Here in the US, whether we choose to brave the crowds (or not), we’re all familiar with Black Friday.
In the last few decades, the day after Thanksgiving turned into one of the busiest shopping days of the year; this past weekend, Americans were expected to spend a whopping total of at least $87 billion dollars, including all of the online sales made the following Monday, now nicknamed Cyber Monday.
This year, though, the day before Thanksgiving was officially dubbed “Green Wednesday,” with record-high cannabis sales making it the second busiest day of the year for marijuana dispensaries, only to be surpassed by the beloved unofficial stoner holiday, 4/20.
It’s no surprise, then, that on a day filled with candied yams, pumpkin pie, and a meal shared with your entire extended family, many are finding themselves especially grateful for cannabis.
In fact, “Green Wednesday” sales in 2018 were 63% higher than the average Wednesday, that is, according to data released by Seattle-based firm, Headset. Jane Technologies, a firm based out of Santa Cruz, California, confirmed the same trend, with an increase of 62% in sales compared to the average day.
Howard Hong, Chief Financial Officer for Jane Technologies, told Marijuana Business Daily, “[Thanksgiving] is a holiday that includes family, social food, celebration, etc. Our highest [sales] holidays – Thanksgiving, New Year’s Eve, Christmas, July 4th – they are all very social.” There are likely multiple reasons behind the spike in cannabis sales seen last Wednesday. Harborside is a recreational marijuana dispensary operating out of Oakland, California.
General Manager, Pedro Fonseca recently said, “We get a combination of things. We get people who are just in town visiting family and they need to be able to get some things so that they can deal with their family. And we get people who are stocking up because they know we’re closed the next day.” According to Paul Hartje, Director of Customer Experience for the Colorado recreational cannabis dispensary, Seed & Smith, the jump in sales is owing to a combination of bad weather, stress from the holidays, and the fact that most dispensaries will be closed for the holiday.
“In Denver, a lot of the dispensaries are closed on Thanksgiving. So[,] on that Wednesday before, a lot of people were stocking up. A lot of people are coming in town to see family members, so they’re not usually in our state and able to partake. With bad weather, people don’t want to get out, so they typically want to buy a lot of things on Wednesday, stock up, and that way they can stay home and be safe during the holiday. We see a huge uptick in things that don’t smell, the more concealable things. The vapes are one thing, edibles are another,” said Hartje.
Not to be outdone, however, cannabis sales on 4/20 still top the charts overall, with 89% higher sales on 4/20 this year, as compared to Black Friday sales last year, that is, according to recent analysis by Jane Technologies.