Amid a pandemic, Michigan pot shops see a boost in sales after stimulus checks and 4/20

INKSTER, Mich. - As it turns out, even amid a pandemic customers will still buy cannabis. All it takes is the right occasion and a little extra cash to help out.

Last week, many Michigan residents saw their first $1,200 stimulus check deposited into their bank account. It came just in time for April 20th - or more succinctly phrased 420. And along with that came a surge in sales for some retailers.

"The day people had their stimulus checks deposited was a very busy day," said Mike Berro, who oversees marketing for multiple Metro Detroit dispensaries. "We saw above-average order numbers for the pandemic."

Granted, it's tricky to calculate consumer confidence for cannabis amid a global public health crisis. But for the Flower Bowl, an Inkster-based pot shop that started selling marijuana for recreational use to adults in mid-March, business increased last week - relatively speaking.

"Yeah, that was one of our busier days in the middle of the week. People were buying in abundance," said Moe Abbas, store manager. "It was nice to see the government helping put money in people's pockets so they can continue living this lifestyle."

Amid the first weak of economic upheaval from March 16-22, customers purchased $13.7 million worth of medical and recreational weed. Then from April 13-19, when stimulus checks dropped in the middle of the week, sales rose to $15.9 million.

In the first three months of legal recreational cannabis sales in Michigan, from Dec. 1 to Feb. 29, retailers sold more than $31 million. A burgeoning industry that was just getting its feet wet, COVID-19's outbreak has played disrupter to many shops. However, a spokesperson from Michigan's Licensing and Regulatory Agency noted only a slight drop off in sales across the state.

Much of that is attributed to medical and recreational cannabis's designation as an essential service. With social distancing rules in place, cannabis retailers have deployed curbside and delivery means to bring the product to their customers. Many have also lowered their prices for products sold to medical patients.

Retailers like the Flower Bowl have also revamped their website to make it easier to order cannabis online.

"Where it used to be more about brand, now that we're in a pandemic it's about eliminating the steps for the patient to get their product," said Berro.