One concern we heard from some of the stores we tried to onboard to Scope Club is that they are worried about finding mould in their products or, even worse, giving the customers the tools to detect mould in the products they purchase from their store.
In this article, I want to share my personal experience with identifying mouldy products back in the day when I led the education and product control at City Cannabis in Vancouver. Therefore, I'd like to demonstrate the benefits of implementing proper quality control, which can lead to increased revenue, enhanced reputation, and stronger relationships with customers and suppliers.
Finding mould in cannabis products
Back in the day, I evaluated at least six cannabis products a week, and believe it or not, at least one of the six products I checked was faulty and could be returned.
I clearly remember it when I identified my first mouldy product using a digital microscope. The moment I found the mould, I immediately started to feel a bit tense as I was thinking about the customers who had already purchased this product without knowing that it was mouldy. Further, I became concerned about contacting the Licensed Producer who produced the product because I expected to have a challenging conversation with them. That said, I definitely understand the initial worries of some retail managers and owners about identifying mouldy products and bringing this up with their customers and suppliers.
However, it turns out that my worries weren’t grounded in reality because after contacting the LP and providing them with the exact lot number and pictures of the mould under the microscope, the LP took immediate action by coming to the store and buying all the cases we had back from us. They even thanked me for pointing out these issues, as this potentially saved their reputation by initiating a recall to ensure consumers across BC don’t consume contaminated products.
It’s essential for a cannabis retailer and an LP to understand that contaminated products create two significant problems for your business:
- They can be harmful to the consumers’ health by releasing toxic compounds like mycotoxins, for example, that can cause lung cancer and lung emphysema.
- They can ruin the reputation of your cannabis brand or retail store, as the consumers can get quite upset about spending their money on faulty products, which lowers their loyalty and trust in your products and your store’s expertise.
💡 Did you know?
The Bud Grading System in our Grading Platform not only helps you assess undesirables like mould in your buds, but also allows you to upload pictures of the mould and enter the LP’s email. When you do this, our Grading Platform will automatically notify the producer to inform them of the issue and help you get a refund.
To learn more about identifying mould in your cannabis products, check out our Cannabis Microscopy course, use our Grading Platform, and read our blog post, “How to Spot Mould in Your Weed.”
Prevent bad customer experiences & make money
As I mentioned, from my experience, about 1/6 of the products your store purchases are mouldy.
So, if your store has, let’s say, 30 different flower products in stock, you could likely return up to 5 entire cases/batches to free up your inventory. If you keep a low margin on those returns, you can even make some profit from them.
Therefore, if you identify a mouldy product, you won’t only prevent bad customer experiences, save the reputation of your business and free up storage space in your inventory, but you will also do a service to the LP by saving their reputation.
Additionally, checking the products for the LPs allows you to even monetize this service through product returns and/or creating brand deals to assist the producers with their QA by providing them with relevant product feedback through the Sensemillier Grading Platform.
Make your store stand out from the rest
I want to finish this article with some crucial questions.
What kind of cannabis store do you want to be?
And how do you want to be perceived by your customers and the industry?
Do you want to be a thought-leading, innovative store with excellent customer service that helps to support this industry and its consumers?
Or do you want to be just another mediocre store that’s only in it for the money but lacks the proper customer service, brand reputation and innovative ways to accomplish your revenue goals?
By joining our Scope Club Program, you can take the first step towards becoming a thought-leading cannabis store. Integrating our digital microscopes, education, and Cannabis Grading Platform into your operations will increase every facet of your business, from customer service to product sourcing and staff satisfaction.
The best of all?
As a Scope Club member, you’ll get ongoing guidance, discounts and support from us to ensure that you have all the necessary tools and information you need to take your store to the next level and turn mould into money.