Marijuana Dispensaries see Higher Sales During Black Friday,
Retail businesses live for the holiday season. Sales ramp up as consumers become consumed with buying. They buy everything with a vigorous passion, and everything these days includes marijuana from a dispensary.
Believe it or not, in those states where medical and recreational marijuana is legal there is an increase in sales at local dispensaries during the holidays. It seems that some individuals have no problem gifting marijuana or cannabis supplies to family and friends that have a fondness for the herb.
Harvest of AZ a medical marijuana dispensary in Phoenix AZ and Scottsdale Arizona is one dispensary that reaps the benefits of a busy holiday shopping season. Owner Steven White has an interesting theory about why people either gift marijuana or buy a little extra for themselves around Christmas. “People need a discreet way to put up with their families,” says White. The dispensary’s owner also says that there is a particular increase in edibles and THC vape pen products, and she also thinks these products are good gift ideas.
Like all other retail establishments, marijuana dispensaries have begun to note a pattern to holiday sales saying “things slow down a bit in early November” before picking up again around Thanksgiving and Christmas. This budtender said that where January sees a decrease in sales that usually lasts for a couple of months has been a predictable pattern.
A recent article in USA Today examined holiday sales increases for dispensaries in Denver, Colorado. Denver was one of the first major American cities to have marijuana shops. According to the article, local dispensaries reported sales increases of 21 percent in the week prior to Christmas. The sales data was compiled by Baker, a marijuana software firm which provides point-of-sale and customer service technology to stores that sell cannabis.
Marijuana edibles such as cookies were among the most popular items sold during the holidays. As Shahin mentioned, vaporizers were also high on the list of purchases. According to Baker, the data received from other states with legalized medical and recreational cannabis was in line with the data from Denver.
Dispensaries are even beginning to come up with their own shopping day nicknames like “Black Friday.” The day before Thanksgiving is referred to as “Weed Wednesday” and the day after is called “Green Friday.”
The biggest sales day for dispensaries, however, doesn’t happen anywhere near the holidays. April 20, known as 4/20, is still the biggest day for marijuana sales across the nation. It has also been noted that sales spike on Fridays before federal holidays, presumably because of the long weekend ahead.