CBCB (Cannabis Buyers' Club of Berkeley)

I want to like this place.. but the Oct. '22 employee mask mandate is a no-go for me.. even worse.. multiple managers refused to talk (again) about the situation.. and got major attitude defending "our choice" to have a mask mandate for all employees for a weed shop.. they're incredibly tone-deaf to good health and a positive customer vibe

I really love the CBCB. It is modern and fully stocked. The prices are great and they often have specials. They give a preroll or edible for every fifty bucks purchased. The service is hit or miss. The security guys are quick to recognize you by face, and checking in is quick and easy. The check-in atmosphere is a bit rugged. Service is 90% hit, 10% miss. Nine times out of ten, the bud tender is quick to make recommendations, ask questions about personal preferences and experiences, and walk you through something if you only kind of know what you're talking about. The other one time out of ten, you get Shruggy McShruggerson shrugging his way through the transaction. The quality of bud hasn't let me down yet. They have everything. A great rotation, a great variety of methods to take cannabis, an organized menu, quality paraphernalia, and helpful bud tenders. Highly recommended for a visit.

I have been a medical patient here for years, but since they have been serving adult non-medical customers, the service has deteriorated. They separate the lines from medical to recreational, which results in extremely long waits. I was there this morning, and the recreational line was moving quickly, but the medical line wasn't moving at all. Instead of calling a medical patient to the counter, they called and served five adult recreational patients while the medical patients waited in a line that did not move. I asked if I could move to the shorter line that was moving, but I was told by a security guard that I could not do that, in spite of the fact that I am an adult resident of California. When I finally reached the counter, they called me to the adult recreational line, so clearly they can take medical patients on that side of the store. It appears that CBCB is NOT interested in serving the medical community any more, and instead is focused on making money on the recreational side. I'd rather drive to the city. A simple solution would be to make one line and serve customers in the order they were received, but that apparently is too complicated for this place.

This is by far my favorite dispensary. Amanda is wonderful and so knowledgable. If you are looking for something different/new, you can sit down with her and get recommendations based on what you have tried. Either way, all the staff knows their stuff 100%. They grow their own products here as well, but have a truly large and varied menu. They also do product demos frequently. It can get a bit full since its so popular. So be sure to visit during low traffic times. Several lines and you can order online and pick up at the store. There is also a line for people who know exactly what they want to order.