Dispensary rant....$540/oz in CALI?

[anditwasfun]

Sooo....I live pretty far from the bay, and there's this one club I usually go to when anywhere near SF (won't name em, but they carry a lot of OG's, have security guards with guns, and they're on Mission st.)...they usually have a few strains i'm a big fan of, and consistantly have it...as well as a few OG's i've never heard of on occasion (always welcomed)...

I drive there 2-3/mo and usually get at least a zip...I go in there the other day, and I gave the guy my usually order (q of this, eighth of that, etc.) until I got an oz of mix buds. Dude bottles it, bags it, and is like "$540 bro" "uhh what? no I wanted to get the ounce price" "na we can't do that"...I proceeded to tell the budtender that I do this regularly and I don't wanna be a hassle so please get the manager. Manager comes out, shakes my hand, and then tells me best he can do is $500 and they had rule changes...then he said by selling me an oz for $360 which is already a rip off that they'd be losing money...uhh 360x16= $5760....apparently they need to make $8000+ off a p to keep the doors open....and this is a pretty damn busy dispensary, always a decent line when I come in.

I went outside, car parked out front, and my girl who was sittin in the car said a bunch of dudes workin there were haggling her about my car's mods...one of em said "no offense, but my bro's had nicer rims, he had BBS's"....haha, cute, I have a set of custom built and baller BBS's as spares for my other car...

Anyways, I kinda pulled outta there like a douche, but fuckem...

So....what clubs have that dank ass OG in norcal? lol

 

[megayields]

Dude you need to hook up with some great growers that is stupid pricing..of course I HATE dispensaries and they NEVER get my fire...good luck man that totally sucks.

 

[theJointedOne]

fuck em...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pVBMNGIRb8

 

[jayjayfrank]

the last things the guys running that place want is legal weed

 

[Stoner4Life]

I was modding on a mmj site & mentioned the same thing back in '04 or '05, it was $80 an eighth or $640 per ounce and supposedly 'not for profit'. yeah that was the most expensive strain but only a sucker would buy @ that price any given day.

sad when they take advantage of those in need.

 

[desert fox]

shit at that price I would take up smoking crack to save some money.

 

[Yes4Prop215]

its common for places to do this on exclusive strains that they dont have 20 lbs of sitting in the back of....when someone brings in a few LBs of sherbet or GSC or some other exotic, they are going to milk that entire P down into 8ths and grams, and in order to do these they need to set the OZ price as high as possible to discourage people from buying it, because then they do miss out on profit...i know a few clubs and they all operate this way..shit even harborside is charging 300+ for a mediocre OZ of blue dream..

most clubs claim non profits but its all about the profit, every business is, otherwise go find some hippy collective that gives you cheaper nugs....that being said that manager was an idiot at bare minimum they should have found you a bulk deal on something they have a steady line on.


dispensaries suck, im surprised that you live in norcal and dont know someone that has variety and sells by the OZ....you could have gone to a million other places in SF and gotten OZ of top quality and variety and probably only pay around 200-250 at most...

shit you could probably go to haight and stanyon and get a better deal lol...

 

[Yes4Prop215]

also dispensaries are not cheap to run by any means, so if they are paying 3500 a LB cash, you gotta factor in more costs on that P for paying rent, security, taxes, weedmaps advertising, overhead, etc....so that 3500 LB becomes 4500

 

[skullznroses]

Heres a perspective from a New England Native:

Are you crushed? That is rude awakening, and bad call on their part to loose a customer.

no business can operate if they don't essentially double their money on things they buy. I've worked in farm stores, restaurants, farms... this is the universal rule unless you run something like a supermarket. I know that they market things up sometimes less the 100% more, but thats when the vendors merchandises the product for them.

So I actually don't find anything strange about parceled ounces going for around $7000 total, makes perfect sense considering the way business is expensive in the USA.

You should hook up with a grower man..

 

[soursmoker]

this is mind blowing, months/years ago I would come on here amazed at the low prices in Cali and how badly street dealers were ripping people off for over here on the East Coast...

I honestly think street weed here is cheaper than dispensary weed in Cali, hands down....

dispensary weed is also better quality...

 

[daylighting]

Sounds like NYC prices; if I was in CA I'd just grow my own!

 

[soursmoker]

yeah why are you not growing your own? that is the real question? You have to know a grower... hit them up they will sell you a zip for like 200 probably

 

[anditwasfun]

Dude you need to hook up with some great growers that is stupid pricing..of course I HATE dispensaries and they NEVER get my fire...good luck man that totally sucks.

I have friends and growers I chill and get most of my meds off, but they just don't have the same taste lol. I live in a semi rural area, so not the easiest to meet growers, and most do outdoor...I still get great indoor, but it's not like in Oakland where you throw a rock and hit a grow. Also, OG's aren't too popular in my area, and I prefer OG's and indica...most people smoke sativa or meth out here lol. Most OG I see is outdoor or shitty indoor...I smoke a lot, so it's gotta have some taste/smell or i'm just gonna let it sit.

Thus the benefits of going to this club, they always had 7+ OG's, so i'd get 3 or 4 and some cookies and go to the next club...it's funny, cause my friends in the bay always say I get the best OG and bud where i'm at, but then I always stock up on most of my favorite OG's when i'm out there. Grass is always greener on the other side...lol. There are other clubs out there and in my area I go to, but usually don't have as many OG's as this spot, which is why I didn't mind paying so much...the price was worth the novelty. Not like i'm buying all my personals there, just like 15% of it lol.

I was modding on a mmj site & mentioned the same thing back in '04 or '05, it was $80 an eighth or $640 per ounce and supposedly 'not for profit'. yeah that was the most expensive strain but only a sucker would buy @ that price any given day.

sad when they take advantage of those in need.

I wonder if there's any way to demand to see where the money goes...

For all the semi-legal status in Cali there is obviously not enough competition, and not enough bud going around.
$8ooo profit on a pound? If they sold a pound a day thats $56 000 profit a week; For a shop that doesn't have high running costs or need to invest in expensive equipment that's a pretty good profit; the mom and pop store on the corner would like to make that sort of profit.
I bet if you opened up a dispensary next door to them it would soon burn down.
I bet these dispensaries will soon end up being owned by the mafia or bike gangs, with that sort of profit to be made.

$8k wouldn't be the profit, they probably have to sell 3 to make $8k a day and i'm sure they do more than that.

its common for places to do this on exclusive strains that they dont have 20 lbs of sitting in the back of....when someone brings in a few LBs of sherbet or GSC or some other exotic, they are going to milk that entire P down into 8ths and grams, and in order to do these they need to set the OZ price as high as possible to discourage people from buying it, because then they do miss out on profit...i know a few clubs and they all operate this way..shit even harborside is charging 300+ for a mediocre OZ of blue dream..

most clubs claim non profits but its all about the profit, every business is, otherwise go find some hippy collective that gives you cheaper nugs....that being said that manager was an idiot at bare minimum they should have found you a bulk deal on something they have a steady line on.


dispensaries suck, im surprised that you live in norcal and dont know someone that has variety and sells by the OZ....you could have gone to a million other places in SF and gotten OZ of top quality and variety and probably only pay around 200-250 at most...

shit you could probably go to haight and stanyon and get a better deal lol...

Yeah man, fuckin bs...you think they'd think ahead and realize no matter what most people are gonna buy something...if you run out of your sherbert you'll get something just as good 2 days later and it'll be alright.

Yeah, I had that manager serve me my 2nd time or 1st even, was super cool, but obviously some shit went down there the other day and they shoved a dildo up his ass...fuck em, they don't need my money anyways.

I have hella homies I get buds off, but i'm a super picky guy and I like a lot of variety, I spend wayyyy more on weed than I do rent/utilities, perks of living in the sticks...also the curse, gotta get so stoned you can talk to yourself. I get great deals on bud, shit even free bud, but sometimes I just like going to clubs for the simplicity and variety.

also dispensaries are not cheap to run by any means, so if they are paying 3500 a LB cash, you gotta factor in more costs on that P for paying rent, security, taxes, weedmaps advertising, overhead, etc....so that 3500 LB becomes 4500

True, my dad is a business owner, so I get that...but that motherfucker's front door might as well not be there, shit's opening and closing every 5 seconds...they're moving at least an ounce every minute on average...I get you can't undercut your competition, but damn.

Heres a perspective from a New England Native:

Are you crushed? That is rude awakening, and bad call on their part to loose a customer.

no business can operate if they don't essentially double their money on things they buy. I've worked in farm stores, restaurants, farms... this is the universal rule unless you run something like a supermarket. I know that they market things up sometimes less the 100% more, but thats when the vendors merchandises the product for them.

So I actually don't find anything strange about parceled ounces going for around $7000 total, makes perfect sense considering the way business is expensive in the USA.

You should hook up with a grower man..

I grew up in New England...

Yet again, know growers lol. I get how mark ups work...shit, headshops usually mark up 250-275%....

$7k total on a P is crazy out here...I know guys selling oz's of bomb indoor on the street for $150-200 to strangers.

Your really think they are paying $3500 a pound to get their product?
Try $2000.

What, $500 Pw rent; one or two staff working for minumum wages? But don't forget he said that after all that they still make $8ooo profit per pound.

Once the bike gangs move in their will be firebombings, exortion, murders, and the media will be writing stories how the so called medical marijuana dispersaries have been taken over by organised crime and are just a front for drug dealing, and then having become associated with organised crime and violence the govt. will have support from the voters to close these dens of iniquity down.

Some clubs do pay $3500+, I have friends who get that much, but they grow high times cover quality (or better) type medicine...if it's a rare cut that is a light yielder and very unique, people will pay.

Some dispensaries are legit, the rest are sketch folks of all sorts...just like any other entity.

 

[anditwasfun]

yeah why are you not growing your own? that is the real question? You have to know a grower... hit them up they will sell you a zip for like 200 probably

I smoke like a chimney, can't just smoke my own stash...I also suck at growing, and don't have the time my friends do...so I buy a lot. Maybe in a few years i'll be to the point where I can smoke my own 24/7...

this is mind blowing, months/years ago I would come on here amazed at the low prices in Cali and how badly street dealers were ripping people off for over here on the East Coast...

I honestly think street weed here is cheaper than dispensary weed in Cali, hands down....

dispensary weed is also better quality...

It depends where you are...I know clubs with their top shelf being capped at $10/g, and every bag is fat...but this is a club in one of the most expensive cities in the world, so i'm content with donating more to cover their higher cost of living...but not gonna pay $200 more than I used for no good reason when I can literally hop in my car and go to 1000 other places within 5 miles...lol

Sounds like NYC prices; if I was in CA I'd just grow my own!

I got homies who used to buy .8's for $25 of haze in NYC/washington heights from cubans or dominicans or whatever...lol

Next time I buy a really cheap OZ I guess i'll post a thread about it so restore people's faith in the motherland...Cali definitely has the best and cheapest weed, fuck what any haters say...if somewhere else has better shit for cheaper, let me know and i'll pack my bags. No disrespect to other med scenes and much love to my renegade brothers, just tellin it how I see it.

 

[D.C. Denali]

Your really think they are paying $3500 a pound to get their product?
Try $2000.



What, $500 Pw rent; one or two staff working for minumum wages? But don't forget he said that after all that they still make $8ooo profit per pound.

Once the bike gangs move in their will be firebombings, exortion, murders, and the media will be writing stories how the so called medical marijuana dispersaries have been taken over by organised crime and are just a front for drug dealing, and then having become associated with organised crime and violence the govt. will have support from the voters to close these dens of iniquity down.

Yeah, $500 rent, even in mission is not even close. Even if it's one of the mission disp in a shitty hood, try $5k+ a month. I know for certain that re-leaf on mission gets taxed $8k a month in rent, pretty shitty locale, too. Might be a little inflated, but that's from the owner's mouth, a couple years ago. I would, if I were you OP, go right to the Green Door and never look back. Cookie, Og's purples, green ribbon, ect.... $360 an oz or less. Not too far from where you were at, either. Right between 3rd and 4th on Howard street. Parking can be a bitch, but they also have a lounge upstairs, super nice people and ten dollar grams of full melt. Do they make money? Sure, but less than the smaller clubs due to their volume. Everything is tested and listed. They're busy for a reason, at least, they were from about four years ago until six months ago...

 

[mpd]

There's always SR.

 

[castout]

I think patients and people in general, do not realize what it takes to produce quality medicine. GROWERS still face FEDERAL TIME, no matter what state they are growing in. Every person that doesn't grow, thinks just plant the seed, and viola, you get weed...too bad it does not work that way. I am in a non med state, and the prices suck, because every person that wants cannabis wants it for rock bottom prices, cause "it is legal somewhere". That mentality sucks, especially for the GROWERS, that are tightening belts all over. I think it sucks the dispensaries are making such a profit, especially when the GROWER never gets to reap the rewards...just keep limpin' through til the next harvest. BUT, it could be a lot worse...when it does go legal/medical, then the GOVT will be running the dispensaries, and BIG PHRAMA will be providing the meds!!!!!

 

[PistilPete]

$540/oz is criminal. Even here where herb is still very much illegal, that price is just insane.

I wouldn't mind paying a bit more than we do now if i knew i wasn't facing jail time and lawyers fees and court fees every time i picked up an oz and brought it home. $540/oz is about half the amount of the court fine alone you get for possessing it here.

 

[luvtogrow]

craigslist ozs $150 here in the bay area. I didn't like the feel of the dispensaries, prices way too high, but quality very good. Growing your own is THE way to go!

 

[D.C. Denali]

Better grab a bagfull of eights and stand in the parking lot outside the dispensary and flog them off half price. After that they wont pay the dispensaries price.
Might get beat up by the goons from the dispensary though, better bring along a baseball bat.

Live in CA much? Post of the day!