Ask a Stoner: Do Budtenders Have Agendas?

Dear Stoner: Budtenders only push what the store needs to get rid of, and couldn’t care less about what I need or like. Tell me I’m wrong.
Fed Up

Dear Fed Up: Life isn’t always so black and white. Sure, budtenders can pull out dusty jars of dry weed and mutter something short and unconvincing about how that stale gust of hay hitting your face is “the bomb.” But that usually means you’re at the wrong dispensary. Whether they’re trained to do it or too lazy to care, budtenders who hawk crappy products (or base recommendations on potency or vendor incentives) are a sign of poorly run and predatory pot shops.

Trustworthy staff recommendations aren’t impossible to come by, though, especially at medical dispensaries. I’ve had budtenders warn me to avoid certain growers because of rumored mildew problems, point me toward competing shops for certain strains, and even give me free weed when they screwed up at the cash register. It all comes down to who’s hiring and training them, so keep looking for the right store — or get to a point where your shopping tendencies aren’t dictated by a 23-year-old who’s paid just over minimum wage.

Send questions to marijuana@westword.com.