BREAKING THE STIGMA

A debut guide offers counsel to cannabis retailers.

“The stigma of cannabis is one of the biggest barriers we face as retailers,” writes Berry, a former Fortune 500 executive who now operates a cannabis business consultancy. This informative book begins with the author’s sobering admission that she got interested in medical marijuana when she witnessed opioid addiction in her own family. In the opening chapter, Berry broadly defines the stigma of cannabis by enumerating four “big lies” (“Black Men are Dangerous”; “Cannabis is Dangerous”; “Opioids are Safe”; and “Addiction is the Addict’s Fault”), which, she explains, are interconnected. These lies are contrasted with “Big Truths” about marijuana, including its medical, economic, and societal benefits, detailed very effectively by the author in the next chapter. Having addressed the negative perceptions and positive impacts of cannabis, Berry turns her attention to the retail side in the book’s remaining chapters. She covers customer relationships, leadership, branding, service, merchandising, omnichannel, marketing, and store operations; in short, it’s a comprehensive menu of what any retailer needs to know, with a specific focus on selling marijuana. The author applies her considerable experience working with leading traditional retailers to an area that has special challenges. Justifiably, Berry emphasizes the consumer experience as the key aspect of retailing: “A delightful customer experience generates the most important competitive advantage you can have in this industry: customer loyalty.” Her rundown of typical customers—well beyond the “stoner” stereotype—should be extremely valuable to every cannabis retailer. One of the author’s useful and creative ideas, for example, is to give customers a “cannabis usage journal” that “provides a structured format for users to record their experiences with different cannabis strains and products.” Other material is commonly found in basic retailing books; clearly, Berry’s intent is to touch on all of these areas without getting too deeply in the weeds. Still, there is just enough clearly written content in each chapter, augmented by numerous instructional sidebars and a few well-placed stories, to provide a solid platform for retail operations. For those interested in starting or improving a cannabis retail business, this work fits the bill.

Authoritative and highly actionable advice on selling marijuana.