Stage One Dispensary — Attraction in City of Rensselaer

Stage One Dispensary is one of the capital regions first few legal cannabis dispensarys. So please keep that in mind while reading this review.

This proprietorship may intermittently have a security officer located on premises; Enforcement sensitive individuals may appreciate this.

This business will scan your State or Federal ID card(s) to ping credit bureaus, Healthcare providers, and potentially law enforcement of your consumption. This is done several times on premises to confirm you're identity and make you feel as uncomfortable as possible. Liquor stores only ID if you look under 45.

Beware: several cannabis shop owners have been known to sell data as well to 3rd parties for profit.

Products:

Good selection. Brands that are competitively priced and mid to higher teir quality, with outrageously priced strain options available. (Rhythm Nanticoke, heady tree, rolling green, dog walkers, etc...) Products are sold in typical packaging, plastic or glass containers with moisture (boveda bags) seen in some of the brands tested.

Quality notes: Products seem fresh. Concentrates show no signs of sugaring or improper storage (product stuck in cap, showing that Extract was stored on side or upside down.) Cannabis flower was fair and not too harsh to smoke. Several pre-rolled joints were tested and were questioned, but after letting air out, smoked well.

Services: Online ordering, instore shopping, pickup, delivery.

ATM's are available on site, but this business does accept bank cards.

This business does offer several forms of product including edibles, pre-rolls, cannabis flower, hashish, and tincture.

When arriving, you will walk up a concrete incline to a door and be let in. Once inside, you will be in a small waiting area as staff check I.D. in a single file fashion. It is not uncommon to be waiting outside the door in line if the business is very busy. The store itself is quite large and can handle good volume so visits are usually quite quick when compared to other stores. Once your I.D. is cleared, you will be directed to the left of the store to enter the back area where the sales counters are located. There are several individuals who circle the show floor to answer any questions you may have about products while also being able to order for you directly from their tablets, very boutique like. Some people may not find this experience necessary, or comfortable. In which case you may simply walk up to a counter and place an order directly with the budtenders.

Our reviewer writes: "This store has a good flow to it. The staff seem happy to be there and appear to take the job seriously. Which is a nice touch. They had such a large menu that it was impossible, yet exciting to try everything on it. There was even exotic brands like Mike Tyson Knockout and Rhythm products. Rove goods and a fair supply of merch was available, for both products and the proprietor as well. I scored a hat for signing up for their mailing list! Overall it seems a fair experience."

Prices: The prices are fair. They can get high for the upper end products, but other things are competitive.

Conclusion: Overall, Stage One Dispensary scored a 4/5 stars. We believe that it is a well outfitted and designed storefront that offers a good blend of comfort, security, ambiguity, and selection.

Pros: Excellent selection, friendly staff, quick visits.

Cons: parking can get a bit weird if it is...

Rude front door employee. Have someone outside to man the door and control people coming in and out if you have a limit on the number of people inside, while there’s a line of people waiting outside guessing if it’s their turn/OK to come.

Edit:

TLDR: the customer service from the employee who was manning the front door was bad. I have been to Stage One at least three times overall, twice without any issue, but this experience ruined it for me. Any other dispensary location I’ve been to (ie Massachusetts, Canada, Syracuse) have not had any issues like this even when I’ve had to wait outside in a line to get into the building.

I understand that most dispensaries have a limit on how many people can be in the building at one time (and that all buildings have a maximum fire limit). The problem I saw was that there were customers waiting in line outside of the front door because there were too many people inside at the time, but all employees manning the door were INSIDE of the building with no communication to the outside customers until they tried entering the building. The person in front of me waited patiently, someone ended up leaving the building, then the person in front of me tried entering into the building but was then stopped by the employee that was standing in the entrance way while they rudely stated that the person that left the building was an employee and that the waiting customer still had to wait outside. How would a customer know and why would it be expected for them to know that the person leaving the building was an employee, and that they could not enter yet without any communication before opening the door? After this incident I personally experienced similar rudeness from the same employee after they asked me if I was able to count, because one person left the building and only one person can enter it. This remark happened because I was standing in line with someone, and as they started entering the building when that one individual had left, I needed to grab the car keys from them to wait in the car since I couldn’t go inside with them so it was mistaken that I was trying to enter as well.

My issue wasn’t the speed of the service or that I had to wait in a line, it was the poor customer service I experienced from the employee at the front door when she exhibited a lack of patience and communication...

Tonight I went with my mother to this dispensary. After previously checking out other dispensary options, we were extremely surprised with how comforted we felt upon walking in. The Security on duty, Tihi?(Titi? I'm so sorry hun I couldn't hear your nickname very well when I asked, upon heading out) was extremely welcoming and friendly. She had been swaying to the music they had on and genuinely just posted a really happy aura, which made me know for a fact she loved to be there. She properly checked us in and then we made our way over to check out their stock. We were then greeted by Eugine. He was energized and ready to assist us. And while I'm fairly knowledgeable about cannabis products and had maybe a single question- my mother, isn't as educated on marijuana and likes to ask a lot of questions to actual staff members of shops. Eugine was very polite and relaxed, and clearly happy to help us with picking out some edibles. He explained thorough and wellworded answers to everything my mother asked, down to how hyrbid strains work, and differences between brands. He also gave helpful advice in regards to questions my mother had about pain and cannabis products. We then met a smiling gal at the register who I didn't catch the name of, who was- yet again- very friendly and promptly took our pay. In general, all of the staff we dealt with was very kind and just genuinely gave off good energy. We didn't feel ignored, or rushed, and everyone was very nice to be around. The shop itself was very clean and well put together, the wait was brief to be checked out, and it just felt very cozy and relaxed the whole time we were in there. I cannot stress enough how wonderful this dispensary was and I was also pleased with their stock and prices, for only being open a short time. I personally will definitely be back, and I have no doubt my...