As someone who shops regularly at dispensaries—both medical and recreational—I’ve experienced just about every kind of cannabis retail encounter you can imagine. While I’m thankful for the growing access to legal cannabis, I can’t pretend it’s been all smooth sailing. Like any other retail industry, cannabis has its quirks. But when those quirks start to consistently affect my time, money, and trust, it becomes more than a minor inconvenience.
Let’s start with one of my biggest frustrations: lack of consistency. I’ve visited dispensaries where I find a product I love—maybe it’s a specific strain, a cartridge with a perfect terpene balance, or a topical that actually works—and just as I get into a routine with it, it disappears. When I ask the budtender if it’s coming back, I’m usually met with a shrug or a vague “hopefully.” No one seems to know when or if it will be restocked. For a customer like me who uses cannabis medicinally for anxiety and pain, that kind of inconsistency can feel disruptive and discouraging.
Then there’s poor inventory management. More than once, I’ve checked a dispensary’s online menu before heading out—only to arrive and find that half of what I wanted is out of stock. “Sorry, our menu isn’t updated in real-time,” they tell me. If I’m using gas and time to travel to your store, only to be met with a half-accurate menu and a rushed explanation, it makes me question your professionalism.
Budtender training is another hit-or-miss area. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve met some incredibly knowledgeable and passionate staff who take the time to educate me, ask the right questions, and genuinely care about matching me with the right product. But I’ve also run into employees who clearly don’t know what they’re talking about. One even recommended a high-THC concentrate to me after I specifically asked for something mild and beginner-friendly. It makes me feel unsafe, especially as a medical user.
Another issue is product quality control and labeling. I once bought a vape cartridge from a well-known brand, only to have it clog within 24 hours. The replacement I received from another location tasted burnt and gave off a weird odor. How does this stuff make it to shelves? Additionally, labeling across brands is wildly inconsistent. Some packages clearly show cannabinoid percentages, harvest dates, and terpene profiles. Others? Just flashy branding and generic strain names.
Reviews don’t always help either. I’ve seen five-star reviews that read like paid promotions and one-star reviews that sound like angry rants. It’s hard to know what to trust, especially when dispensaries curate or hide reviews on their own websites.
And can we talk about checkout times? Some dispensaries have long waits, and even with an express order, I’ve had to stand in line behind a dozen people while one cashier slowly processes each transaction. A trip that should take 10 minutes ends up taking 45. It makes me think twice about returning.
All that said, I still believe in the potential of cannabis retail. The dispensaries that are getting it right—those with educated staff, reliable menus, efficient systems, and consistent products—deserve all the praise. But the bar needs to be raised across the board.
As customers, we’re not just buying flower, edibles, or cartridges—we’re buying into an experience. And that experience should feel professional, dependable, and customer-focused. Because if it doesn’t, we’ll find somewhere else to shop.