r/sandiego

I debated posting this but people deserve to know the truth. I worked at Buzz Cannabis in San Diego and I genuinely don’t think people would support it if they knew what goes on behind the scenes. I cared about the job, the customers, and the product but the way employees are treated and the way customers are misled is something I can’t stay quiet about.

First, the pricing system. The “30% off all day every day” marketing sounds like a deal, but from what I experienced, the original prices are often set higher than what the product was actually intended to sell for. Then the discount is applied to make it look like you’re constantly getting a deal. When in reality, it’s more like a built in price structure wrapped in a discount label. It creates the feeling of savings without necessarily changing what you’re actually paying. The customer believes they are getting a deal but in reality they are being deceived.

Security? It’s a joke. Guards are paid under the table in cash, some of them carrying fake weapons, and they’re explicitly told not to intervene if someone is stealing. So you have this illusion of safety, but in reality, it’s just for show. As an employee, it didn’t feel safe. It felt like liability waiting to happen.

Then there’s the product. Expired products is knowingly kept and sold on the floor. Customers are given expired items in promotional “goodie bags” without realizing it. Employees? We were often given expired products as “goodie bags” basically whatever they couldn’t sell or throw away anymore. Employee samples, which are supposed to be for learning products, would often end up being sold. So not only are employees being shorted, but customers are being sold a sample that the company didn’t even pay for. Drink products often disposed of in the employee bathroom or break room sink.

Once for almost THREE WEEKS, we didn’t have proper bathroom access. Employees were expected to just deal with it. No real solution, no urgency. Just figure it out while still working full shifts. I was told on multiple occasions to work through my lunch breaks and I witnessed others have to do the same.

And that’s just scratching the surface. The culture is built on favoritism. Promotions go to friends, not the people who actually put in the work. Schedules get changed last minute. People get pushed out for speaking up. There’s no real structure. Just people close to ownership so there’s no accountability.

I’ve been in this industry for a bit now. I know a lot of dispensaries have issues but this wasn’t just disorganization. The owners sell you this lie of “we are all family here, we will protect the employees especially those who have been here the longest, treat the customer like family make them feel special” and we believed it.

If you’re a customer please I advise you don’t support this dishonest company that cuts corners on safety, sells expired product, and treats people as disposable. Do you really want to keep giving your money to people who are already making more than enough, yet still don’t value the very customers and employees who make their lifestyle possible?

If you’re planing on working there just know that what you see on the surface is not what you’re walking into. I advice you to look at the turnover rate and remember that there is a reason this company is always hiring.

like seriously. please go get some lessons up in Seattle.