Why The Day After 4/20 Is Not Like Other Holidays

Halloween, Valentine's Day, Easter. What do the day after each of these holidays have in common (aside from children disappointed it's over)? If you guessed discount candy, we can be friends because that's exactly the right answer.

Immediately after these holidays are over stores do their best to get holiday-themed candy off the shelves. So, it stands to reason that perhaps dispensaries touting 4/20-themed discounts on edible products might follow the same pattern. Right?

Apparently this is just a stoner's dream because I've come to find that unlike other holidays, your favorite infused products do not receive a steeper discount on the day after the big holiday. Though many of us likely wish this was the case, there are a couple reasons why you're not going to find any edibles on clearance at your local dispensary following 4/20.

Seeing heart-shaped candies and chocolate bunnies sitting on store shelves a week or more after their respective holidays might give the impression that a store is trying to push product before it expires. The same could be said of edibles and infused drinks, which is part of the reason these particular products only have the highest promotions on 4/20.

"Most of our edible products last like up to a year," says John Chirinos, the agent in charge at NuEra Chicago Cannabis Dispensary. "I'm not sure about products at other places, but yeah ours last a really long time, so you don't ever have to worry about selling something that's about to expire."

Vida Optima, a California-based company that sells a range of cannabis and THC products, explains that different types of edibles have varying shelf lives but overall many edibles can last at least a few months depending on how they're stored. And gummies, candies, and oils products tend to last longer than beverages or baked goods.

Knowing the products will last well-past the 4/20 holiday gives dispensaries less reason to promote them as heavily. Plus, these items are always on theme versus marshmallow bunnies and pumpkin-shaped chocolates which lose their hype a bit after the holidays.

Edible products are always in high demand at dispensaries. This means many don't have to worry that any infused beverages or brownies will go to waste just sitting on shelves. The concern is more the opposite, in fact.

Chirinos notes that even when not on a promotion, many of their edible products don't remain in store for very long. Although some of NuEra's promotions began ahead of 4/20 and some may last after the holiday, this is just to ensure people are able to get their hands on the products they want since 4/20 falls in the middle of the week and not a weekend.

The fact is whether they're in gummy form or a THC infused drink, people like their edibles and will stock up whenever the need arises.

Moral of the story here is that unfortunately, "adult" holidays like 4/20 don't get the same treatment as other mainstream, more family-friendly holidays. Maybe it doesn't make much business sense, but a stoner can only dream that one day the bigger discounts will hit the edibles.