4 Ways to Improve Cannabis Retail Training

There are a variety of staff roles at marijuana dispensaries and making sure they are all aware of store policies and procedures is imperative. It’s essential for store owner to constantly find ways to improve cannabis retail training so that employees are prepared for any situation that could occur.

In this article, we’ll provide a few ways that dispensaries can teach staff techniques to diffuse tense situations, provide exceptional customer service, and keep you cannabis retailer compliant.

Responsible Sales

One of the most important principles your want to impart during cannabis retail training is responsible sales. This basically boils down to maintaining integrity when serving consumers at your dispensary. Train your staff to verify the age of every customer, identify signs of intoxication, and recognize potential security threats.

Every role has it’s individual responsibilities whether you’re a receptionist, budtender, manager, or security officer. Verifying the age of each customer typically falls on the receptionist or security officer, however, if a budtender feels that a customer is too young to purchase cannabis it’s okay to ask for ID at the point of sale.

Avoiding Confrontation

Cannabis retail training also requires employees to learn how to be diplomatic and diffuse confrontational situations. Occasionally there will be customers who are upset about a product or purchase and it’s paramount that staff members know how to deal with this situation. Establishing a specific protocol in these instances will prevent them from spiraling out of control.

If the customer is reasonable, finding a solution to their problem will often alleviate their frustrations. However, if their conduct becomes irate and uncontrollable it is probably best to call in security or law enforcement to remove the angry patron.  

Potential Risks

Sometimes there are customers who can pose potential risks to other customers, your staff members, or even your inventory. Cannabis retail training should include how to recognize those who attempting to steal or cause a disturbance in your dispensary. Not only is it important to know how to refuse service to these types of customers but also to identify repeat offenders.

Trying to remember which customers have been troublemakers in the past is difficult considering that they could come in while someone else is working. Fortunately, retail employees can use their dispensary software to blacklist those patrons who have committed previous offences. This will notify the receptionist as soon as the patient checks-in so they can be dealt with before entering the sales floor.

Dosage Directions

Another area that requires meticulous cannabis retail training is understanding the dosage directions for a variety of products in the dispensary inventory. Budtenders especially need to be well aware of the dosage directions of each product so this can be conveyed to the customer. First time patrons will often experience confusion when it comes to the different dosages for edibles, tinctures, and concentrates.

The best advice your staff members can give is to start slow and work your way up to a higher dosage. Sales associates can always refer to the product profile in the dispensary POS system to quickly view the dosage direction for any products. IndicaOnline will always help reinforce cannabis retail training and is extremely intuitive for new employees.