When I was young, and lived in a very small town, the ice cream shop was the best place to hang out.
It was a locally owned place, an off-brand Dairy Queen, where you could get all manner of sweet treats.
There were no tables or booths in this shop, just counters and stools. Everyone liked to hang around, eating sweets and talking, so it was the main spot for all kids and teenagers. Forty years later, I find myself thinking about the old ice cream shop quite a bit, because I think it can teach me something about my own business. I run the local cannabis dispensary, but I feel that it would benefit by giving it the same vibe as the old ice cream shop. The old managers wanted a high turnover rate, so he discouraged people from hanging around the cannabis dispensary, but I am taking the opposite approach. My belief is that if people are comfortable and having fun they will stay longer, and eventually they will spend more money on cannabis products. We can’t have a smokers lounge, because it’s illegal to smoke cannabis or tobacco inside a business. What we can offer is a hang-out lounge, where people can use smokeless cannabis products, or just chill out and talk. There is no pressure to buy or use extra cannabis products, my goal is to offer a fun and relaxing spot for people to chill for a while. I will have to wait a few weeks to find out if my new approach generates more sales for the cannabis dispensary.