As Black Friday shoppers converge on stores where they’ll take part in the national tradition of getting stressed out while bargain hunting, Bay Area cannabis sellers are offering a more chill experience.
“Come check out our vape lounge, stop by say high!” beckons Magnolia in Oakland. Berkeley Cannabis Buyers Club’s is pitching 10 percent off THC Punkin Pie. It’s 10 percent off all edibles at Airfield Supply Company in San Jose.
Welcome to Green Friday, the cannabis industry’s version of the biggest holiday shopping day of the year. In a sign of marijuana’s steady march toward mainstream acceptance, medical marijuana dispensaries throughout California are promoting one-day sales on cannabis and other pot-related products the day after Thanksgiving. While supplies last.
“This is the first time we’ve marketed for Black Friday in such a big fashion,” said Amber Senter, [cq comment=”cq”]Magnolia’s chief operations officer. “With legalization it’s definitely time for us to coordinate with the regular retail seasons and holidays.”
4/20 is the biggest holiday for cannabis aficionados. But with more states legalizing pot, industry observers predict Black Friday will also become a pot shopping bonanza.
“As it becomes more normalized, you’ll see cannabis shopping behavior meld more into these commonplace natural holidays like July 4th that aren’t necessarily cannabis-centric,” said Andre Leonard, marketing manager for Leafbuyer. Leafbuyer.com is a website connecting cannabis customers with dispensaries in California, Colorado and Nevada. It has a partnership with theCannabist.co, which reaches 1.4 million readers each month.
Leonard said there was so much traffic on their website during Thanksgiving last year — nearly 300,000 hits — that the company decided to market cannabis sales more aggressively in 2016 with “door-busting discounts.”
Not everyone is on board with the idea. One Richmond dispensary said medical marijuana is a medicine, therefore it wasn’t encouraging patients to consume more by lowering prices.
But other dispensaries and delivery services are all in.
Promotional material on display at Magnolia dispensary in Oakland, Calif., photographed on Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2016. The dispensary is having Black Friday deals, just like any other retail store. (Dan Honda/Bay Area News Group)
Sparc in San Francisco, promises a “Green Day Frenzy,” where the first 100 people who arrive at 8 a.m. get “awesome surprise packs.”
Green Wheels Delivery, which services the East Bay, will open two hours early on Friday at 10 a.m. instead of noon.
“We’re having them prep the patient every time someone calls to give them a heads-up,” said General Manager Esha Tracey. “We’re not giving away too many specifics though because we want to keep it intriguing for the client.”
Here is a sampling of cannabis Black Friday promotions in the Bay Area:
Oakland
Magnolia: $100 ounce specials, 4 grams select concentrates $60, Black Friday box deal includes 3 grams of flower, 1 gram concentrate, edible, topical, pre-roll for $75, quarter specials $50-$75, $100 purchase includes one top-shelf house pre-roll, 25 percent off all non-cannabis retail products such as pipes, papers and lighters, 65 percent off high-end glass, Hendy [cq comment=”cq”]and Revere [cq comment=”cq”]pieces.
Harborside Health Center: $150 Sun Grown Ounces (strains vary), $5 pre-rolls (Hybrid, Indica & Sativa, not on Gold sticks or bubble blends), $5 off Marley Natural cartrides (carts only, not flowers or accessories), $5 off Prana Roll Ons (for CBD and THC products).
East Bay including Richmond, Walnut Creek, Hayward, Berkeley and Oakland
Green Wheels Delivery: Get pre-roll with each order. For $150 minimum, (per order) get pre-roll plus half gram of Shatter.
Berkeley
Cannabis Buyers Club Berkeley: $55 half-ounce flower deals, 10 percent off of all of the following: $35 BHO grams, $25 hash grams, Bloom cartridges, O.penVAPE cartridges, Absolute Xtracts cartridges, Medicone 4-pack pre-rolls, All Triple J pre-rolls, Marley 3 pack pre-rolls, THC Punkin Pie, Unforgettable Edible CBD Mint patties, Sacred Medicinals Easy Rider Cider, all Whoopi and Maya products and other sale items.
Berkeley Patients Group: Free premium cone with $100 purchase.
San Jose
Airfield Supply Company: 10 percent off all edibles and concentrates. 20 percent off select eighths.
San Francisco
Medithrive: First 100 patients with $20 donation get top-shelf Girl Scout Cookie eighth regularly $54 for $15. Buy two top-shelf eighths for $54 or less, get one free. Buy two concentrates (not including cartridges, get one free).
