Unique Ways to Elevate Your Deli Style Dispensary

You’re in a legal cannabis state, you visit a cannabis dispensary and you’re in awe; shelves line the small shop with large glass jars brimming with cannabis flower of various strains. It smells both piney and funky and citrusy at the same time. You approach the counter and a friendly budtender greets you. They go over the menu briefly and talk to you about the day’s specials and featured strains. As you make your selections, you’re able to look at the flower and smell it. Once you’ve chosen your favorite, the budtender removes the buds from the jars, weighs them out and places them in packaging for you. You’re in a deli-style cannabis dispensary. These dispensaries use wholesale dispensary supplies and branded dispensary products to help elevate the unique experience for customers. Learn more about it with our top cannabis dispensary deli-style tips.

What is a Deli-Style Dispensary? 

A deli-style dispensary is exactly what it sounds like; a cannabis dispensary where the product is chosen by the customer then weighed and packaged in front of them by a budtender. This contrasts the common theme among a large majority of dispensaries today that have removed the interactive aspect of the customer experience for pre-packaged products ready for the shelves. There are pros and cons to both dispensary styles. Some argue that pre-packaged items subvert the experience of shopping at the dispensary. The deli experience, like the fictional aforementioned one above, is what most long-time cannabis users are nostalgic for and what you can apply these deli-style dispensary tips to.

In contrast, at non-deli-style dispensaries, customers typically choose their product from packages on shelves or a printed menu and leave without ever being able to see or smell the product they’re purchasing. Essentially, it becomes a guessing game leaving customers at the behest of the budtender to make the best choices for them. Since cannabis preferences are highly personal, with factors such as taste and smell, therapeutic needs, some feel it makes more sense to utilize the “deli-style” dispensary. 

On the flip side, proponents of the pre-packaged dispensary model argue that pre-packaging is more sanitary, maintains freshness longer, contributes to better inventory control and maintains faster, more efficient customer service. Regardless of preference, deli-style dispensaries or pre-packaged, elevating the customer experience is important for every cannabis dispensary out there.

Whether bud is being weighed in front of the customer or placed neatly in pre-packaged containers on the shelves, how the packaging looks and feels says a lot about a product, the brand and the store carrying it. 

Wholesale and Branded Cannabis Dispensary Supplies and Products

Packaging can evoke feelings from customers about a product’s quality, integrity and brand messaging. Premium customized cannabis packaging can be particularly effective at setting the tone for the product’s target demographic. Catering to older adults? Keep the packaging clean and easy to identify. Catering to medical patients? Maintain clear labeling. Catering to the everyday stoner? Add art to the package or colors that will attract people’s eyes to the product. Customized packaging gets a message across to buyers seeking a specific type of experience. Whatever a company chooses, finding wholesale dispensary supplies with branded packaging options is the first step in the direction of creating eye-popping, appealing displays for the customer to browse while in the store. Not to mention, browsing customers typically stay in the store longer. 

The longer a customer browses, the more likely they will convert to a sale. Boring shelves with plain, ugly packaging? Premium, branded packaging with colorful labels and artful designs? Definitely not boring.

Cannabis brands and dispensaries don’t have to sacrifice package quality for customizations, either. Quality packaging solutions mean that the cannabis product will stay safely secured and fresh in the package, while also being appealing to look at because packaging also acts as advertising.  Although the deli-style dispensary masters the art of customer and product interaction, there’s still a need for quality packaging, this is because the customer experience doesn’t end when they leave the dispensary. High-quality, branded packaging is another way to facilitate brand recognition, extra bonus points if the packages are beautiful to look at and effective at keeping the flower fresh. Branded dispensary packaging is an easy way to elevate the deli-style dispensary by prolonging the purchasing experience from the dispensary back to the customer’s home. Love our deli-style dispensary tips? You’ll love checking out our wholesale dispensary supplies and branded dispensary products here.