Dutchess Cannabis — Attraction in Oak Park

On may 5 I came into the dispensary around 7:45/8pm. I went through the check in process, waited my turn in line, gave the budtender the proper identification, ID and medical card.

The interaction was short and not very much was said, which is fine, but no where in the beginning or anywhere throughout the transaction was I told that they were not taking medical patients. It was until the bud tender was having trouble scanning products which is when they called over a supervisor who was very dismissive and was told that they weren’t serving medical patients at the moment and the only thing that can be done is offer me a $5 credit for the inconvenience. The agent in charge made it clear to me that it was only letting certain medical patients accounts purchase but somehow mine was an account that couldn’t purchase anything.

At first I felt like I was being discriminated because neither of these two employees really cared. They lacked empathy to someone who uses cannabis as a real life form of medication to help me survive life and continue living my day to day life. I don’t just consume cannabis for a “good time” or socially. I felt like they genuinely did not want to help me or even find a better solution for me. Was it because I’m a person of color? or was it because I was about to have a panic attack in the dispensary because I couldn’t get medication I needed and they were just trying to get me to leave the dispensary?

I didn’t really care if I had to buy something through the recreational side but it was just the simple fact that I spoke to a few different people and not one person said that they were not serving medical patients.

I left the store empty handed and very upset. It didn’t sit well with me, so I called the store back about 20 mins later and spoke with whoever manager was on duty and still received the same dismissive response from manager as well. The manager did a better job at explaining what the issue was and made it clear that it was a system issue. Which is fine too. I understand that and I can’t blame the dispensary for an issue that is state wide. The manager told me that it wasn’t just Dutchess that was experiencing this that all the medical dispensaries were facing issues. I said to both manager and agent in charge that there needs to be a sign or that everyone here needs to do a better job at communicating and making sure that some account weren’t able to shop. At the end, I can tell the manager was tired of hearing me complain and he said “if it really makes a difference, I can credit you $10” in a tone that he was only giving me this credit to shut me up.

I came back into the store and was helped by another bud tender. I followed the same process as normal, handed the bud tender my ID and medical card. The bud tender did not say anything about medical patients not being able to shop. I was getting worried so before I could mention anything about the credit, i asked the bud tender if she was having any issues with the medical patients and she said that she was never told of anything of what I was talking about and that she’s been serving medical patients with no problem through the last few hours that they were at work.

The transaction went through and I asked her why did the two bud tenders tell me they weren’t serving medical patients and all the bud tender could do is shrug her shoulders and simply tell me she’s not sure why and was the only person to have apologized to me.

I didn’t mention the credit to the bud tender because she had already charged me and said that she can give me difference back but I was already on the verge of tears and an anxiety attack I needed to leave the dispensary.

I spoke with 4 people that day and 3/4 were Caucasian and the last budtender was a POC. After my experience, I truly feel like I was discriminated and felt like no one wanting to help me.

The next day I called over 6 medical dispensaries around Chicago and ditched and not one said that they were having troubles with medical patients account and that I could come in...

Jas deserves the key to the city…no, seriously I cannot say enough good things about Jas. She has completely changed the game for me. Before I met her, I used to walk in feeling overwhelmed by all the options. I never really knew what I was doing when it came to picking the right strain, and nobody ever really took the time to help me understand what I needed until Jas.

From the very first time she helped me, I felt seen, heard, and cared for. She listened to what I was dealing with and guided me step by step to find the perfect product. And she didn’t just recommend something random, she explained why it would help, how to use it, and made sure I left feeling confident and educated. That level of service is rare.

Now every single time I go to Dutchess, I look for Jas. If she’s not there, I’m lowkey disappointed. The vibe’s just not the same without her. She’s warm, professional, funny, and just has this energy that makes you feel like you’re in good hands. It’s to the point where Dutchess is my #1 spot now...

I was a regular customer until I encountered their untrained psycho security guard! I was waiting outside with three other people for them to open. The guard opened the door and let two people in and shut the door! I said to the other customer that's some weird crowd control. The guard opened the door and started yelling why was I questioning his method. When I got inside we had words and he told me to take a Xanax! I told him again when I was leaving that he was rude and untrained and he told me that I needed to go to church!! When I called the manager, he took the position that the guard had done nothing wrong! He acted like he was fired from ICE, basically a wanna be cop throwing his weight around. They say they are women owned so this was utter bullshit to treat a woman like that! I will never return due to their poor customer service! Watch out for this guy! He...