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Will Anderson considers himself more of a tour guide than a sales guy. And Casey Paulsen is a budtender, a riff off the bud part of the plant that most cannabis products are made of
The two work at The Shore Cannabiz Shop at 399 Tranquille Rd. in Kamloops, where unconventional job titles are encouraged and supported. After all, this is recreational cannabis retail, which while now legal, is still based in fun, irreverence and sub-culture.
“Definitely, I don’t consider myself a salesman,” says Will with a laugh. “I’m more of a tour guide, the guy who chats with you to find out what experience you’re after in order to suggest the options for you to make a decision.”
In fact, if customers are happy, Will’s happy. Will’s official title is assistant manager. “I like nothing better than someone coming in and saying: You nailed it with that last recommendation, man,” says Will.
Such an approach is required because The Shore Cannabiz has a clientele that ranges from nervous and shy first-timers, white-collar connoisseurs and housewives to skaters, blue collar recreationalists, hardcore partiers and seniors after some therapeutic CBD. By the way, cannabidiol (CBD) is the active ingredient in marijuana with nonhigh, calming and healing properties, while THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) is the psychoactive compound that produces the high sensation.
The gig as budtender is the “best job ever,” according to Casey. “For 10 years before this I worked as a registered veterinary technologist and was feeling burnt out,” she says. “This job at The Shore is so good for me because I’m still working in a care industry, but with people who I’m helping navigate what they are looking for, be it flower, pre-rolls, vaporizers, concentrates or edibles.”
Casey is also The Shore’s resident chalk artist responsible for an ever-changing rotation of blackboards featuring images that incorporate cannabis products. For instance, the celestial scene promotes the Moonbeam strain, the chimpanzee smoking a doobie highlights the Monkey Glue strain and the astronaut carries a cup full of Deep Space cannabis-infused beverage.
The Shore is Kamloops’ first private cannabis store and is family owned and operated by Chris and Nadine Lyth and their daughter Danielle. “We truly are a Mom and Pop shop where we focus on training and education for our staff so they become well known in the city for their knowledge and customer service,” says Chris. “The staff has really built the popularity of the store. They listen to customers and match them to the right product at the right time.”