Herbal Choices Bandon
1/9/2019
My wife and I decided to stop in here on a Saturday morning when we'd driven to Bandon on a whim, instead of our normal weekend trip to North Bend. Having been bombarded with constant radio ads for Herbal Choices - all about how they have the best selection and best prices in all of the Southern Oregon Coast - we decided to give them a try and see if they lived up to the hype. If you want to skip to the end, the short of it is that no - they do not live up to the hype. They fall so short of the hype as to cross into the realm of hyperbole.
For those of you interested in the full story - here it is. Upon approaching the storefront of Herbal Choices, Bandon, the first thing that I noticed was that there was no signage whatsoever to indicate that I was about to enter a cannabis dispensary. There were no signs prohibiting me from consuming cannabis on the premises, nothing telling me that the products inside were for adult use only, not even a sign telling me to have my photo ID ready. This last thing, it transpired, was a warning of what was to come.
Slightly concerned by the obvious lack of signage and any sign of security to check my ID - like every other dispensary has had... pretty sure there's a regulation about it or something - I turned the handle on the blank, industrial metal door and stepped into a small, clinically over-lighted, slightly sanitized-feeling room with jars of flower in one corner and spoons, bongs, and extracts in glass cases scattered about the corners. Still, there was no sign of anyone being interested in my age and no inquiry about seeing my license. Maybe the employees behind the counter could tell I wouldn't be staying long.
The product itself was almost as well advertised as the rest of the signage in the building - which is to say, there wasn't any information displayed about any of the product, aside from the occasional price tag. After clearing up some confusion with one employee who seemed very interested in selling me a grinder - maybe they make commission on accessories? - I finally managed to get her attention turned to their flower menu.
The menu itself was posted above the jars, in print so small as to be difficult to read, on big TV screens, with the strain name, the price points per gram/eighth/quarter, and whether the strain is a Sativa, Indica, or Hybrid - and, I think, the THC percentage. Here's where things really went sideways for Herbal Choices. After asking to see their Blue Dragon - a strain my wife was very fond of in the past - we were told that it was one of their "Okest" strains (out of a list of strains that ranged from "OKer" to "OKest", with prices to match) and that since it was on sale that day, we could get it for the for a rather high price per quarter ounce. First, that's not the price listed online, and second - why would I pay that much for your OKest flower? Someone should tell Jim Belushi that his chosen dispensary isn't doing him any favors.