Bud, Sweat, and Tears: The Cost of Sampling Products
Sampling cannabis products isn’t just about generosity—it’s a high-wire act in a game where the stakes are often higher than the customers you’re trying to win over. You’d think giving out a taste of your product would be the easy part, but in this industry, it’s a beast of burden.
The Cold, Hard Math
Example: Let’s say you’re driving from Albuquerque to Santa Fe, dropping off samples at a dispensary. It’s a 128 miles round trip. Your car gets 13 miles per gallon, and you’re paying $4 per gallon because you’re fancy and use premium gas. You’re looking at $39.38 in gas alone. Then there’s the cost of the samples—let’s say you’re handing out 10 samples at $5 a pop in COGs.
Total cost for the trip? $89.38 before you even say hello.
High Cost of Samples
Welcome to the paradox: You want to entice people, but it means giving away your stuff—your "good stuff"—and that hurts. But give them the aged inventory, and you may never get a second chance. The irony is almost poetic. Every gram you hand over feels like a hit to your wallet, a sacrifice from all your hard work. The truth is, you’re not just handing out samples—you’re handing out little pieces of your soul. And in this game, nothing is free.
You, the small producer, are out here hustling, trying to make a name. But every time you hand over a sample, you're handing over potential revenue. It’s a slow bleed, and if you're in a market like New Mexico, where margins are already razor-thin, offering up premium product for free starts to feel like an act of madness.
Time and Effort Involved
You’d think samples would be easy, right? Wrong. You’re dealing with all the same testing, packaging, and compliance checks as regular products. Each sample needs to be tracked and tested as if it were going to sit on a retail shelf. And for what? The hope—just the hope—that someone, someday, might come back and buy. For smaller producers, this isn’t just a pain—it’s a time sink. You could be spending your day cultivating your next batch, but no, you're stuck chasing paperwork.
The “Penny Purchase”
In New Mexico, you can’t just toss a sample over the counter like it’s a pack of gum. There’s paperwork, compliance, and a maddening “penny purchase” requirement that keeps you in check. Every sample you give out has to be tracked, traced, and accounted for, all to maintain the sacred “chain of custody.” in the event you’re staring down the barrel of a recall.
Every sample is tracked like it’s evidence in a court case. The penny purchase isn’t a joke—it’s a lifeline, a paper trail that keeps the CCD off your back.
Low Conversion Rates
Let’s not kid ourselves—people love free stuff. But free doesn’t always lead to feedback. In fact, most of the time, those free samples end up as “just another thing to try”. You’d think you’d get something back, right? Some kind of insight or feedback? Nope. Once that sample leaves your hands, it’s like tossing it into a black hole. You’re left guessing whether it even mattered, and that’s the most frustrating part.
Solutions: How to Make This Work
If you’re going to bleed, make sure it’s worth it. Here are a few tips to turn that pain into a win:
Sample Smart: Don’t give everyone a full eighth. Give employees a 1g pre-pack to test, but for the boss—the purchasing manager—drop off the premium full eighth. The purchasing manager cares about compliance and branding. The budtender? They NEED to know how it smells and smokes.
Don’t Leave Empty-Handed: You’re not just there to hand out product and walk away. Get something in return. Get the license number, Biotrack UBI, and contact info. Throw in a QR code on the sample for reviews. If they leave a review, maybe they get a discount on the next order. Now, you’re getting data and building a relationship.
Check Your Work: Always check the QR codes, packaging dates, and information on the samples. Don’t slack on this—part of the experience for purchasing managers is knowing you’ve got your act together. If the code doesn’t scan, or the info is wrong, you’re cooked.
Know Your Worth: If you can’t afford to give out samples, don’t feel like you have to. No one will respect a producer that’s clearly stretched too thin. Sometimes, a well-crafted story about you and your product is worth more than a freebie. Budtenders love education, and nothing sells better than a good story.
In the end, doesn’t have to be an impossible hill to climb. Be smart, be strategic, and most of all—know your worth. Honesty will always be your best policy.
