HOW BAD IS IT?? IT'S HORRIBLEThe other day, I posted a link to reviews of what people thought was the worst weed out there, and Tweed far and away received the most scathing reviews.
Well let's look now at what people think of working at Tokyo Smoke. The comments are for the most part consistently negative, and worse, show a problem right up the line to Canopy and what people describe as a non-caring, bloated corporate culture.
I would not recommened Tokyo Smoke. From the start of the confusing, short, and pretty nonexistent training to the expectations they wanted which ultimately lead to getting laid off with no support provided really made it impossible to stay with the company. Horrible place to work at wouldn’t recommend to anyone I know and that’s for all locations in and around the gta there’s alot better out there!!!!!!!! Staff (especially managers) are brutally exploited, working multiple stores instead of just one.
Little to no communication from Corporate on promotions,
Despite doing our orders, Corporate never seems to order enough of the product we have on sale.
Mental breakdowns are common and workplace attitude is bleak. Worked at a store and the corporate culture was very toxic. The head office were bullies and tried to take over the store I worked at. There was zero training and all head office did was complain... head office literally knows zero about cannabis and do not care about the product. They are just vultures. Cannabis is in a weird place. It used to be a guaranteed gold mine due to limitations on how many stores were allowed to open. If you opened a store it was basically guaranteed to see high demand. Now, more stores are opening than the market can support. Dispensaries can't compete on product because everyone is buying the same products from the OCS. Competing on price is a race to the bottom, to razor thin margins that only work for the highest traffic locations. Every company is trying to find their own "thing" to bring people in, and it's rough out there.
You might think that sounds like something Tokyo Smoke should be responding to as a company, but as a retail employee you can bet you're the one who's gonna pay for it with cut hours and poor wages while being told every shift to increase sales, no matter how unreasonable the company's goals are. Meanwhile, your store is probably a mess, most of your co-workers are probably only there because weed is cool, and you can't even fix half the problems with the product databases because it's not your job and you don't have access even though all the independent dispensaries are handling it themselves just fine. Tokyo Smoke prioritises consistency across their stores even when this means inaccurate product information and inefficient operations. Unfortunately, trying to agitate for change or improvements is a great way to alienate everybody. This has created a complacent and lazy culture that's resistant to change, because even if the staff wanted to change something it'll never actually happen. The company is not trying to improve or refine itself, it's trying to get by on what it already has, and they're hoping you'll be complacent and not look for a better job.
Tokyo Smoke is a big chain so it has a bloated corporate office. Add that onto how much money you're expected to make them. At the same time, your store is very likely not making a net profit, so don't expect to see any raises with experience or performance. You also will not receive benefits besides a staff discount. This is despite the fact that cannabis is highly regulated, meaning you need a background check and CannSell certification. You can get a better paying no-experience job elsewhere, with benefits, and NOT need to subject yourself to the extra requirements of cannabis. Unless you are extremely keen on a career specifically in cannabis and Tokyo Smoke is your only option, get a job with any other company.
With all that said, cannabis is a bigger business than ever, and with all the dispensaries constantly opening there's a non-stop feed of opportunities to move into leadership far quicker than in many other industries. Sure, nine times out of ten it will be a store that isn't making money, but when you're interviewing elsewhere they aren't exactly allowed to ask. Expect it to take less than a year to gain a keyholder position, especially if you keep your eyes open for roles with other companies. This is the biggest advantage to getting a job at Tokyo Smoke - the fact you can use it to get a better job elsewhere.