Since this is still a fledgling industry, adaptability is a core trait, said Sabrina Fendrick, chief public affairs officer at the Berkeley Patients Group cannabis store in California. Some stores are using infrared thermometers for temperature checks of staff and customers. Leafly, a national cannabis directory, reported that several dispensaries across the country have switched to curbside pick-up to limit the amount of people in a store at any given time. She said no one under 21, even an infant, can be in the car during a pick-up. Shipman said POM staff vigorously checks IDs for curbside pick-up. This previously unallowed policy was approved by the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board in spring.īrian Smith, LCB spokesman, said prevention groups such as the Washington Healthy Youth Coalition were initially concerned about youth access with curbside delivery, especially the possibility that store employees wouldn’t perform adequate ID checks to outside customers. To accommodate customers who don’t want to or can’t wear a mask, many cannabis retailers, including Cinder and POM Cannabis, offer curbside pick-up. She said they had more pushback at the beginning of the pandemic. However, businesses are not allowed to question a patron about their medical exemption. Jane Shipman, office manager at Satori, now POM Cannabis, recalled an unusual incident where a customer wearing a mask was very angry because another customer who said he had a medical exemption was not wearing a mask. Kush 21, another Seattle-area store, reported fights at its store when customers were asked to wear masks. Green Entrepreneur in Seattle reported a customer coughing at an employee for enforcing the time limit, and another customer was observed spitting in the direction of a supervisor. There were other pandemic-related problems that occurred at other shops around Washington. But as the weeks went on it proved to be awkward, because there wouldn’t be any customers in the store at that time, but a line outside of non-senior customers, so the senior hour was scrapped. Now the shop has disposable masks on hand for those who forget or don’t bring one along.Īt the beginning of the pandemic, he said Cinder had a senior hour the first hour the store was open, from 8 to 9 a.m. Jake Whitman, manager of downtown Spokane Cinder, said that initially he and the staff received a bit of pushback from customers about the requirements of wearing masks. Jay Inslee’s “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” rules, including face coverings for staff and patrons, and there are a variety of other restrictions that budtenders had to learn in a hurry. There’s no denying COVID-19 has turned our world upside down.ĭeemed essential, the cannabis industry has had the good fortune of moving forward, with shops statewide open and business booming.
0 kommentar(er)
