Feb 16th–Feb 22nd, 2023 phoenixnewtimes.com phoenix new Times State Licensed Dispensaries & Doctor Cer tifications 34 sometimes they don’t understand what’s going on; it can be overwhelming coming in for the first time,” Gutierrez said. “It is our job to be able to make them comfortable — and help them figure out what they need.” Mint budtenders are allowed to receive tips on top of their hourly wages; the tips range from $50 to $120 a day. During the job fair on January 7, more than 50 applicants dropped off their resumes and met with Mint staff members. “Today, we are looking for more of those leadership roles, the [advanced shipping notice], our leads, and things like that,” said Marissa Gonzales, human resources director Mint Cannabis. “So they’ll have a second interview to come out to the stores, and they’ll take a look at what their envi- ronment will look like.” ASNs handle shipping invoices. Under Mint Cannabis’s umbrella, the company also manufactures its own line of cannabis products, including WTF Extracts, Sofa King Edibles, and Angry Errl. Thousands of packages arrive in their flagship store in Guadalupe each week and need to be distributed to its stores. So people with experience in shipping and receiving are also in demand in the cannabis industry. Leads assist the sales team by recruiting and training new team members, helping with sales, and providing sales reports. They also resolve customer complaints. “You may think you may get along with customers until they are yelling at you,” said Heather Walker, the regional retail manager at Mint. “So, I usually look at their work history where they’ve worked before if they have that customer service experience.” Walker oversees the various leads at Mint’s dispensaries. In new hires, she looks for people who have worked in places for long periods of time. “We pay for [facility agent] cards here — that’s $300. So we’d like to see people last at the job,” she explained. The cards, which include a background check, are required to work in the cannabis industry in the state. Since Mint opened its flagship dispen- sary in Guadalupe in 2017, it has grown to 12,000 square feet with Arizona’s first cannabis cafe providing infused food ranging from hamburgers, pizza, and chicken wings to dessert and coffee. That has meant the need for a slew of former restaurant employees. Walker was a well-experienced food server before coming on board with Mint. Now, she oversees many of the employees across the store’s dispensaries. “My number one job is to make sure the employees are happy,” Walker said. “I know that if the employees are happy, the patients will be happy, and if the patients are happy, we can keep the vibes up and be a place people like coming to. So it really does trickle down.” And like her former job as a waitress, where she was the bridge between the cooks and kitchen staff and the restaurant’s patrons, Walker transitioned that experi- ence to the cannabis field. “I’m making sure I’m hearing people out. I’m listening to what they have going on, and we understand,” she said. “I just make sure everything is running efficiently — there’s coverage everywhere where the store needs to be.” Her job also includes “the not-so-fun stuff,” she said, such as employee discipline. “And then coaching the leads to take care of their teams and build their relation- ships and bonds because when you connect with those people, you can have a solid foundation. When you have a solid founda- tion, you can do anything,” Walker said. | CANNABIS | Ariyan Gutierrez (behind counter) has been a budtender at Mint Dispensary since 2020. Hiringfrom p 33 Mike Madriaga
