A California budtender is responsible for helping customers find and choose their preferred strain, answer questions about the products they are looking at, and assisting with ordering devices and test-pounds to prove their knowledge of the product.
As the name suggests, a California budtender’s job is to sell marijuana in the form of plants. This includes selling strains, device availability, and assistance with ordering devices such as machines or vapes.
In order to become a California budtender, you must have an interest in cannabis culture and be able to help people find what they are looking for.
Learn about new products
While at college, Budtender sees new products and trends and wants to offer them in her lineup.
When a new product is released, several companies rush to put their logo on it to promote it. These companies can range from manufacturers selling their products as cigarettes to dietary supplements.
It is important for consumers to stay up-to-date by checking online stores and rapid exchange sites such as Ebay or Amazon where sellers may combine new products into collection sets.
If a new product does not seem natural or seems similar to an already known product, it may be hard for people to distinguish it.
Keep track of inventory
When opening a tab, the barista must keep track of all of the drinks that have been ordered. The barista must also note which bottles have been opened and if someone has added additional ingredients or flavors to a drink.
Bartenders create lists of inventory items and how many drinks they expect people to order with those items. They then match those lists together to open a bottle or box of product!
Some bars even track what types of customers are looking for products and whether or not they order those types of products. This helps determine when inventory needs to be restocked as well as who wants what at the bar.
Comply with state cannabis regulations
Following state cannabis regulations is an important part of the budtender job. You do not want to be aware of state cannabis laws, so it is your responsibility to stay up to date.
Educate customers on different products
When offering products such as coffee, tea, etc. at dispensaries, you need to educate consumers about what they are, how they are made, and what properties they have.
Much has been written about tea having more antioxidants and how that affects our health, so when preparing it patients should be told what signs they see when they drink tea.
Some people are discerning about tea based on whether or not it is green-colored. If the tea is green, people might think it is better for health than plain black tea.
Share your experience with others
Being a budtender is not for the faint of heart. You have to be caring and considerate to your customers and make sure they are feeling okay before you help them out with any requests.
As a budtender, you have to share your knowledge with others. If you know how to put a THC concentrate in an alcoholic beverage, people might want that! You can also teach people how to enjoy cannabis and cannabinoid medicine properly, like taking a short time to feel the effects down before enjoying, so there is no risk of dependency.
You also have to consider why someone would need cannabis and what their symptoms were like to help them pick the right medicine. Luckily, medical cannabis in California is very safe!
Finally, as a business owner, you must take into account your costs when making decisions on what products to offer. This includes budgeting for promotion, shipping, and restocking needs.
Stay up to date on industry news
As a budtender, you will be notified of new laws, regulations, and developments in the industry that impact your business. It is your job to stay up to date on these changes to your business to ensure it continues to grow and becomes more popular.
Many new laws were passed last year including the Marijuana Business Act and the Adult Use of Marijuana Regulation & Development Instighatability Act, which affect commercial cannabis businesses. Other recent developments include California’s Prop 64 (marijuana), New York’s famed Reklamacáasegic Law (public relations), and Canada’s Cannabis Act (security).
As a Budtender, you will be required to know all of these changes so that you can properly prepare for upcoming events or legislation. It is also helpful to stay up to date on social media posts and news articles so that your customers are aware of what laws affect the industry and how they effect businesses.
Talk with your coworkers
They can be a great source of information and help during your job interview. Your coworkers can tell you what services they have used, if they have been satisfied, and if they were questions answered.
Ask questions to learn more about them
When you are the front-of-the-houseperson, ask questions about what they do. You want your customers to feel like you know them and that you took the time to make sure they were happy.
Bullet point: Be ready for next customer
When someone orders a drink or smokes a cigarette, get back to them in a second to make their drink or smoke finished. If someone has an emergency, give them time to talk with the bartender or owner to determine if an exception can be made.
Take a break and have some fun!
When I was in college, I worked at a night club in the back room. It was fun, and I met some great people there.
It’s also important to take breaks. When I worked at the club, we had breaks for lunch and after work drinks. The best breaks seem to come during downtime between sets or during downtime between parties if someone needs to get away from the music or crowd comfort.
Have fun and feel free to take a break if you need to! It is very important to keep yourself motivated while you take your time to recharge and refresh your system.
People at work can see when you are having a good time so don’t be afraid to stop for a few minutes to enjoy yourself.
