A bartender is an expert in understanding different beverages and alcohol. Similarly, a qualified budtender knows different cannabis products, edibles, oils, etc. In this article, we are going to talk about how to become a budtender.
After the legalization of marijuana and cannabis for recreational and medical use, people have witnessed a drastic rise in budtending jobs in the cannabis industry.
If you have a passion for marijuana and want to use precious cannabis knowledge to facilitate the customers, we have great news for you.Want to learn what is a budtender and, most importantly, how to be a budtender? Keep reading!
Budtending History in Cannabis Culture
Before discussing modern budtending in detail, let’s briefly overview how it has evolved. In 1992, San Francisco Buyers Club was the first-ever medical dispensary to weigh and prepare buds for sale.
The Meriam-Webster official dictionary included the budtender term in March 2018. According to the dictionary, the author Linda Yellin used the word budtender in 1997; however, the exact citation is still unknown.
However, the legalization of marijuana by the law enforcement agency in the 2000s led to the opening of different medical stores in Washington, Colorado, and California.
If you consider weighing herbs is what a budtender does, we hate to say you are mistaken. A budtender should be a multi-talented person with a budtender license. Moreover, he should exhibit salesman qualities to promote legal weed products among the consumers.
Like a bartender, a budtender has to memorize the marijuana products and suggest them according to the various requirements of the customers.
Wondering what a budtender does and how to become a budtender? Read along.
What is a Budtender in Marijuana Dispensary?
Generally speaking, a budtender is a person who educates the customers and recommends the best cannabis products that match their requirements.
Furthermore, a budtender guides the customers to consume cannabis for recreational purposes and to treat different ailments.
Similarly, the budtender job description includes:
- Educating customers about different cannabis species, strains, and other items.
- Sale of the products in compliance with the state regulations.
- Update and stock the marijuana inventory.
- Ensure the marijuana products remain fresh in the inventory.
- Finally, complete the sales transaction and keep the records updated.
The next important question is how much you’ll earn while working at cannabis dispensaries. The good news is that the budtender salary is more than $33,000 a year, translating into $16 an hour without taxes.
Moreover, if you offer exceptional customer service, you’ll be able to land a handsome budtender salary and a tip as a reward.
How to Be a Budtender In the Cannabis Industry?
Having strong knowledge at the fingertips of all the strains, edibles, vaping liquids, topical items, and concentrates requires excellent memory. In addition, a budtender should be an excellent teacher and a communicator with marketing skills to attract more customers.
Not only that, a budtender is required to exhibit outstanding customer service to assist them in selecting the required marijuana products. A budtender must understand the customers’ requirements and share his first-hand knowledge of cannabis products.
Retail experience is always a plus as the budtender needs to be a great listener in addition to being a salesman. A budtender should make the customers believe in his knowledge about the weed products.
Only this way, a budtender can recommend the right marijuana products to the customers. Additionally, a friendly and knowledgeable budtender can help the dispensary to improve customer retention.
Alternatively, a budtender also needs to understand the customers changing requirements based on budget, previous budget, weather, and lifestyle.
Furthermore, keeping the customer record and sold products allow the budtender to understand and analyze the increase in demand for a particular cannabis product.
In addition to dealing with the customers, a budtender also needs to have the following expertise:
- Operate the cash register
- Inventory management
- Open and lock the dispensary
Similarly, keeping up-to-date with the latest trends in the cannabis industry is an important role of a budtender. That’s why a budtender should do online research, interact with different growers, and visit different trade shows.
To sum up, a budtender has a leading role in the marijuana industry as he bridges the gap between the customers and marijuana products.
Cannabis businesses should hire a qualified person with a proper budtender certification.
How to Become Best Budtenders
All you need to do is to follow these five steps to become an excellent budtender:
Marijuana and Cannabis Plant Products Knowledge
Budtenders are ambassadors and specialists of marijuana products. In other words, they are the walking encyclopedia of weed products, terpenes, cannabinoids, and many more. Like bartenders, they are mixologists who combine different marijuana products to enhance the psychoactive or euphoric effect.
That’s why a budtender license is necessary that validates the following knowledge:
- Percentages of cannabinoids, THC, and terpenes in different products.
- Detailed product description, including the smell, tolerance, potency, taste, visuals, strain genetics, and the grower information.
- Correct consumption methods of different types of marijuana products, such as vaping, smoking, concentrates, and edibles.
- The background of different products, such as patches, oil, vape pens, lotions, inhalers, etc.
- Cannabis effects of different legalized marijuana products.
- Measurement, weight conversion, and the respective prices.
- Most popular cannabis products among recreational consumers.
Like a medical pharmacist, the budtender thoroughly knows the available products, desired outcome, and side effects. Moreover, he should recommend CBD products to medical patients in treating body aches, inflammation, anxiety, and insomnia.
Medical Marijuana Industry Trends
Keeping up with the latest cannabis industry trends and the emerging is a distinct quality of the best budtender that allows him to outshine the rest. A visionary budtender should keep an eye on the latest brands, products, and strains.
One of the easiest ways is to subscribe to the cannabis industry magazines, read online blogs, and talk to weed experts.
Excellent Customer Service Skills
The key to a successful budtender is to be compassionate towards the customers and listen to their requirements. This way, a budtender connects with customers on a personal level and shares his extensive medical cannabis education to guide the customers. Moreover, he should offer satisfactory answers to all the customers’ questions with patience.
Hence, a rockstar budtender ensures customer satisfaction and helps the cannabis dispensary improve customer retention.
Budtender Certification Programs
You can become a potential candidate for different dispensaries by becoming a certified budtender. In addition, you can opt for a budtender course from a renowned institution to learn about different topics, such as cannabis flowers, topicals, weight conversions, tolerance, and other related topics.
It’s best to check if the curriculum is approved by the cannabis science and medicine regulating authorities.
Similarly, you can opt for an online course and access different course material, dispensary training, e-books, and other informative articles to pass the exam.
Interview Preparation for Budtender Jobs
Following the above steps will help you land your dream job at the best marijuana dispensary in town. First, however, it’s better to prepare yourself for the interview by going through the list of marijuana products available at the dispensary where you have applied for the job.
Furthermore, you can gather full information about the marijuana dispensary, its values, and other marketing strategies.
This way, you can nail your interview by sharing your vision of the dispensary and innovative ideas about improving customer services. The goal of preparing yourself for the interview is to outshine the rest of the applicants.
Now you know How to Become a Budtender
If you are passionate about working as a budtender, first, you need to complete training before applying for budtender jobs.
A budtender is a human face that represents the entire cannabis industry. That’s why a budtender should be a pro in the marijuana field to guide the dispensary customers to make a well-informed decision about buying suitable marijuana products.
We hope this article has helped you to learn about how to become a budtender. Hope you find a job soon!