Most dispensary employees leave their jobs within a year, costing owners valuable time and resources.
That’s the word from Headset Insights, a data intelligence firm. Headset used data gathered from participating Canadian and US dispensaries’ point-of-sale systems over 12 months and found alarming stats for the industry.
Here are three big takeaways:
1) Get Used to New Faces
Headset found that 55% of dispensary hires (“budtenders”) left within a year. Canadian stores had a slightly higher rate of turnover. Nevertheless, US dispensaries’ turnover rate is well above the national average. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a national average of 47% across all industries in 2021.
What’s more shocking is that almost a quarter of new hires lasted only a month.
2) Three States Stand Out
Unsurprisingly, Headset’s analysis found dramatic variations when broken down by state or province. Illinois performed best regarding turnover: Its dispensaries kept most employees (55%) for over a year.
Headset Insights’ found that most “budtenders” leave their workplace within 12 months. This constant crunch hinders smooth operations and security.
Interestingly, Colorado and Oregon—two states at the forefront of cannabis legalization—performed worst. Both saw about 60% of their employees depart within Headset’s 12-month analysis.
3) Use Technology to Adapt
Technology can fill the void of a high-turnover workforce. Modern electronic access control (EAC) systems alleviate much of the burden of frequent employee departures.
Modern electronic locking systems like Senseon Plus let managers add/remove users quickly while keeping tabs on employee access to locked cabinets. Not only do these systems protect merchandise, but they also make authorized access simple and efficient without lengthy training.
Managers can add, delete, or modify employee keycard access in seconds without changing or altering locks. New employees can receive keycards programmed with limited access, reducing the risk of internal shrinkage from a constant stream of new workers.
Modern EAC systems like Senseon Plus allow managers to track employee access remotely to ensure accountability. Senseon Plus protects multiple locations and supports up to 1,000 users per system. This flexible design leaves room for a pre-existing system to widen protection as the dispensary grows.
Headset’s research shows that dispensaries face a severe hurdle. Fortunately, it’s a hurdle that technology can help businesses overcome. It’s only a matter of choosing the right solution.
Are you the owner or manager of a dispensary? Visit our Dispensary Page and consider Senseon cabinet and display case locking systems for your store!
