Ask a Stoner: Tipping Budtenders

Dear Stoner: What is proper tipping for budtenders? Tip jars are everywhere now, and I generally know what I want without help, so why tip a budtender for handing me pre-packaged weed? If I ask questions, then I’ll leave a tip. Some budtenders act like they expect one just for ringing me up.
Social Filter

Dear Social Filter: Tipping is something we’ve written about and discussed at length in our newsroom, because we’re just as cheap as you are — not that this is a cheap stance. Tip jars are becoming standard in industries that pay above minimum wage (making minimum wage or less than is another discussion), and those peer-pressuring tablets with suggested tips are all too common. To be fair, most dispensaries have been tip-friendly since the medical-only era a decade ago. But employees in those stores generally offered better product advice and displayed more knowledge than most budtenders do today.

Maybe it’s the name “budtender” that makes tips seem mandatory, or that society has simply accepted tipping as a standard reward for minimal work, like tipping bartenders for sliding over an open bottle of beer. Either way, your stance is defensible, so don’t worry about entitled millennial weed dealers. Most budtenders I come across are very appreciative for any tip, and don’t seem to care if I don’t leave one.

Just like anything else, if they go above and beyond, then show them your appreciation. But never forget: The custoner is always right.

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