I gave zero permission to contact me regarding promotions/sales and sure enough the next day I get a text about your seriously non competitive sales. Additionally if I was to be contacted I asked it would be done by us mail. Pay attention to what your clients write in your new patient forms. Your business is already suffering enough.
There was no one in your waiting room when I got there and every time I drive by the parking lot it never appears busy. The writing is on the wall with this business. Or lack there of. Other shops in the area are practically like a zoo with tons of traffic. There is several good reasons for this. Mainly because they are actively competing with each other for business while sky is out on an island doing its own thing. It’s actually bizarre.
Great selection with superb customer service. Good deals throughout the week and convenient location right off the rail and they will pay for your ticket!
It's with some regret I share my anecdotal experience here at Level Up Scottsdale.
I arrived as FTP along with a good friend of mine.
Everything was copacetic with checkup and the initial signup process. Gentleman st the front was friendly and helpful.
This is where it all goes south for my experience.
My budtender called me up and I walked up with my friend so we could shop together. The budtender was clearly not thrilled about helping two new patients. Body language says it all. With that being said, she provided my friend with subpar customer service and provided very little detailed product info during her shopping experience. My friend needed info on the cartridges and the budtender was blasé about answering her questions. It really upset me as my friend is visually impaired and a complete angel who is spending top dollar not just on product but for quality customer service as well.
When it came my time to shop, I made basic inquiries about the flower strains that the budtender could not answer. Not one question was answered completely or in detail. Fortunately I have considerable knowledge and insight as to what I wanted but her overall lack of knowledge and lackadaisical attitude made my shopping experience that much more arduous.
For example, I asked my budtender which cultivation facility grows which strain. She simply replied with I don't know and made no effort whatsoever to find out. When I went to read the package label to try find more info on the cultivator she actually pulled away the lid and package label and clearly became indignant that I had more insight to her products than she did. At this point I about lost it. She actually became indignant that a patient knew more than her, rather than was humbled and excited to learn. This is both a character issue and lack of training and accountability.
When it came time to check out the chronic thunder, the jar was extremely low and before I could scope out what's left she looked at it herself and pulls it away and tells me there is none left. Turns out there is just under 5 grams of which I purchase all of it after requesting again to see the medicine. Upon completion of my transaction, I asked who the manager was and she made the claim that she didn't know as well. At this point she wasn't even able to answer the most basic of questions like who her direct supervisor is. Based on this anectodal experience I highly recommend avoiding that specific budtender as I have no doubt there may be more helpful, more willing, more humbled individuals. The privilege of being to serve others in the capacity they are doing so is just that...a privilege. There are hundreds of people chomping at the bit to get in the industry. I was not going to write a review but I was inspired by my less than stellar experience and dumbfounded by the entitlement of the individual who served me. Not once did she introduce herself and also made the bold claim that she did not know the store manager's name. That alone was enough to sour my experience, but it was consistently poor throughout the transaction. Acting indignant and pulling things away when clients are trying to read and look at the medicine is a sure fire way to sour the experience and enough for some people to never patronize your establishment again.
Nature’s AZ Medicines is for one a real mouthful. Not sure how effective that name is when it comes time for SEO, but I digress. This establishment has been affectionately dubbed “The Walmart of Weed”. Think about that one for a minute.
Location: Conveniently located off the 17 and I-10, adequate signage, and sufficient parking accommodations. Secure access to the main entrance with a buzzer and usually a security guard stationed inside somewhere gives added peace of mind.
Staff: The land of misfit budtenders first comes to mind. One employee from the former glorious ‘Green Thumb Academy’ (RIP), one from good ol Jim Brown’s shop (Horizon THC), and one seriously pale gentleman from Encanto Green Cross. It goes to show there is not much original about this shop, beginning with the staff.
Product Quality: Commensurate with the price usually. Not the best quality available, but not the worst. It’s arguably a good value to be honest. They have yet to not be stocked with concentrates and flower. They are reliable in that sense for sure. Thank you for that.
With that being said, it would be to your benefit to be thorough in inspecting your product and searching for the possible ‘hidden gems’ among the inventory. It’s relatable to shopping at Ross. You know...rummaging through the bargain bins for that one deal that makes the whole trip worth it and the still having the real possibility of not finding any treasures at all. I’ve left disappointed and feeling I had to settle on quality on occasion.
This place definitely serves a purpose and it’s evident in how busy they are. Seasoned consumers of cannabis are likely to not gravitate towards this shop simply because of the sub par quality, relative lack of product knowledge, and lack of professionalism. Bottom line, if you have a considerable tolerance, you may want to consider your options.
TruMed is hands down my favorite dispensary in Arizona. My friends and closest confidants agree it’s the best.
Location: Conveniently located off the 10 Freeway, adequate signage, and ample parking (I have yet to not find a parking space upon my many visits). In addition, they have a security guard posted outside the main entrance who checks ID’s and monitors the parking lot. Very well thought out and gives us peace of mind while visiting.
The design of the shop is simple and elegant; always appears clean. I especially enjoy the design of the waiting room wall as it often reminds of how perfect it would be for American Ninja Warrior training. Fans of the show/competition likely share a similar sentiment, but I digress.
Staff: These guys/gals are great! They’re enthusiastic, professional, and well versed in their products and services. Very personable team who all appear to share a passion for quality cannabis. They always seem to be on point and content which leads me to believe TruMed not only takes care of their clientele, but their employees as well. This gives me added comfort in choosing to do business with Trumed almost exclusively. Shout out to the rockin’ staff and tons of respect to the owners for your apparent professionalism and class. True leaders in the industry.
Product Quality: You can always count on TruMed to carry among the most exclusive, effective, and overall highest quality cannabis available. Judging from their menu, it’s evident they’ve built solid relationships with seasoned, professional growers. The strains are quite reminiscent of the quality and types that Southern California, more specifically Los Angeles and San Diego establishments have offered historically and very successfully I might add. Strains such as Sour Diesel, Sour OG, Skywalker OG, SFV OG are sure to capture the attention of self-proclaimed “cannasaeurs” and the newly introduced alike. Not to mention Tokyo OG, the origins of which may be highly debated. Some say the strain has yet to make it out of Southern California, more specifically Ocean Beach, but who knows really….seriously though who knows?
Not only are the strains carefully chosen, but they’re procured by true professionals. It’s striking how many establishments around the valley offer product not properly flushed, fortunately this is not the case with Trumed. Their cannabis routinely burns down to smooth white ash in my bowl, with a clean flavor and smooth expansion. It’s something I’ve grown to count on from TruMed. The terpenes/fragrances along with the potency are almost always brought to their fullest potential.
In all fairness, I’ve experienced some minor inconsistencies as of late that I attribute to ‘growing pains’ (no pun intended) within the likely rapidly expanding enterprise. These consist of finding numerous premature seeds (less than 10 overall) and a few (2-3) mature seeds in some of my purchases. The mature seeds are a blessing in my opinion, but that is a matter of perspective. In addition, it is my belief that a few strains may been harvested prematurely. One strain in particular this harvest/last purchase was Tru OG. Just looking at the bag, there is a clear difference between previous harvests. The buds have a very close trim, less robust than usual and the scent is just a little off upon opening it at home. The faint hint of fertilizer/nutrients strikes my nostrils, followed by the plant’s natural terpenes/fragrances. Most of my bowl did eventually burn down to greyish, white ash, but it wasn’t as smooth as usual. A lot of the bowl burned black throughout. I experienced a slight head rush upon exhale and immediately recognized the smell/taste/effect of stored nitrogen/fertilizer within the cannabis. (Nitrogen is used during the vegetative stage and should be all used up by the plant by harvest time.) This is the primary evidence for a premature harvest in my opinion. Needless to say I’m slightly disappointed; mainly because I feel the product isn’t quite as effective as usual and leaves a bit of a funky taste in my mouth. Literally.
With all that being said I can be a harsh critic and I realize this. The ‘growing pains’ I described earlier could be as simple as a grower or key employee moving on from the company or even just taking a few days off. We all have lives and we all have families.
I understand the unique challenges the team can face and I’m ever so grateful for the work they’re continually putting forward for all our benefits. Highly recommend, despite my slight criticisms.
What I’m attempting to illustrate is the fact that TruMed is deeply rooted in the culture and comes from a place of experience. This should give anyone the confidence to give TruMed an opportunity to be their number one source for quality cannabis and professional service. It’s worth the drive, trust me.