“Business is great!” said Michael Holly, who has been the GM of The Evergreen Market for 7 months. In fact, they have just opened their 3rd store in the Renton, Washington. What makes The Evergreen Market formula so successful is their attention to the customer service experience, a beautiful design, and passionate, knowledgeable budtenders who are trained in education.
“We’ve cultivated a spirit of family, team work, and excellent service at The Evergreen Market and it shows in our customer loyalty,” said Holly.
Advertisement
The Job “I currently manage close to 75 employees over 3 separate companies. My typical day starts every morning in my office where I check my email, the store managers’ reports, staff updates, support needs, etc. I’ll usually meet with our HR Director and discuss any staff or situational issues. As the GM for 3 stores I have a birds-eye view of our entire operation and my primary job is to insure our operations and staff are working in alignment with our core values: “Integrity, Passion, Community, and Respect.”
Management Philosophy “Service before self is the core of my management philosophy. I believe in Total Quality Management, a philosophy that encourages closer relationships between staff, customers, and suppliers. Our company will continually change to meet the needs of our market and the cannabis culture at large. We view our customer interactions as high value retail experiences, rather than just transactions.”
First/Last Thing You Do At Work “The first thing I do is greet staff, check in with everyone, and make sure everybody is ok. The last thing I do is respond to my store manager’s and inventory control staff’s ‘end of day’ emails. I’ll take a walk around the store, wish the PM staff a good evening, and head home. Between 3 stores we typically average 2500 customers per day.”
“Showing up with passion and a positive attitude is 80% of success. Energy follows intention, so having a positive mental outlook while pursing one’s goals will always create win-win situations.”
Retail Trends “The biggest trend I’m seeing is that customers are becoming more educated about all things cannabis. They are coming to know the subtleties in quality and identifying their favorite producer/processors. Customers are also becoming more discerning about the level of customer service/experience they expect when shopping for recreational cannabis. And as customers become more educated about the benefits of cannabis we are finding a growing number of customers looking for the more therapeutic benefits of CBD products.”
Challenges “To provide the same high-level experience and service to a growing customer base. I have to stay flexible in my approach, allowing the feedback of our customers and staff to help us continually provide the product and experience they’ve grown to love and expect. Our customers really embrace an unrushed, personable, fun and informative experience with our budtenders.”
Advice “Showing up with passion and a positive attitude is 80% of success. Energy follows intention, so having a positive mental outlook while pursing one’s goals will always create win-win situations.”
Stocking Shelves “Our company has an awesome buyer who has the privilege of selecting the products for our owners to approve for the sales floor. I do, however, get to try samples from time to time and what I look for most is bud density, smell, and, of course, a great high!”
The First Time You Tried Cannabis… “I was about 16 years old and it was love at first toke. My friends had about a year or more head start as far as cannabis experience, but I quickly became the aficionado among my crew, designated joint roller and director of the most fun get high activities.”
