The Scunk Way: Changing the Game in Cannabis Retail

Building Relationships, Not Just Sales, in the Cannabis Industry

By Mr. Scunk — cannabis educator, content creator, and founder of Scunk Gaming, where weed culture meets entertainment

The cannabis industry doesn’t need more sales training. It needs more people training.
Too many shops are chasing upsells when they should be building trust.
If a customer leaves better off than when they came in, that’s a win.
That’s the Scunk Way.

💬 Budtender Training Mindset: From Selling to Serving

For too long, dispensaries have measured success by the size of the ticket instead of the strength of the connection. Everyone’s teaching budtenders how to sell more — but few are teaching them how to mean more.

I’ve watched this industry evolve. The products got better, the packaging got prettier, the sales goals got louder. Somewhere along the way, a lot of folks forgot why people walk into a dispensary in the first place.

They’re not here just to buy weed.
They’re here to be understood, educated, and guided.

That’s where The Scunk Way comes in.

🌱 Budtender Training Tip #1: Educate First

Education is the backbone of trust.

Every person who walks in the door has a different reason for being there — pain, sleep, stress, curiosity, or just wanting to understand what makes a good high. You can’t serve them right until you know why they’re here.

The best budtenders don’t start with product recommendations — they start with questions.

“What’s your experience level?”
“What kind of effects do you like?”
“What do you not like?”

Knowledge empowers customers. It gives them confidence. And when people feel confident, they come back.

That’s the difference between someone who sells eighths and someone who builds loyalty.

🌾 Budtender Training Tip #2: Match Products to People

Premium doesn’t always mean perfect.

Too often, budtenders push the highest-ticket option because it’s what they were told to do. But if you hand someone something they’re not ready for — too strong, too pricey, or just not what they enjoy — you’ve created a one-time sale, not a repeat customer.

Match the product to the person, not the margin.

If a $5 preroll fits their tolerance, experience, or budget, that’s the right move. Because the real win isn’t the sale today — it’s that same customer coming back next week asking for you by name.

A good budtender knows the menu.
A great one knows the people the menu serves.

🌿 Budtender Training Tip #3: Add Value, Not Pressure

No one likes being sold to. Everyone likes being helped.

When you teach a customer something they didn’t know — about cannabinoids, terpenes, or how to use their product for the best effect — you’ve added value. You’ve made their day better without needing to “close the deal.”

Pressure breaks trust. Value builds it.

The job isn’t to sell weed; it’s to translate it. Cannabis can be complex, but it doesn’t have to be confusing. When a budtender takes that complexity and makes it make sense, the customer walks out thinking, “Damn, they really know their stuff.”

That moment of trust? That’s where loyalty starts.

🌻 Budtender Training Tip #4: Think Long-Term

The Scunk Way isn’t about today’s numbers — it’s about tomorrow’s relationships.

Every person you educate is a future regular. Every honest recommendation you make plants a seed of trust that keeps growing. Treat the interaction like a one-and-done sale, and you cut that growth off before it starts.

The strongest cannabis brands — the ones that survive market dips and price wars — are the ones that invest in connection.

When a customer trusts you, they stop shopping around. They stop comparing prices. They come back because you’ve become their person.

That kind of loyalty doesn’t come from upselling — it comes from caring.

🔥 The Real Flex

Anyone can sell weed. Not everyone can build relationships.

The Scunk Way is about playing the long game — turning a single sale into a lifelong supporter by putting people first. When you do that, the money follows anyway.

Because here’s the truth:

Education creates confidence.
Confidence builds loyalty.
Loyalty keeps the doors open.

That’s The Scunk Way.