This is a joint effort.
Recreational marijuana may now be the norm in New York and licensed dispensaries are finally springing up throughout the city, but New Yorkers are finding themselves nostalgic for one aspect of the pre-legalization era – their weed man.
Brooklynite Adrian H. is one of those avid cannabis users — and he told The Post that at times he feels uncertain about the cultural shift.
“Going to dispensaries in New York, it feels very corporate and I feel like I’m in a clinic, sometimes like a hospital,” said the 24-year-old, who talked about romanticizing her relationship with her old supplier. Confessed he was, he said he looked up to him “as much as my parents”.
That nostalgia is driving the emerging crop of new cannabis delivery companies drowned And DeliveryBudz Looking forward to tapping into. They’re once again bringing product straight to your door – except this time, it’s all legal, using state-authorized sources.
“I was a weed guy then, and I’m a weed guy now,” Doobie’s delivery boy and dispatcher Aaron Sepulveda told The Post.
And Sepulveda notices regular people, just like old times. Having been a driver at Doobie’s “since the doors opened”, he knows about 60% of their regular customers by name.
That acquaintance pleased Adrian, who lives in East Williamsburg, because it reminded him of the past.
Earlier, he said, “You had someone come and they took off a box and showed everything. It was extremely convenient, good prices and great service,” he recalled.
“But it’s really nice to be able to do it through legal dispensaries and get almost the same experience,” he said, enthusing about his experience with DeliveryBudz.
That experience is something Doobie CEO and co-founder Joseph Rubin has tried to create, he told The Post.
,[The customer] Maybe he’s nostalgic and still wants that relationship with that weed guy… It’s that familiarity and idea: this is the rhythm, this is how it happens, this is the routine – and people love that. Are,” he shared.
Deliverybudz founder Max Hakim said that nostalgia was a big inspiration for him too.
Growing up in Connecticut and later interning in the city during college, Hakim was always fascinated by the “delivery service ecosystem” that enthralled Manhattan.
He shared, “Old friends and cousins who lived in the city had these delivery services that would bring marijuana straight to their apartments, sometimes someone would come over with a briefcase and it was the best thing for me.” “I was kind of mesmerized by it.”
The relationship aspect is something the services hope to recreate.
Rubin explained, “We try to create these little odds and ends that give it a sense of familiarity.” For example, if a Doobie driver makes a delivery to a customer who has a dog, they will offer a dog treat.
“It’s those little things that we still try to give our drivers and pass on to customers,” he added. “We try to bring those little things that make people happy and bring a smile to their faces. This is really very important for us.”
With Doobie, which is in partnership with a Manhattan-based dispensary travel agency, they’ve noticed that many customers request the same customer service agent they had before, which helps recreate the “you have a guy” experience. helps.
People will call and say, “This person knows what I like, I want to talk to them,” Rubin said, or “I want this girl to give me recommendations.”
In some cases, new companies are even employing the people New Yorkers say they’ve missed.
Born and raised on the Lower East Side, Sepulveda, now 33, began his career in the neighborhood at age 15.
“Everyone was doing it,” he recalled.
“And then I found this, which gives the same experience as a street dealer, the only difference is that we give you a choice and you know what you are buying and you have complete control over the order,” he explained. .
“It’s that feeling of not knowing what you’re going to get,” Sepulveda said. “We’re trying to keep it that way so you can have the same experience.”
Dante Reynolds, another delivery driver at Dobie’s, shared the sentiment and said his favorite part of the job is “delivering to people and seeing their happy faces.”
In fact, Dante has two repeat customers he now considers good friends – a relationship that has developed from trust between driver and customer.
“They know me, I know them,” he said.
“Customers trust us,” Sepulveda said. They are confident that if something goes wrong – which of 100 things go wrong – they know they can call us.
“It’s not like a run-of-the-mill drug dealer,” he said. “They know it’s a safety net for them, you just know what you’re getting. It’s sealed, it’s safe, and we’re not taking it out of our pants or book bag.
Customers agree – just like the old days, they feel most comfortable with people they know.
“It’s good to have a face that you can put forward, it helps build trust,” said Adrian H.. “It makes it feel more personalized.”
