If you have been meaning to get a job in the cannabis industry, one of the popular jobs would be becoming a budtender.
What’s a budtender? When a customer walks into a cannabis dispensary, the staff member they interact with is the budtender.
They assist customers by making clarifications, providing guidance, and even making recommendations.
Some of the requirements for being a budtender are:
- High school graduate
- A worker’s license signed by the cannabis authority
- Social skills
- Knowledge about cannabis
- Computer proficiency
In recent years, this job has been in great demand, because cannabis dispensaries have proliferated around the country.
When you get this job, you’re in for a funfest, but it’s critical to understand your responsibilities.
1. Processing payments
Most customers get what they want and proceed to checkout. The budtender processes the payment at the Point of Sale to finalize transactions. Customers have different attitudes and there are good and bad customers, but no matter what happens, never lose your calm frame.
2. Cannabis-knowledge repository
Customers must be able to rely on you for accurate information concerning marijuana strains, CBD, edibles, and other cannabis products. Not everyone that walks into the dispensary is a veteran cannabis consumer. A good number of them are tired of swallowing OTC drugs and are trying to see the healing properties of cannabis.
3. Marketing products
At the end of the day, a cannabis dispensary is a business, and like every business, they are looking to maximize its profit. The budtender doesn’t stand like a statue, but they try to interest customers with additional products. They might prop up products by narrating real stories about how those products came through for different people and hope the customer swallows the bait. Hard-working budtenders bring in more sales, and this is what propels the dispensary into success.
4. Guiding customers
Some customers might be experienced cannabis consumers, but aren’t abreast with the latest canna developments. It is the responsibility of a budtender to inform and advise the customer about sister products, superior products, and trending products. They help customers choose what is best for them.
5. Keep the dispensary neat
Nothing puts off a customer like finding the dispensary in a hot mess. So, the budtender must keep it neat at all times. Ensure that you wash it at the start of the day, and put everything in its rightful place. When the dispensary appears well-organized, it gives customers the confidence to buy from you. But if the dispensary is filled with nasty and weird smells, and it is in a state of disarray, soon you’re going to be wondering where all the customers went.
6. Compliance with regulations
Rules are imposed by the owner of the dispensary or by the government, and they are typically different from one state to another or from one owner to another. It is upon the budtender to ensure that the rules are followed, and if the rules are not being observed, there’s the risk that the budtender could lose their job or have the dispensary’s operating license withdrawn. And so, a budtender requires leadership skills, for it helps them to easily manage people and do what is right.
7. Showing customers how to use accessories properly
There are several accessories used in consuming cannabis products. Some of them are easy to use, and others require some expertise. Newbie cannabis consumers might not know how to properly use these accessories and it is upon the budtender to assist them.
8. Providing security
When you throw open the doors of a business, it’s good to recognize that not everyone walks into the business with the intention of buying. Some of them are up to some ill like shoplifting. A budtender watches over the dispensary to prevent any loss or damage.
