Getting cannabis has never been easier or more convenient. It feels like there’s a pot shop on every block in Toronto and on any free corner in every small town. With brick-and-mortar plus permanent delivery options, cannabis has become super accessible across the province.
When the pandemic started and the government locked down most businesses, cannabis shops were allowed to remain open and operate – and it was amazing to realize that cannabis had gone from illegal to essential in a short 18 months. In 2021 Ontario saw a mind-blowing $1.47 billion in sales!
(Check out sales by province and more cannabis consumption insights in this article)
But over the last year-and-a-half the news changed from “Great! There’s a shop near me!” to “Really? There’s another shop near me?”
I keep hearing “Another pot shop?” And I nod and smile; “Yes. Another pot shop.”
As new ones pop up in the neighbourhood customers ask if we know about the latest shop to open and will ask why there are so many.
We always say that there’s a shop for everyone. There are boutiques and Apple stores, chains and independents. Our shop? A shop for stoners is what we lovingly call it. It’s comfortable, it’s us.
If you’re really interested in why so many shops clustered, let me explain. That first 1,000 stores or so all put in applications the day cannabis applications opened up.
It was March 2, 2020 – we remember it well!
It was a first-come first-served system. Of course, everyone wanted to be in what they thought would be *the* hotspot. Of course, many people had the same great ideas about locations. A month later when a map with locations of applications was populated, most applicants were concerned to see how much competition fell in clusters close to them.
Are there too many stores?
My answer is always, “Too many stores for what?”
I don’t see increased access to cannabis as a bad thing. It may be a poor business decision for another shop to open in a community already saturated with stores – but then again, in Toronto there are intersections with three convenience stores out of four corners and many spots where 4 different brands of gas station are within as many blocks – so maybe we’ve just become a society that needs options.
We’re starting to see shops close, and that’s sad. It’s never a good day when someone has to make that call, let staff go, shutter a business.
Consumers will make the decisions based on where they want to keep shopping. Some look for the best prices. Some look for convenience. Some look for selection. Some want to support local. Some just want to find the shop that resonates with them, that gives them the experience, people and information they need.
We’re certainly having fun working in the cannabis world. It’s an incredible industry full of passionate people who are excited about legalization – and the journey continues to be full of surprises.
At the end of the day, all I can say is that 20-year-old me does the happy dance every time I open the doors and say hello to all of that legal weed!