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Meet out Glass Artist of the Month for October --- Rob Morrison. "I’m happiest when I’m producing work. I love the freedom of my being a glass blower and there’s real fulfillment from creating a sculpture out of rods and tubes." ... See more

What's Your Toke: Despite legalization in 11 states and Washington, D.C., marijuana’s Schedule 1 classification means that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has no oversight authority on its use. It cannot evaluate something our government considers illegal. Legalization would make us safer, as the FDA would be freed to do the job it should have been allowed to do all along: evaluate marijuana and vaping products for health and safety impacts. ... See more

Cannabis is controlled as strictly as heroin, which means the federal government can't research and regulate it for safer use.

They're not your grandmother's vases (although they will hold flowers). My Bud Vase turns vintage vessels into one-of-a-kind water pipes for discriminating smokers.

Check them out at mybudvase.com and be sure and tell them HQ Magazine sent you! ... See more

How many times have you gone into a smoke shop and the person behind the counter is so involved with playing a game on their phone that they barely look up to say hello. It's a pretty safe bet that store isn't making very many sales and very few people come back for a second visit.

This guy, like the majority of the U.S. workforce (51%) is not engaged with his job, according to Gallup's State of the American Workplace report. These employees are indifferent and neither like nor dislike their job.

Showing up and staying: Engaged employees make it a point to show up to work and do more work --- highly engaged business units realize a 41% reduction in absenteeism and a 17% increase in productivity. Engaged workers also are 86% more likely to stay with their employers.

Profit: Engaged employees are more present and productive; they are more attuned to the needs of customers; and they are more observant of processes, standards and systems. When taken together, the behaviors of highly engaged business units result in 21% greater profitability.

Customer outcomes: It's easy to see why wmployees who are engaged help the business achieve a 10% increase in customer ratings and a 20% increase in sales.

So put the phone down and pay attention ---- businesses with highly engaged staff share common philosophies and practices. Among other things:

- They know creating a culture of engagement starts at the top.
- They communicate openly and consistently.
- They place the utmost importance on using the right metrics and on hiring and developing great managers.

Highly engaged businesses also hold their managers accountable for the entire team's overall performance. They ensure that managers are engaging employees from the first minute of their first day at work. Employee engagement is a fundamental consideration in their people strategy, not an annual "check-the-box" activity. ... See more

Check out these sweet nuggs!

Moonrock Chocolates are CBD infused chocolates surrounding a chewy center (caramel, oreo cookie, mint and milk chocolate). If you're into breakfast, there's also nuggs made with real cereal like fruity pebbles, cinnamon toast crunch and peanut butter pops. Each package contains 200 mg of CBD!

Visit them at moonrockchocolates.com and be sure and tell them HQ Magazine sent you! ... See more

What's your toke on the whole Juul vs the government situation? Did you know that in its effort to stop localities from establishing their own rules to regulate its product, in the past few years Juul has increased its lobbying presence by over 800%, including 142 lobbyists in 48 states. ... See more

In a new white paper by Local Solutions Support Center (LSSC) and Illumination Investigations, Evan Vorpahl and Lisa Graves document how Juul has flooded statehouses with lobbyists to advance T-21 legislation, Commonly known as “Tobacco 21,” – bills to raise the purchase age of tobacco to 21, ... ... See more

Zig Zag is one of the biggest names in rolling papers. For over 100 years Zig Zag has maintained a reputation for consistency and quality ---- now they've added Zig Zag Organic Hemp 1 1/4 Rolling Papers, an extremely thin rolling paper made from unbleached hemp that was harvested from organic farms in an environmentally friendly manner. Customers believe in (and buy) brands they know and trust --- whether it’s cannabis or tobacco, Zig-Zag is synonymous with DIY rolling culture.

Check them out at Zig-Zag Rolling Papers Official and be sure and tell them HQ Magazine sent you! ... See more

Customer education is an important aspect of a successful smoke shop or dispensary --- and it starts with making sure your staff is knowledgeable about the what, why and how of the products you sell.

With that in mind, here's a very informative article on the scientific mechanism behind cannabis vaporization and the benefits of vaporization relative to "smoking." ... See more

Cannabis Vaporization is much different than smoking cannabis. Wondering how? In this guide, we will walk you through

Whether you have two employees or two-hundred, it's important to the success of your business that everyone is operating from the same playbook.

Staff meetings allow you to share information and training, which will make your business run more smoothly and improve the customer experience in your store.

Staff meetings can also help you identify small problems before they become big ones—or identify good ideas earlier rather than later. The best meetings involve two-way communication, so ask your staff about their input. It's also a good time to bring up questions and concerns that have been gleaned from conversations with customers. However, do not let meetings turn into gripe sessions. Each meeting should be a learning experience.

Higher Education

In the smoke shop industry there are new products coming out every day, so it's critical that your staff stay informed so that they can pass that information along to the customers. One way to keep everyone involved is to present a couple of new products at each meeting and give everyone the chance to get all touchy feely with them. You can engage your staff by asking individuals to research specific products or product categories and share what they have learned.

Plan Ahead

Nothing spells a bad ending to a meeting than to have attendees who come in with a blank mind. If there's an issue you need to deal with or a project for which you need ideas, don't wait until the meeting to spring it on your staff. Send out a memo ahead of time to give them a chance to rattle it around in their noggin and come up with some suggestions and meaningful input ... See more

Where is your shop located on the map and what is the vibe around legalization in your state?

Is your state one of them?