Add tax before you compare prices

Menu prices do not include tax. Washington charges 37% excise at the register. California charges 15% excise plus sales tax. Colorado charges a 15% excise tax and a 15% state sales tax on retail cannabis. A $40 eighth in Seattle runs near $60 out the door. The same $40 eighth in Denver starts near $46 before local taxes.

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Two shops with a $5 gap on an eighth can flip after tax. Compare out-the-door totals, not shelf prices.

dispensary menu near me with sativa dominated flower

Convert to price per unit

Compare flower at price per gram. Compare concentrate at price per gram. Compare vape carts at price per milligram of THC. A $30 cartridge labeled 700 mg THC costs 4.3 cents per mg. A $20 cartridge labeled 400 mg THC costs 5 cents per mg. The cheaper sticker costs more per dose.

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Read the quality fields on the menu

  • Package or harvest date. Flower loses terpenes and moisture after 3 to 6 months.
  • THC and CBD percentages, listed with the lab name.
  • Terpene totals in mg per gram. Values above 20 mg/g are high.
  • Test panel: pesticides, mold, heavy metals, residual solvents.
  • Batch or lot number, so you can pull the certificate of analysis.

"Top shelf", "premium", and "exotic" carry no legal definition. The store sets those labels.

Best Strain Menu at Local Dispensary

Convenience against cost

Delivery adds a fee of $5 to $10 and a minimum order of $50 to $100. Pre-order pickup saves the wait and keeps the full menu price. Both options cut travel time. One store may win on price, another on a 20-minute pickup window.

Pitfalls

  1. Stale menus. Inventory changes each day. Call before you drive.
  2. Potency inflation. Two labs can report different THC values for the same sample.
  3. Discount stacking rules. Some stores void first-time discounts on sale items.
  4. Photos reused across stores. The flower in the jar differs from the stock image.
  5. Delivery zones. A ZIP code 5 miles from the shop can fall outside the route.

Steps to run a comparison

  1. List 3 stores within 15 miles.
  2. Pull the out-the-door price on the same product type and weight.
  3. Check package dates on each menu.
  4. Add delivery fees and minimums.
  5. Buy one unit from each and note moisture, trim, and effect.
  6. Keep the store that holds quality at the price you pay.