Illinois is an upcoming yet problematic medical marijuana state. It only has approximately 23,000 patients. It still struggles with a myriad of educational, legal, and changing regulations. However, a shining star in this struggle is Seven Point dispensary in chic downtown Oak Park. The clean, modern, and bespoke pharmacy, replete with a chic see-through cannabis humidor, opened in August of 2016. And sales have been growing ever since.
“We attribute our steady growth to our incredible staff, warm environment and, most importantly, providing education and assistance to our patients,” said Brad Zerman. “We also offer daily specials so people can try new things at lower costs.”
A Day In The Life At Seven Point
“I manage 7 client-care consultants and accounting people. A typical day starts with inventory control; we use the POS software system, Leaf Logix. As the crew clocks in, they stock our humidor-style display case with products for our clients to see. Mondays, we are closed; however, I meet with our head of patient education to review cultivator’s current weekly menu and do our ordering for the week. On Thursdays, we host our patient education and application processing workshops and on some Wednesdays we host learning sessions over lunch, discussing topics from making your own edibles to dabbing, etc.”
“I like to share my goals for the company and customer care philosophy as well as teach the compliance issues to the staff. They were all hired for their unique characteristics and have done a great job. Of course, there is always room for improvement, which is another part of our philosophy. We have weekly meetings where we can share issues, problems, and successes.”
Patients
“We see between 35-50 patients per day. We have approximately 480 total patients.”
Retail Trends
“High THC indica flower is our most popular product. High end, good tasting edibles are on the rise as well as solid concentrates such as wax, shatter, live resin, and hash. We noticed when we first opened no one was buying these concentrates. We assumed that was because they are not typically available on the street and most people don’t have a vaporizer device to utilize. So, we began offering specials on the concentrates, which included a free concentrate vape pen.”
Challenges
“We have one of the largest menus in the state of Illinois—possibly the largest. We are trying to balance having a large menu of items with reducing the products not selling well and changing our ordering style in order to streamline the the inventory process. We are required to manually count each item daily which is quite a long process. The other challenges relate to staying on top of all the state compliance issues and sharing all that information with staff.”
Advice
“It’s important to go for the job that you are best fitted for. In the world of medical cannabis there are a lot of positions besides just helping people select the strain and form of cannabis best suited for them. As with any start-up, cannabis is no different: We need smart, compassionate people to play a variety of roles. Bottom Line: Go straight to the top to try to get hired and give them your 30 second elevator pitch. If you have retail POS or inventory experience let that be known. Be confident but not pushy.”
“We like to evaluate the cannabinoid profiles and terpene levels of all the products being sold. We also evaluate any additives such as in disposable vape pens etc. We look for trends with edibles and like to add new products which fit into groups of products selling well.”
The First Time You Consumed Cannabis…
“I was 15 and went to my friend’s house after school. I recall checking out the flower as my friend was packing a bowl. I remember having a good experience but I don’t recall if I actually got high.”
Seven Point Oak Park Dispensary
1132 Lake Street
Oak Park, Illinois 60301
