What Makes Hashtag a Special Place to Work?
by Christine Bryant Cohen, marketing and creative director
Recently, we asked our staff, what makes Hashtag a special place to work? Here are their answers.
“The staff, the company culture, and the store environment.”
“We focus on education, and we try our best to get people the correct products they need. In my last experience with a dispensary, they focused on selling, and that prevented me from educating people which I love.”
“I could talk about this for hours! We are one of the only women owned dispensaries in Seattle. Our owner and leadership teams strive to make this company an accepting place for everyone to work at. It is not a competition, and we do not use sales numbers to compare employees to each other. This is very important because when a dispensary uses sales numbers to define or measure a budtender's worth, a lot of toxic behaviors can come out of that process. When budtending becomes a competition, it loses the fun, authenticity, and trust that is so important when purchasing cannabis. You want to be sure that your budtender is selling you the best possible product and not just something that is the most expensive to increase their numbers. Hashtag also spends a lot of time educating our team so that we are knowledgeable about all the different products that we carry. This is an important step that is often missed, and, when it is, this creates distrust in the consumer. There are so many factors that play into what sets us apart from other shops, but those stand out to me as the most impactful.”
“Product selection, budtender knowledge, cannabis education, just to name a few! Hashtag has such a great reputation in the cannabis industry because we consistently demand and deliver the best for our customers and our staff.”
“Hashtag really values people over things and is creating a safe space in an industry that can walk an elitist line.”
“The staff and atmosphere is welcoming, we prioritize treating all guests respectfully, and management is not so focused on numbers that the company loses focus on people.”
“Hashtag means the world to me. It has offered me so much growth, security, and inspiration. Hashtag has allowed me a lot of professional opportunities I thought I would never be afforded. I truly value the investment they have made into me. I am so grateful to be a part of this team.”
“Working at Hashtag means so much to me. This is the first job that I have ever been truly accepted and protected. I have worked so many jobs where I was subjected to mistreatment and harassment just because I am part of the LGBT community. Hashtag has a zero tolerance policy for any kind of harassment. My bosses & coworkers have never treated me differently simply for who I am. I love the cannabis industry, but after having a bad experience at the last dispensary where I worked, I felt as though maybe someone like me didn't have a chance at being successful in this industry, and I felt like there wasn't space for me in this industry. Hashtag changed all of that. Hashtag showed me that there is space for me to thrive and be successful doing something I love, and that who I love shouldn't ever get in the way of that. This is a gift, and I am so grateful I get to work somewhere that I love and be safe doing so.”
