you’re going to process a transaction after clients have made their selection.
Considering Vape Retail in Canada?
For cannabis retailers weighing a similar vape expansion, Jogee guidance is straightforward: the biggest hidden cost of a second POS system isn't the hardware/software – it's the additional investment in training and support. A platform your extended team already knows removes that cost entirely while allowing the payment reliability and reporting to do the rest of the work.
If your team is thinking about adding vape retail or evaluating whether one platform can realistically run two compliant, separate businesses, book a demo today to see how Cova POS and Cova Pay work together and walk through your specific setup.