Budtender Job Description, Skills, and Salary
Get to know about the duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and skills requirements of a Budtender. Feel free to use our Budtender job description template to produce your own. We also provide you with information about the salary you can earn as a Budtender.
Who is a Budtender?
Budtenders are in charge of educating customers on cannabis products’ effects, benefits, and overall experience. While most marijuana shop personnel are not medically educated, they act as valuable guides to using cannabis products and cater their customer and patient service to various levels of experience.
Budtenders work in marijuana dispensaries and are specialists in the goods they sell. Managing client satisfaction by guiding customers through the decision process and remaining current on marijuana industry developments by visiting trade events, studying products, or learning about partner shops are the primary budtender job responsibilities. Individuals can also obtain the most up-to-date information by using social media platforms or specialist blogs.
Budtenders will need to learn about their consumers in order to provide the best product recommendations. This could include questions about their lifestyle, money, marijuana usage history, and the type of marijuana experience they want. A customer who wants to use marijuana to relieve pain will need a different product than one who wants to have fun with it. A budtender’s responsibilities also include assisting a corporation in meeting its sales targets. Budtenders must verify compliance with their state’s marijuana consumption rules, such as the minimum age for consumers, in addition to fulfilling sales targets.
Budtenders work in a similar capacity to bartenders, filling product orders and providing customer care. Budtenders, on the other hand, help consumers by offering product recommendations, educating them on various products, and providing guidance on available product options. Budtenders can do a variety of things depending on the dispensary’s needs.
Budtender Job Description
Below are the Budtender job description examples you can use to develop your resume or write a Budtender job description for your employee. Employers can also use it to sieve out job seekers when choosing candidates for interviews.
The duties and responsibilities of a Budtender include the following:
- Determining which cannabis products are best based on customers’ needs, interests, budgets, and sensitivities to different strains of cannabis are all important factors.
- Using trade events and research to stay up to date on new cannabis products and industry trends.
- Making Use of the dispensary’s Point of Sale (POS) system to process consumer payments.
- Maintaining the cleanliness and organization of the dispensary at all times.
- Bringing customers to be aware of how to safely use the cannabis products they have chosen.
- Weighing, packing, and labeling cannabis items correctly are all essential.
- Verifying that customers are of legal age by checking their identification documents.
- Taking inventory of cannabis products and making sure the sales floor is properly stocked.
- Providing product recommendations to first-time clients.
- Attending trade events and seminars to learn about new goods, form partnerships with dispensaries, and network with industry professionals.
- Recommending relevant products to customers with medical and leisure requirements.
- Learning about their consumers so that they may provide appropriate recommendations based on their needs.
- Keeping current with industry concerns and developments.
- Assuring that dispensary activities are compliant with legal and regulatory requirements.
Qualifications
- Having a GED or high school diploma is a requirement.
- Work experience as a Budtender for at least a year.
- A valid worker’s permission or license for marijuana.
- A thorough understanding of cannabis strains and their medical properties.
- All Microsoft Office apps are mastered.
- Outstanding ability to organize.
- Excellent problem-solving and analytical abilities.
- Communication abilities that work.
- Customer service talents that are second to none.
Essential Skills
- Trustworthy
Trustworthy budtenders can be tough to come by. Regrettably, the nature of the industry does not always allow for promptness. Customers might quickly flood a dispensary that is short-staffed due to a late or no-show budtender. This not only frustrates and wastes time for customers, but it also confuses your coworkers.
This is why budtenders must be punctual and present at all times. The best budtender is one who can hold off on trying a new sample until the shift is through. Great budtenders recognize that being attentive leads to more sales and tips.
- Knowledgable
Any budtender should be well-versed in the wide spectrum of cannabis products available. In a crowded dispensary, niceties without expertise would simply slow down purchases. The majority of budtenders are employed based on their understanding of flowers, concentrates, edibles, and other cannabis-related products. Before becoming a budtender, it’s critical to at least grasp the fundamentals.
The first step is to understand the differences between Indica, Sativa, and Hybrid flowers. A beginner may find learning the POS system, weight increments, labeling, and consumption to be burdensome. There are, however, training services available to instruct future budtenders about different products and dispensary operations. Customers, after all, expect budtenders to be knowledgeable about all of the products available, not just flowers.
- Etiquette
Budtender etiquette includes not only how marijuana is handled, but also how budtenders run their sales area. A seasoned budtender will rarely delve into a jar of Indica or Sativa with their bare hand. Because they don’t want to contaminate the batch, budtenders commonly use tongs or chopsticks to handle flowers. They recognize how delicate flowers are and want to preserve the plant’s integrity. For first-time users, a knowledgeable budtender will teach them how to use the product and the best method to medicate.
- Service to Customers
As a budtender, the most vital attribute to possess is customer service. While some clients may have a clear understanding of what they want, most will have only a hazy idea. A budtender should provide a safe environment for customers to consider their alternatives. They are willing and ready to provide recommendations based on the preferences of the patient. Nothing turns a customer off faster than a smug or irritable budtender.
Budtenders should be able to explain the goods and their effects in a simple and straightforward manner. Simple descriptions of cannabis strains are highly beneficial for many people who are experiencing medicinal marijuana for the first time. Any dispensary would benefit from a budtender with a nice personality who is also a good communicator.
- Assertiveness and Diplomacy
Regrettably, not every patient is aware of or respects the dispensary’s rules. It’s critical to understand how to handle these situations assertively and diplomatically.
If a customer becomes agitated within the shop, politely asking them to leave would suffice. If they refuse, the best solution might be to involve security. Budtenders should try to avoid confrontation at all costs and leave disruptive patients to security.
- Confidence
When you work in the cannabis sector, you might not consider how others will react. Despite how far medical marijuana regulations have progressed across the United States, many people still believe marijuana should not be legalized in any form.
It’s critical to be confident in your decision to support and work in the cannabis sector, and to be prepared to answer to those who challenge your decision. Most cannabis business employees are also proponents of medicinal marijuana, so be prepared to stick to your guns no matter what others say or think.
- Multi-Tasker
The capacity to multi-task is another important skill in a competent budtender. In addition to a throng of patients, you may have potential suppliers visit during the course of a business day. Delegating personnel is a taught skill that is critical to the efficient operation of a business. It will benefit both parties to quickly connect vendors with buyers while helping patients.
You don’t want to try to service a large number of consumers all at once. It is, nevertheless, a good idea to be able to serve a patient who is eager to make a rapid purchase while allowing another time to think about their options. Multitasking necessitates a careful balance of priorities, but a budtender who excels at it is worth their weight in ‘green.’
- Interpersonal skills
Aside from possessing a lot of cannabis knowledge, any competent budtender will have one attribute that is essential for any retail job: people skills. Trust me when I say that if you can’t handle interacting with the public, you won’t be a successful budtender since you’ll be dealing with them all the time and they’ll be asking you all the questions. This is not the work for you if you can’t handle being asked what you might seem obvious questions by folks who are utterly unfamiliar with cannabis. If, on the other hand, you enjoy assisting others and teaching them new skills, you’d make a fantastic budtender.
- Flexibility
Because the cannabis market is still developing, laws and regulations are always changing. What works today may not work tomorrow, and the guidelines you’ve worked so hard to follow for the past few months or weeks may change next month.
Prepare for change and demonstrate to employers that you’re adaptable enough to handle it.
- Patience
Patience is an important aspect of learning to deal with change and remain adaptable. Unfortunately, most people aren’t born with the ability to be patient.
Practice patience and make the required modifications in your thinking, decision-making, and actions to guarantee that you can apply that patience to your cannabis-related employment. Employers want to know that they’re hiring someone who isn’t going to panic out if something goes wrong.
- Networking
The cannabis market is booming, but it was founded by entrepreneurs who were passionate about what they were doing. As a result, the industry retains a small business mentality, with people taking the time to get to know one another and assist one another. Even the majority of competitors have good ties.
It’s critical that you develop a cannabis industry network. These connections can help you find work now and in the future when you’re ready to advance your career. Attend industry gatherings and get yourself known. To begin creating these contacts as soon as feasible, join cannabis industry groups and participate in online discussions.
How to Become a Budtender
Although the educational requirements for becoming a budtender differ by state and cannabis dispensary, there are a few steps you may take to get started in the field. To begin your career as a budtender, think about the following options:
- Get a certificate from a high school
Budtenders aren’t required to have a post-secondary degree, but they must have a high school diploma. Some dispensaries may demand you to undergo employee training in order to understand customer service tactics, dispensing processes, how to make various products, delivery methods, and other vital parts of the industry and dispensary’s practice.
- Optional certification is something you might want to look into.
Although certification as a budtender isn’t required, there are a variety of online educational and training programs available to help you get started. Green Cultured, for example, offers the Dispensary Technician Certification, which may be used to demonstrate your understanding of the cannabis industry and products. These types of certification programs may require you to take and pass an exam, and the things you’ll learn about in a training program could include industry trends, medicinal and recreational goods, and other cannabis-related topics.
- Obtain experience in the industry.
Get as much industry experience as you can when you first start out as a budtender. Find trade exhibits, networking events, and product seminars, for example. Investigate new goods and look for ways to help your dispensary meet its sales objectives. You’ll most certainly find prospects for progression as you gain more experience on the job.
- Apply for work permits from the state.
In order to sell cannabis goods in your state, you may need a work permit. You may need to take an exam if you need a workers’ permit in your state to work as a budtender. Furthermore, certain states may impose a minimum age limit for budtenders.
- Take advantage of new possibilities.
There are numerous prospects for growth in the industry, and working as a budtender is an excellent place to begin. You can find work as an outside sales director, a product specialist, or even a dispensary owner as you learn more about the industry, products, extraction techniques, medical effects and advantages, and other aspects of legal cannabis. If you have a background in organic chemistry, biology, or another science-related discipline, you might be able to find work as a master extractor or a lab technician in the top-tier sector.
Where to work as a Budtender
Budtenders operate in cannabis dispensaries, where they sell both medical and recreational marijuana. States that have legalized medicinal, recreational, or both types of cannabis have witnessed an increase in the number of dispensaries, and if you live in one of these states, you may be able to find work as a budtender. Furthermore, a dispensary’s work environment is similar to that of a cafe, where consumers can explore a menu of options. Although many budtenders work full-time, the job can also be done part-time.
Budtender Salary Scale
As of February 25, 2022, the average Budtender salary in the United States is $36,494, however, the compensation range frequently ranges between $32,516 and $40,724. Salary ranges rely on various factors, which include schooling, certifications, supplementary talents, and the number of years you’ve worked in your field.
