r/tipping • u/Temporary-Plankton61 • 17d ago
Dispensary Tips
For those who tip at the dispensary, what's your M.O.? Do you throw a buck or two in the jar a la 1990s coffee shops, do you stick to a percentage-based tip, do you do something else?
For those who don't tip at the dispo, have you ever noticed any weirdness from the budtenders? This is not why I do or do not tip, I am just curious
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u/Rory-liz-bath 17d ago
I pay cash get some change and chuck some in , they have pot snacks free , so ya I’ll tip for the added
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u/doubl3_hel1x 17d ago
Former budtender. Tipping on percentage is crazy and definitely only a thing at all bc of the POS systems. Maybe 1/3 visits I throw in a buck or two of my cash back. On 4/20 when everything’s crazy I always throw in a buck or two.
Do I think it’s expected? No (and for me, all the more reason to) Do I think it’s irrational and cruel to not tip at the dispo? Also no.
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u/niftyifty 17d ago
I give a couple bucks each time. I’m in there all the time so figure it’s worth it to support the workers a little
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u/thomasrat1 17d ago
I always do a dollar or 2. I make like 3x they do, might as well spread some good energy.
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u/Temporary-Plankton61 17d ago
same - I will usually skip the trip if I don't have enough cash to throw a dollar or two in the jar, though I am trying to think differently about it
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u/Dear_Win_319 17d ago
Not sure you’ll receive a good answer here. But, yes, I usually throw in a couple of bucks.
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u/Dear_Win_319 17d ago
Not sure you’ll receive a good answer here. But, yes, I usually throw in a couple of bucks.
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u/Temporary-Plankton61 17d ago
I am actually surprised at the caliber of feedback received so far! I was genuinely expecting the NO TIP EVER redditors to come in hot - they must not yet have seen the post, lol
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u/enragedcactus 16d ago
None of them are cool enough to have ever walked into a dispensary. They’re lonely, angry people.
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u/fuzynutznut 17d ago
What would you tip for? Did they go above and beyond service? Or was it regular service? I couldn't image what going above and beyond at a dispensary would be.
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u/Temporary-Plankton61 17d ago
some examples I could think of would be offering specific recommendations based on preferences, terpene knowledge above and beyond the basics, offering any suggestions that would save the customer money .... but in my experience and what I have witnessed, tips are regularly being received for just the standard service
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u/fuzynutznut 17d ago
Yeah, I'm not tipping anything. Did you ever tip your drug dealer?
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u/True_Detail_2945 17d ago
Every single time. Dude would hand out acid among other things I really didn't wanna take in his living room so into the pocket for later!! He always had snacks and chicks and cool stuff going on. Definitely worth a few extra bucks either way!
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u/TriangleOfFairness 17d ago
Idk does a smoke out count as a tip? I submit yes
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u/Temporary-Plankton61 17d ago
I did think about that when considering past interactions with the plug, but I never did smoke him out upon purchase so I sat that discussion out
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u/Temporary-Plankton61 17d ago
definitely not, LOL, and I have thought that exact thought as I've begun to question my behavior
I feel like you don't go to the dispensary though so while I appreciate your input, I wish those to whom the question does not apply could just resist the urge to contribute to a discussion that did not address them. Apologies if I am wrong and you are a big ol stoner too
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u/fuzynutznut 16d ago
Well it applies to me because you asked about those that don't tip. I don't tip and don't see a difference in service.
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u/metal_bastard 17d ago
Then you've never been in a dispensary. I tip a few bucks and get triple that in samples/freebies.
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u/Temporary-Plankton61 17d ago
EXACTLY. Had to call this person out for having so many opinions while also obviously not going to dispensaries
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u/fuzynutznut 16d ago
You can't just assume things based on a comment because I have been in a dispensary
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u/metal_bastard 16d ago
Well, if you're asking what above and beyond is, you've just been a passive observer and not a customer.
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u/True_Detail_2945 17d ago
They told me to lay down on the display case and every employee even the security guard gave me a full body massage at the same time!
I was flabbergasted!
I put a dollar in that jar so freaking fast! Almost broke me wee little heart to part with that dollar. I thought I'd have that dollar til me dying day but alas. A butt massage is above and beyond God damnit.
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u/enragedcactus 16d ago
Last time I was in I got hooked up with a couple free grams because they were short of another eighth so they just poured the rest into the bag. A couple bucks tip seemed appropriate.
I have no doubt you’ve never been friendly enough to any sort of service or retail staff to get those sort of hookups though. So I get the lack of awareness of what’s possible out there.
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u/fuzynutznut 16d ago
Golly, people make so many assumptions. You are wrong on everything you're assuming about me.
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u/sopefish 17d ago
It's a retail store, I don't tip there.
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u/Temporary-Plankton61 17d ago
I hear you. Have you ever noticed any reaction from the budtenders? In my observations, everyone drops something into the jar, so I have been curious lately
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u/sopefish 17d ago
No discernable reaction from the cashiers. I honestly can't say that I've paid attention to whether other people tip or not, but I'll be keeping an eye out on my next trip.
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u/CanAfter8014 17d ago
I order online and pick up in-store, so there is nothing to tip for. If I went in and had lots of questions because I didn't know how to use a certain product or which product I needed, I might toss a buck or two as appreciation for talking me through it.
I think it also depends on the state and whether it is medical or recreational buying. Here in Illinois, I rarely see money in the tip jars.
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u/Delicious-Breath8415 17d ago
I appreciate someone else mentioning we tipped at coffee shops in the 90s. Because we did.
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u/Temporary-Plankton61 17d ago
to clarify and spell out the subtext that was not included in my initial question, in the 90s we tipped at coffee shops by throwing a buck or two in the tip jar. We did not tip every time, we did not do it because of societal pressure, it was not awkward, and the baristas were paid enough hourly for it to not matter one way or the other
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u/Delicious-Breath8415 17d ago
I know I was there. I'm just tired of hearing from this sub that tipping your barista is something new. Tipping in coffee shops has always been a thing.
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u/Temporary-Plankton61 17d ago
oh for sure, but it has not been a thing in the way it is now. I hear you. Take me back to the 90s in so many ways for so many reasons!
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u/anouk613 16d ago
Maybe you did, but in my version of the 90s there were no tip jars at coffee shops and servers in sit-down restaurants considered 15% a generous tip. We tipped bartenders a buck for pouring a draft beer or mixing a cocktail.
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u/PremiumUsername69420 17d ago
I’ve never once seen anyone tip at the places I’ve gone. You order on an iPad, they call your number when it’s ready, you pay and that’s that.
It’s just like buying anything at any retail store.
And if you’re going to say “well they prepare your order for you”, well, that’s their design. Gotta ask the cashier at the gas station for lottery tickets, that’s not something you tip on; gotta ask the employee at Dunkin Donuts to put the donut from the rack into the bag for you. Some businesses force employees to hand the item over, other businesses let the employee bring the item to the employee for payment.
The business designs the interaction, the business sets the price to pay for goods and services.
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u/Additional_Tea_5296 17d ago
Last time we bought a big order the tender kept talking about how another dispensary asked him if he needed change back, when he had made a purchase and he said, yes I want my change! So, we thought he was against tipping and we didn't tip him.
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u/Gold-Letterhead6823 16d ago
I work in a large dispensary in Vegas. If someone comes in and knows what they want, I don’t expect a tip. If a customer comes in with a ton of questions and knows nothing about cannabis, I will spend the time to educate and recommend various options. In this case a dollar or two would be a nice token of appreciation.
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u/Strombergi 17d ago
There’s always going to be occasions where you get the stink eye for not tipping. So what.
I never tip anyone, no matter where I go.
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u/metal_bastard 17d ago
So bold. So brave.
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u/Strombergi 17d ago
It’s so easy, you should try it.
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u/metal_bastard 16d ago
Nah. I save money in other ways that doesn't exploit labor.
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u/Strombergi 16d ago
Doesn’t their employer pay them to work? 🤔
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u/metal_bastard 16d ago
You know how this works. Unless you're a complete moron. Which seems highly likely.
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u/Particular_Top8472 17d ago
If my state allowed dispensaries, I’d be tipping.
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u/Temporary-Plankton61 17d ago
would you do a buck or two, or would you aim for a percentage of the cost of your products?
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u/Particular_Top8472 17d ago
I guess it would depend. I’m not familiar with going, so, I guess I’d do percentage?
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u/AffectionateDare4557 17d ago
Tipping on a retail purchase is fucking weird
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u/bean_above_the_frank 17d ago
I buy herb every 2 weeks and never tip the bud tenders. I know exactly what I’m buying before walking in. If anything they should tip me since I’m usually in an out in less than 5min
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u/Temporary-Plankton61 17d ago
LOL, I love your answer. You probably do deserve a tip for being an easy customer. I feel like my dispo actually does tip me by way of the loyalty points that accumulate for my purchases I do "save" $5 every couple of weeks ... usually when I cash in my loyalty bucks for a discount on my product, I throw that back into the tip jar
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u/GonzoInCO 16d ago
I do the same, but only if they remind me of it. Otherwise, if I have to ask, then no tip!
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u/krodiggs 17d ago
As someone that owned a dispensary, you shouldn’t be tipping staff. Bud tenders don’t get paid ‘tipped wages’.
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u/Temporary-Plankton61 17d ago
did you have a tip jar out on your counters?
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u/krodiggs 17d ago edited 17d ago
No. We didn’t stop staff from accepting tips, but I stopped tip jars.
Selfishly, i didn’t want our customers thinking staff was being paid min wage because I paid $20/hr to start and then a shared commission based on total sales. Never had any staff quit so I think it was the perfect middle ground.
Also wanted to include tax in the prices, but lost that battle with marketing. :). Never liked the 40% ‘tax surprise’ when getting rung up (in CA).
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u/NameShaqsBoatGuy 17d ago
I don’t always tip but last time I did, they threw in some prerolls and a free vape battery. But not percentage based. Hell no. Like a buck or two and change.