Tip your Local Budtender
Countries all over the world are beginning to legalize the use of recreational cannabis. The budding industry has brought forth a batch of new rules, regulations, laws, and a need for education. With that the landscape of careers found in cannabis is also changing. Individuals who are passionate about the Cannabis plant don’t necessarily want to work as cultivators, scientists, lab technicians, or be employed within corporate cannabis. Enter the budtender.
Many people have memories of their good ol’ neighbourhood bartender who pours them a drink after a tough day at work, concocts artisan cocktails with the likes of elderflower and lavender, or just lends a helpful ear to listen when you need to vent. With more and more retail cannabis stores opening, the need for qualified Budtenders is also on the rise.
Budtenders are frontline retail employees who are responsible for customer service. They have the important task of directly sell cannabis products to the end consumer. With that in mind your budtenders should have the following skills and abilities.
- Customer service experience
Like any industry who replies on retail sales, customer service experience is a must. Since the cannabis industry is fairly new you can find someone with customer service or retail management experience who’s skills are transferrable to a budtender position. A budtender must be able to assess the needs of the consumer by asking questions like what brings you to our store? What do you want to feel when using our products? Are you here for medical or recreational purposes? Simple questions like that help the budtender figure out what products to recommend and ensuring the customer journey was managed well.
- Product knowledge
It is important to note that budtenders are not typically medically trained. An experienced budtender will never pretend to be a medical professional and will only speak to the characteristics of the cannabis product without providing medical advice. Ongoing training is key. Budtenders need to have a vast amount of product knowledge including:
- Understanding terpene profiles
- Knowing the taste, smell, and characteristics of varying strains
- Distinguishing between types of products like edibles, oils, concentrates, topicals, vapes, and cannabis to smoke
- Understanding the differences between sativa, indica and hybrids
- Seeing differences in quality vs non-quality products
- Knowing the legal restrictions and laws within their country/city
- Passion for cannabis
At the end of the day your budtender should have a passion for the cannabis industry. They will want to learn about the history of the plant, the upcoming trends, the legal jargon, keeping up with their product knowledge and of course enjoy working with customers to share their knowledge and experience regarding cannabis.
Whether you are hiring a budtender or you’re a consumer looking to work with an awesome budtender, choose someone who goes beyond handing out a menu, but will instead provide a customized experience to each unique customer. A dispensary should be fun and have an inviting atmosphere; a budtender will lead the charge in providing THE cannabis experience.
Give us a shout if you’re looking for work as a budtender or looking to hire one!
