Have you ever stopped and wondered why you shop at one store over another? From top-notch customer service to robust product selection, there are many factors that influence dispensary loyalty.
The team at HighDef Studio surveyed repeat dispensary customers across seven states about why they keep coming back to the same shop. What they said might surprise you.
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Nearly all said they return because they feel remembered or recognized. Seventy-five percent said it’s because they don’t feel judged or rushed. Seventy percent credited one specific staff member.
Almost no one mentioned loyalty programs or discount texts as the main reason they return.
Shops can build the slickest apps and the smartest automation in the world. But if the person behind the counter treats you like order number 47, none of that tech matters.
What Regulars Actually Said
The survey pulled data from multiple cities across California, Arizona, Illinois, Michigan, Oregon, Maine, and Colorado—thirteen repeat customers recruited through social media and industry networks in both adult-use and medical markets. While not scientific, the themes were remarkably consistent.
Most of these patrons have shopped at the same dispensary for over two years. More than half go weekly or multiple times a month.
When asked what keeps them loyal, three things showed up repeatedly: Nearly all mentioned feeling remembered or recognized, 75 percent talked about not being judged or rushed, and 70 percent said there’s one person at the store who’s the main reason they come back.
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A Michigan customer wrote: “I love when budtenders ask me questions about my day, preferences, etc., and don’t just give me the Gen Z stare. The difference between Michigan dispensaries and Illinois dispensaries is glaring. IL is all about the transaction. MI feels more genuine and service-oriented.”
From Long Beach, Calif.: “I’m obsessed with quality and functionality, having worked in the industry for years. It changed my view of the dispensary experience when someone cared to meet me where I’m at and share knowledge, opposed to just clearly trying to upsell me on their location’s promos.”
If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re actually a regular somewhere or just a repeat customer, the answer is in how you feel when you walk in. Do they know you? Or do they know your money?
What Makes Them Regulars
Most people can pinpoint when it happened. When a dispensary stopped being just a place to buy weed and became their place.
One Illinois customer spent $700 on a single trip. The budtender walked through every brand in the basket, explaining grow processes and what made each one different.
“He knew about their brand, grow processes, and was able to explain much more,” the shopper explained.
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A Northern California customer mentioned nobody carried her favorite dab brand. The dispensary stocked it—and made sure she couldn’t find a better deal anywhere else.
“They do price matching, so I literally can’t find a better deal in town,” she said.
In Maine, someone got greeted by their first name and received actual product recommendations instead of getting pushed toward whatever needed to move.
These moments don’t cost much. At their core, they’re just attention.
When a budtender remembers what you said last time, or stocks something because you asked, or greets you like they’re actually glad you’re there—pay attention to that. It’s easy to fall into the habit of ordering online once you know what you like. But the places that make shopping feel like more than a transaction deserve your loyalty over the ones treating you like a pickup number.
What Makes People Leave
Price barely came up when people talked about deal-breakers.
Long wait times showed up in multiple responses. So did inconsistent product availability and staff turnover. A Phoenix customer is watching their regular spot decline: “Sometimes the online orders aren’t ready when I arrive; they seem to be hiring less staff, which means the people working are usually stressed and trying to keep up.”
A Chicago medical patient said they would leave their current spot, “if the city allowed for more medical licenses, I would love to support a smaller company versus a large monopoly.”
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One person mentioned loyalty points as something they’d miss if they left. Everyone else focused on the shopping experience going downhill. The following all ranked higher than price when asked about deal breakers: Their favorite budtender left the company, product quality dropped, and the vibe went from welcoming to transactional.
One answer to “what would make you leave” was just two words: “Rudeness. Bad products.”
Pay attention when your regular spot starts to slip. If the staff who made you feel welcome are gone and nobody’s replaced that energy, it might be time to shop around. Long-time loyalty to a place doesn’t mean much if the experience that earned it is no longer there.
The Marketing Nobody Wants
When asked about emails and texts from their dispensary, very few people had anything positive to say.
“Never. I go on my own accord. I don’t subscribe to texts/emails.”
“(I receive them) 1x a week, they are annoying.”
“Daily. I ignore them.”
Only two people actually check their dispensary’s marketing. One scans for deals before shopping. Another enjoys getting a physical mailer with coupons.
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But dispensaries continue to invest in SMS campaigns, app adoption, and email drip sequences. The logic is that more touchpoints equals more engagement. Customers are saying the opposite. It’s not that SMS or email can’t work—it’s that most campaigns are designed to push promos, not deepen relationships.
A Colorado customer explained why they keep coming back even though they find the messaging annoying: “They know me, know the products I like, talk about things I enjoy like football.”
If your phone is full of texts from a dispensary but nobody there knows your name, that tells you something. They’re not building a relationship with you. They’re trying to trigger a transaction. The places worth going back to don’t need to blast you with promos every week to get you in the door.
What to Look For
When you’re deciding whether a dispensary is worth your repeat business, staff consistency matters. Do you see the same faces, or is turnover constant? Do budtenders ask what you’re looking for, or just point at the daily special? Do they give you their actual take on a product, or read the THC percentage off the package?
Someone in the survey wrote this about what would make them leave: “I can buy from people I know and like to see because I need to interact with them.”
Most dispensaries sell the same products. Pricing is competitive across the market. What differentiates one shop from another is whether walking in feels like a transaction or like going somewhere you’re known.
Cannabis retail is still new enough that customers can help shape what the experience becomes. The shops that treat people like people will keep their regulars. The ones that don’t will keep wondering why their loyalty programs aren’t working.
*This article was submitted by an unpaid guest contributor. The opinions or statements within do not necessarily reflect those of GreenState or HNP. The author is solely responsible for the content.