Ravon Williams

I hate being a victim of marketing. There’s nothing worse than thinking you landed a great deal, only to realize you got finessed. One of my first and most important lessons in this industry taught me that you get what you pay for. Back when eighths were still $40+ (Summer 2020), I saw Blue Dream eighths for $25 and immediately picked up an ounce. I left the dispensary feeling like a king. That feeling didn’t last long. 

When I got home to roll a blunt, disappointment hit. The flower was dry, flavorless, and didn’t provide a good high. I was pissed. Turns out, I wasn’t getting a deal, I was just helping the dispensary clear out trash that they couldn’t sell. That was my first and last time being finessed. 

4/20 Deals

Every year when 4/20 rolls around, we see the same pattern: flashy discounts on products that wouldn’t move otherwise. That’s not to say there aren’t good deals, but if you’re not tapped into usual pricing, it’s hard to tell whether you’re saving money or falling victim to good marketing. (It happens to the best of us.) Most 4/20 deals aren’t about offering the best prices, they’re about dispensaries maximizing the biggest shopping day of the year. 

Perception. It all comes down to perception. Everyone loves a deal. Getting something for cheaper than usual unlocks a psychological thrill in all of us. A $40 eighth marked down to $25 sounds like a steal—until you get home, open the jar, and realize the eighth expires in May and is dry as a bone. You try breaking it up to smoke, and it turns to dust on your rolling tray. Unfathomable. Now you’re left wondering what you could’ve done differently—and maybe even feeling a little betrayed by the dispensary for playing with your money like that.

Industry Strategy

Dispensaries aren’t throwing out discounts just to be nice, it’s all strategy. Knowing that people are already planning to shop, dispensaries lean into the hype with aggressive marketing and “exclusive” 4/20 specials. 

The goal is simple: get customers to spend more than usual. That’s why you’ll see BOGO deals on mid-tier products, bundles packed with slow-moving inventory, and heavy discounts on expiring flower. Again, it’s not that there aren’t good deals, because there absolutely are, but most of the loudest ones are designed to benefit the business more than the buyer. 

The Real Cost of Low Prices

And that’s the bigger issue–what happens when prices keep dropping? Once the market sets a new low, it’s practically impossible to bounce back. We saw it with $20 eighths becoming the norm, and now businesses are struggling to survive because margins are razor thin. 

Circling back to my lesson, cheap weed isn’t always a win. If prices keep racing to the bottom (I hate that phrase), operators can’t keep up, and quality suffers. The more dispensaries rely on heavy 4/20-esque discounts to stay afloat, the harder it becomes for good weed to actually hold its value.

Don’t Be a Victim!

The goal of this piece isn’t to trash 4/20 deals, it’s to bring awareness to all the BS that’ll be marketed to you. Don’t let bright colored graphics trick you into spending more just because it feels like a steal. Start paying attention to usual prices now, so you know if what’s offered on 4/20 is actually worth it. 

Some of the best deals aren’t even on 4/20. So before you buy that $60 ounce, take a second to think: Am I really getting a deal, or am I just buying some crap they wanted to get out of the store?