Former counselor handles human resources and training at Conway dispensary

I started out doing all of the basic front of house positions: the budtending, greeting and doing online orders. And, as is common in our small corner of the industry, there’s a lot of room for promotion and graduation into your own areas of expertise and interest. So with my background in working with people, it was a natural transition for me to become an educator and a trainer for the new people coming in. I’m the one who teaches the new employees about Harvest and all of the inner workings. I train each new employee on their positions as they advance to each new position. And, when I’m not training, I also work those stations myself to keep my own skills sharp, so I’m also a budtender. 

What different positions does a dispensary have? 

Budtenders are kind of jacks-of-all-trades at Harvest anyway. We have different areas that you work within the facility. So, there are people who are going to be running the front, they’re answering phones, they’re answering the door, they’re the face of the business for the day, they’re answering a lot of questions, they’re checking people in, checking med cards, that sort of thing. Pass through the next door and you have the budtenders, these are people that are doing one-to-one consultations with patients as they come in and out. They are answering more in-depth questions. These are usually people who have been working with us for a couple of months … . And, then, of course you have the higher-ups, you have middle management and your shift leads and closers, you have administrative people, you have people in charge of inventory, people in charge of cultivation. They’re just so many sides to the industry in so many ways that you can branch into it and help it to grow. 

What kind of issues do you run into when you are training people? Is it about how to follow the state regulations or how to help customers? What do you guys have to go over? 

All of that. It’s a comprehensive training program that we have to go over, but what I do find is, as people come in, their skill sets vary vastly, and there are particular skill sets that make for a really good budtender. I’ve been there three years, so I’ve noticed patterns over the years. People who have worked in retail before, who have managed handling cash before, are an asset to this industry because you have to very quickly and very accurately know how to do that. And, secondarily, people who pick up really well on software systems and systems that need constant updates and constant revisions and attention to detail when it comes to changes that are being made. Someone who is always on the edge of the newest and latest in the industry is going to do really well in this position, because you’ve got to stay on top of all the changes that are constantly happening. And folks who have managed people before. 

Is it hard to get new employees up to speed on all the regulations on what you’re allowed to do and not allowed to do? 

It’s not terribly hard. The most difficult part is impressing the importance of understanding that early on, because it might not be something you think about until (the Alcoholic Beverage Control division) walks through the door to do their biannual review. The only difficulty that we have is in reviewing the rules and keeping up-to-date and knowing what the websites are to access when questions are asked. 

What makes a good budtender?

Someone who has really good interpersonal skills, someone who can understand what the patient is looking for and needing. It’s important to make a connection that is meaningful but also professional and in a way that serves both sides of the interaction. We have people who are able to multitask. They can have a conversation with the patient about their particularities and what they’re looking for and also maintain their station and everything that needs to happen in that moment.

Do you get a lot of patients that come in looking for the highest THC? Do you try to educate them about different things and point them in a different direction? How do you handle that?

There are always the groups of people who come in looking for the highest THC. We get people who say they saw something at 28%, 29% or 30% and say they want just that or they say nothing is effective for them below 23%. We get a lot of that. I think that another trait of a good budtender is to be a responsible budtender. You have to be knowledgeable about the products and about what their capabilities are medicinally. So, when people are focused on that high THC, I do think it is important to at least give them some information about how that’s not the end of the story when it comes to cannabis. There are so many other cannabinoids that are medicinal and those matter just as much as terpenes, just as much as the method of consumption and the frequency of consumption. People are sometimes receptive to that and, sometimes, you get the people who say they just want the highest that you’ve got.

What are some of the popular products these days? 

In the holiday season, you get a lot of people who are trying to shop on a budget, so we’ve had a lot of Natural State Medicinals pre-packed eighths going out the door for very reduced prices, and people who shop those high THC numbers are also happy with those selections, because they’ve been in the mid-20% range in THC. We’ve got a lot of carts and edibles for those families people want to prepare for and be able to medicate in a discreet way around their family members … I would say Good Day Farm’s flower has been pretty popular the last couple of months. They are hitting home runs constantly with their Member Berry. People come in asking very specifically for the Good Day Farm Member Berry. 

Do you have anything new and different? 

We’ve had some of the new strains by Carpenter Farm coming out and people are excited to try those … . Folks are really interested in the new Good Day Farm gummy variations that are coming out: the Cherry Bomb and the Berry Blast. Those four-doses-in-one gummies have been really popular. We can’t keep stocked in those. So I would say that’s probably the newest and most exciting. We have a couple of other processors that are coming up with new products. We’ve been trying several of the Shake Extractions products and folks who have tried those are coming back and saying they have great effects … . If I had to pick one star of the show, those new four-in-one Good Day gummies are pretty popular. 

What advice would you give to a new patient coming in for the first time?

Do your own research and be your own advocate for your needs. What I mean by that is to know what it is you’re looking for and why it is you’re looking for that and to understand that you are your own expert in your experience. What that looks like is taking notes, keeping a little book with all of the strains that you’ve tried and the products that do and don’t work for you. If you can notice your own patterns and share those with us, we can direct you to the products that will be better for you ultimately.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Check out our previous interviews:

Jennifer Burr, Natural Relief Dispensary

Buffy Montgomery, Suite 443

Addison Aquino, CROP Dispensary

Dustin Watson, Good Day Farm Monticello

Ben Bradley, Natural Relief Dispensary