In many retail settings employees are required to fully understand the product they are selling. However, in many Washington State recreational marijuana stores, smoking the product in order to better understand it is not required. Known as “budtenders“, recreational marijuana sellers are often considered valuable employees if they do not smoke marijuana. In fact, one particular retail shop trains all of its’ budtenders and insists that non of them need to have experience smoking cannabis. Maybe a trained budtender is okay with some consumers, but some may be skeptical about buying from vendors who have not experienced consuming cannabis which raises legitimate questions and concerns.
A Car Salesman Who Has Never Driven a Car
Consider this: You are in the market for a new car, so you head to your local motor-vehicle dealership. A car salesman approaches you to lend an informative hand, with intentions to help you choose the right make and model for your needs. However, after a few minutes into the conversation, the salesman admits that he has not driven any of the cars himself; in fact, he has never driven a vehicle in his life. It is not out of line to assume that you would no longer heed this salesman’s advice. Understanding the effects of different marijuana strains on the body is a lot like driving a car. Smoking allows one to experience all of the different sensations that each individual strand of cannabis provides, just as driving a car allows a person to understand sensations and concerns associated with being in control of a massive piece of machinery.
The Expectation is Warranted
The legality of recreational marijuana in Washington has encouraged many people who have never tried cannabis before to test out a strain or two. In this case, budtenders who have tried different strains and know what to expect while high are valuable assets. Placing this expectation on budtenders’ experience is warranted, because their job is to help customers choose the right cannabis strands, as well as advise on the amounts of cannabis the customer should consume to reach desired effects. For a frequent recreational-marijuana user, experienced budtenders are better capable of recommending a strand of cannabis similar to other strands that the customer enjoys. Receiving training without consuming cannabis does not help budtenders relate with customers who wish to know more about a strain’s high. Without this knowledge, budtenders may not be relating to the customer in ways to encourage return business.
Solution? Rank Budtenders Based on Whether or Not They Smoke
In efforts to help cannabis users receive comprehensive assistance when purchasing various strains, ranking budtenders would be beneficial. In order for a budtender to receive a “level two” rating, the employee would need to be wholly informed about particular strains through consuming the cannabis, as well as understand the strand’s properties, like THC level. A “level one” budtender does not smoke cannabis, but instead learns about differing strands through required training and study. Basically, higher ranked budtenders will provide experienced and informed service.
To help cannabis consumers acquire the purchasing experience they desire, recreational marijuana shops could be ranked according to the employees’ rankings. This ranking would be public knowledge, listed on websites and on the outside of the establishment. It is true that some consumers are comfortable buying from level one budtenders. The bottom line is that budtender transparency in the recreational marijuana industry is very beneficial, in all aspects.
What are your thoughts about budtenders with no experience consuming cannabis? If a recreational marijuana retail store only had ‘trained’ budtenders who have never consumed cannabis, would this make you want to visit another store?
