Comparing In-Store and Online Bud

As of October 17th, 2018 Canada’s been known for their legalised, regulated and restricted access to cannabis that was implemented which allowed for Canadian adults to carry up to 30 grams of cannabis. Since then, cannabis in Canada has become more abundant as time goes on as the popularity for the plant became more common as people got more comfortable with the legalisation. Cannabis has been known to help a number of people with an array of physical and mental ailments, from stress and anxiety to pain and inflammation. Individuals have been finding newer methods to consume their cannabis, from topicals to different edibles. But the traditional way of consumption we’re all used to is smokables! Whether PR or pipe, we personally love a classic smokable bud strain as it takes us back to the OG ways of cannabis! But there are varieties of dry flower that make buying in-store or online a difficult decision. When it comes to flower, buying in-store or online can go both ways as they both have their respective pros and cons. Here, we discuss the pros and cons of buying flower both in-store and online, in hopes that it makes your decision easier next time you’re trying to decide whether you’d rather buy in store or online!

Pre-Rolls – Comparing In-Store and Online Bud

We’ve already discussed what’s overall better, buying in store or online which you can find in a previous blog here. But we haven’t gone in depth in terms of which choice would be the most cost and quality efficient when it comes to dry flower products. Online, there’s a large variety of flower strains out there that you can get either pre-rolled or loose. This goes the same for in-store cannabis locations, but there is a difference to the price and the quality of the bud. Online stores (such as The Healing Co) have low prices on pre-rolls, where each full gram pre-roll is being sold for $5. This is an exceptional deal when comparing to in-store cannabis locations, as the average one gram pre-roll sells for around $15

This chart shows the price of pre-rolls taken from our online cannabis store compared to three local dispensaries in British Columbia. Pre-rolls sold with The Healing Co are guaranteed AAAA Premium BC Bud, whereas not all in-store prices reflect AAAA pre-roll prices for that location. In-store locations have a variety of prices for pre-rolls, with higher quality bud costing more. In-store location prices were taken on the cheaper end of 1 gram pre-rolls that can be bought in-store, excluding house blends. 

When it comes down to the quality of bud, both in store and online locations have their pros. Personally, I haven’t noticed a huge difference in the quality of bud between in store and online locations, but I do find that online cannabis dispensaries keep their flower slightly fresher. In addition to this, pre-rolls bought from online locations tend to not “canoe” as much. Canoeing refers to only one side of the pre-roll burning, leaving the paper fully intact on the other side. It leads to uneven burning and can make pre-roll smoking a bit of a hassle. With in store dispensaries, I find that 75% of the time, pre-rolls start to canoe which is personally super frustrating. Online pre-rolls are not only cheaper, but also easier and smoother to burn. In store dispensaries do have a different variety of pre-rolls, as in store locations often have 0.5 gram pre-rolls as well that can be bought for a lower price. This is the nice thing about buying PR’s in store. You can purchase a half gram pre-roll if you feel like smoking a little less, or if you prefer smoking a smaller joint than a full gram one. 

Here are some comparison photos of a one gram Healing Co Pre-roll (Raw Filter) with a one gram pre-roll from a local in-store dispensary (White Filter). The Healing Co Pre-Rolls are packed slightly tighter, with the local dispensary pre-roll being a little longer. Pre-rolls that are packed slightly tighter canoe less, which results in an easier and more convenient burn. Both pre-rolls are the same strain (Miracle Alien Cookies).

Here are some comparison photos of both pre-rolls in the previous photos while being burnt. In store pre-rolls tend to burn more unevenly than online pre-rolls because of the ways they are packed. If there’s space between the bud within the pre-roll, the chances of canoeing happening are higher. The tighter packed joint had a more even burn than the local dispensary one, which wasn’t packed as tight.

Both in store and online locations have their respective pros and cons. Whichever way you choose to go is based on what’s best for you!

Loose Flower – Comparing In-Store and Online Bud

When it comes down to loose flower, both online stores and storefront dispensaries have their pros and cons. In terms of cost, if AAAA bud is what you’re looking for, online dispensaries tend to be a little cheaper than store front, or government dispensaries. This is in part due to general market competition and tax differences. Of course, we all have to pay taxes on our cannabis products. But there is additional tax that has to be paid on storefront dispensary cannabis products in BC. On top of the PST being paid in BC for cannabis products, storefront dispensaries do charge an additional 5% in government tax, for a total of 12% tax on cannabis products. Online dispensaries only charge the 7% PST that’s required by the province of British Columbia.

This chart compares the prices of bud found on an online dispensary (The Healing Co) to three different local in-store dispensaries around the area. The prices shown in the table are before taxes are applied, so prices are susceptible to fluctuations. Some strains aren’t currently being sold at the locations that were chosen to do the comparisons, which also shows the variety in strains from online dispensaries compared to in-store locations. 

In terms of quality, I’ve personally found that online bud have better quality compared to store front locations. Online stores seem to be a lot more thorough in lab testing their strains, allowing for consistent bud and a promised strength that can be ensured. In the case of storefront dispensaries, some aren’t known for lab testing their weed, thus leading to inconsistencies in the strains and strength level. Additionally, percentages vary from location to location, online stores oftentimes will offer a fluctuation in percentages which may cause some frustration as some of us enjoy getting the same THC percentage each time. 

More Information

As always, we love to educate those that are curious and interested in learning more about the world of cannabis and the ways in which dispensaries work! If there are any additional questions about the information read above, feel free to reach out to us at [email protected] as we are always happy and here to help! We also have other blogs on our website which discuss other educational topics! These blogs can be found HERE

Comparing In-Store and Online Bud