sales associate

assistant store manager

store manager

warehouse associate

facilities technician

CBD Kratom

I gave this company a year as a store manager, and I struggled with all of the constant changing of policy and of upper management. I was always an overachiever, and felt confident in my abilities to run a store and coach a team until I start at CBD Kratom… I tried asking for help, letting my managers know that I was struggling to stay on top of my duties, but I was not supported or set up for success
Communication is hectic. They ask too much of their store managers, so it’s easy to fall behind. I had three different area managers just in the time I was there and did not have a regional manager for about half of my employment. 
Their bandaid for everything is to tell you to just reach out if you need anything, but since there’s so many avenues of communication with their “open door policy“, it’s easy for your outreach to be overlooked. Emails, texts, phone calls, documents from other managers, other teams, people at home office, with no clear chain of command can be a lot. They expect store managers to respond to any communication even during your off time- and the store managers did not have the same work schedule as area managers or home office. It made the work-life balance extremely lopsided since you had to work while you were off to keep up with communication with area managers and home office personnel, while also being on call for your team. My family always complain that I was always working even after getting home. Store managers are the only position expected to work a full 40 hour week, while area managers, home office team members, and all other store staff were expected to work 35 hours (as is described in their job listings here on indeed).
The only good thing that I got from this job was bonding with my team and other store managers because we were all in the trenches together. 
Everyone is trying their best, but because of the constant changing of management and policy it’s very easy to miss important information or receive unclear expectations.
I never once got any kind of evaluation, or was eligible for a raise in the year that I was there. When I brought that up, I was told that my old area manager “was not doing his job.“
I received one final warning for a store opening late in December 2022. I was doing much better and was even sent out to train new managers for a while, and then the company decided “to part ways with me“ and cited my final warning/store opened late from FOUR MONTHS PRIOR, implying that ANY type of secondary violation of ANY policy would mean termination. It was very unexpected and I had no coaching to help me correct what I was doing wrong even though I had let all of my managers know that I was struggling. If upper management does not like you, they will find anything they can to terminate your employment- even if it’s a policy that is not consistently enforced. 
I never really knew if I was doing a good job or a bad job with this company. They lack trust in their store managers as most procedures fell to the area managers. The culture is very micromanaged and untrusting. They say they want you to take ownership over your store as a store manager, but they do not trust you to actually run your store.
Upper management loves to ask for feedback and to tell you that they listened to you and that’s why they’re changing policy but it’s never a policy that actually matters or that anyone cares about. The actual problems that affect the stores on the ground level are never really addressed. Area managers always seem to be behind as well and most managers always felt like they were bothering their area managers when they really just needed support.
The constant changing of upper management was almost impressive. The company was without a Director of operations for months after the one they had separated from the company. During that time several store managers, an area manager, a regional manager, and lots of home office team members separated as well. 
I really wanted this company to be different and for a while I really believe that, but they’re just the same as any other company. They don’t really do anything different.  

After spending nearly 6 years with this company and managing for 5 years of that I can truly say I gave it my all and did my absolute best to meet their expectations. While I was anticipating true growth and a real future with this company I am truly saddened by the choices and changes CBD Kratom has made in the last few years. Unfortunately, the company has become everything they once stood against.
They went from a company that was truly apart of a movement to help people holistically to upselling people already struggling. Over the years the sales pressure has only gone from bad to worse and as the economy declined during and after the pandemic their pressure and expectations only rose. You are expected to reach unrealistic sales goals for products that are sold at 2-3 times their worth. They have developed little to no understanding of economic changes, competition, local demographics or even the quality and pricing of their products. 
For example If you work at a store that happens to be in a lower income demographic you will be ridiculed and compared to locations that are in higher income areas. If you are managing a store there is no transparency on budgets and even when you do the digging yourself you will be brushed off and told to just focus on average dollar which will not help you reach your budget. 
This though is only one of the many reasons I left this company.
The biggest reason I finally made the hard decision to leave was the favoritism and manipulation from management above me, which only grew to show me that the company does not value long term employees or their hard work and dedication. Despite what they claim. I had gone without an evaluation in over two years, I was not being developed or given any real feedback for improvement or help. I honestly just got so burned out and overwhelmed by the constant ridicule and ever changing rules and trackers that the stress of this store manager role began to effect my mental health. Things are always changing and nothing ever remains consistent. They are always adding new duties/responsibilities and raising expectations without compensation.
When I tried to move up on my own terms to a new position  I was looked over and given the run around not once but twice. I worked so hard and in the end just felt used and manipulated.
After nearly 6 years I reached extreme burnout and mental health struggles. They will claim to care so much about mental health but it’s all a facade. When I eventually had enough and told them I needed to step down I felt like I was not taken serious and they didn’t truly try to help or understand me. Instead I was pushed to work more in hopes I would get a promotion that they never intended to give me. I truly loved this company for the first few years of my time here. But It so quickly changed into exactly what they originally stood against.
It hurts to see how they have truly become the antithesis to the very morals and standards they once stood for. They are disconnected from the employees and their customers and ultimately unsympathetic to the people we are supposed to help. I hope this reaches someone that will make a change for the better and it not become something they joke about/ make excuses for. I hope they can truly see what’s happening and return to ideals they once held dear. In a market already over saturated it was the only thing setting them apart to stand out. 

As the new manager expansion rolls out, managers are now taking over making schedules, dealing with call outs/tardies, hiring/terminations, and other normal manager duties. With this expansion I feel more in tune with the title, and more involved in my team's day to day. Working at CBDK overall is an enriching experience. I've had so much growth as a person and as a leader, learning from my mistakes and always inquiring about feedback from my team and from those above me on what I can be doing better. I feel supported by upper management knowing any concern or advice I need is heard and offered. The HQ team is constantly working behind the scenes to listen to any and all concerns and improve any opportunities that arise.

In the day to day normal responsibilities the team has goals that help grow the company, such as getting reviews, mentioning promos in our greets, and pairing items that we know will synergistically achieve the desired effects (such as pain or stress management) which also helps push sales. Through the rigorous training program, we learn that with CBD needing time to build up to be fully effective, we strive to pair items that we know will benefit the customer short and long term. While sales is an important aspect of any retail arena, it is NOT the sole factor of success within this company. To succeed in each quarter for raises, doyens (associates) are graded on many factors to which sales play a small part in the collective grading scale. Customer service is the #1 key to succeeding, building connections and rapport with customers while directing them to the right products to help their needs is the biggest aspect of any position in the retail setting within this business.

The best part of my role in CBDK is to help provide support for all who visit, and even beyond! Knowing some guests are having the worst days ever, dealing with pain or low mood, and being able to provide insight and product suggestions to help whatever structure-functions needs arise to improve their quality of life. As manager, I also enjoy being able to provide any needed and extra support to motivate and inspire the team to learn from our mistakes and succeed in our month to month goals through growth and encouragement.

Cons for working at CBDK is the normal growing pains of any mom and pop owned company looking to evolve as a business. We all learn as we grow, and find the cogs in the machine as we go. The HQ team does an amazing job to be proactive on issues that arise, and are always willing and open for any feedback or suggestions to improve. Some ongoing issues include the process of communication between HQ & their markets, and inventory processes. Within the last 3 months in particular, I've seen a significant positive change in combating these issues, which makes me excited to see where we can go as a team and as a business once these processes have been completely updated and improved!

Overall, CBDK is a great place to learn and grow and I would highly encourage anyone with a passion to help people and learn about cannabis to apply!

The only positives about this job was the health insurance and the minimal physical job duties. 
As a manager, your job is to elevate your team, meet your store goals and hold your staff accountable. 

The thing they don’t mention is when you DO hold people accountable you get very low support from your upper management—as in the area manager. This then makes it seem like you’re just being hard on everyone, despite holding the standards the company dictates. 
There is too much drama and not enough support from upper managers to eliminate bad behavior. 
Also, you hardly get positive recognition for your work despite being HEAVILY expected to meet every single goal— and if you ever meet with the owners good luck on getting any positive feed back. 
Goals you are expected would be your overall store performance with hitting bonus percentages, sales and Google reviews.

The home office is extremely poorly organized, they constantly have new staff— but do they even know how to do their jobs properly?
Cbd Kratom is all about opening new stores but does not care to focus on their struggling stores and train their new managers. 

CBD Kratom gives a lot of opportunity for job advancement, but this is mostly due to desperation. Working at any CBD Kratom store it is rare to find anyone who has worked over a year; if they have worked over a year they will definitely share a list of complaints. 
It’s great to promote from within, but you shouldn’t just pick anyone to do it. Also if you do promote from within do yourself and the teams a service and provide ACTUAL management training. 
If you don’t have strong management, you won’t have a good team, if you don’t have a good team, you can’t provide good customer service…
Also if you do have a strong manager, don’t mislead them with 2 different opportunities for advance but with no follow through.

Manager call meetings I feel could be used way better than they are as of now. On Monday meetings the AM goes over rudimentary topics but rarely speak on relevant matters. As a company with new managers— as previously stated, manager meetings should be used more proactively. 
Meetings normally just go over basics of numbers and store complaints, but that doesn’t really bring anything beneficial. 
You can expect very petty behavior from upper management, as in the area manager and some of the corporate office. 

The job is fun, there are learning opportunities if you take it upon yourself to be vocal about them. CBDK is faily open to suggestions and hearing ideas that employees have, but it takes a while to get up the ladder and is usually dispersed into thin air. The hardest part of your day is dealing with strange customers, that dispensaries and kratom naturally bring in, and staying in accordance with the knit-picky policies and profiles that this company is worried about, as they try to make all of the stores "uniform." By this, I mean they want all stores to look and be the same across the board, they have the same individuals who are running the advertising and marketing in Missouri and Texas, run the same advertising and marketing in New York and Chicago..yikes. It's a lot of last minute bs. Last minute promotions, sales, budget cuts, law changes, etc. They act like they are big on transparency, and maybe they do try, but the communication is thin. Your experience at this company depends 100% on who your direct boss is. They hire some good, some bad. Most of those who have good potential and could essentially do a good amount of change are typically shrugged off and plucked out by upper management. This company has a tendency of trying to save the day by bringing in new people at last minute (at a low scale), then allowing these individuals to make changes in regards to things they know nothing about. Applying and working for this company is a complete gamble, a gamble on how the rest of your days will go, because not many last long and things are constantly changing. Good luck! 

Honestly just don't. They are cheap, immature, and unprofessional in every way possible

They batch hire; while only retaining 1-2 people per batch. It's a revolving door. They don't give you any privacy during the interview process, interviewing you on the shop floor in front of other candidates as well as on the clock employee's and guests.

You are expected to work at 1 of 4 stores in a 60 mile radius on any given day, you are not working at exclusively 1 location. You do not get breaks. They do not honor scheduling needs, they also don't give you more than 5-6.5hr per shift meaning that if you need 40 hours you will be working 5-6 days in a given week. You do not get paid overtime on holidays. You will be micromanaged via text, and called and harassed on your day off.

The training is near non-existent, yet you are required to "test out" in order to get your keys, and rather than working with those who struggle with retaining the 200+ item worth of product knowledge they let them go with no prior warning, leaving no veteran employees and most stores unexperienced and understaffed people. 

There's a level of unprofessionalism and apathy from upper management, when it comes to any and everything, not only completing tasks, but things like communication, and even helping guests. There is no sense of family, cohesion, or teamwork here. You are not valued.

Stores are underperforming and literally falling apart, with unfilled work orders/requests. Yet their opening another location 15 miles away (their 2nd in 6 months and 3rd in a year). 

Daily operations are still completed extremely inefficiently for the scale and volume the stores operate on. Things like discounts, bonuses, or even inventory are completed though phone call or text message, which makes no sense for the size business it is; often leading to miscommunications and errors.

It's clear their focus is just turning a profit as fast as possible.

I will start off by saying that if you want to work at CBD Kratom you have to have a love for the industry and the clientele! If you’re in it for just the money you aren’t make it through training. There is so much more knowledge, drive, and passion that goes into this career than at that mom and pop street corner store where they don’t ID. I pride myself on my ability to help customers find products to best fit their needs while keeping up with the latest and greatest. The industry is constantly advancing as new discoveries are made everyday. CBD Kratom more than keeps on top of these developments and implements training from the moment you walk in on your first day on through way past your initial training period. They are constantly growing which comes with both its pros and cons.  Within just the year I’ve worked with this company they’ve launched store after store and added new and exciting products! There are always opportunities for growth as long as you have the passion and drive to be there. My manager saw something in me that I didn’t and they have helped me grow so much in the time I have been with this company. The area manager is approachable and I always feel like I learn  new leadership skills every time they visit. The communication with home management about products launches and what not  was a little iffy when I first started but when they were given feedback they took and ran with it! Which is another thing I appreciate about this company. They listen and try to make improvements even if it’s not originally what everyone imagined. I love that I don’t feel stuck and I love that there is always something new to learn and to do. There is still occasional hiccups which is expected with any company that is constantly growing but you gotta take that as you will. If you are someone eager for knowledge and passionate about helping your community this job is the way to go! 

In the interview process the acting hr at the time complained that I "didn't look the part" I was over qualified for applying for at CBA Kratom; I later found out that meant I was older than other applicants and have tattoos and piercings. She harassed me about her lackluster standards and argued with the other employee interviewing me openly in front of me about my appearance more than my job history.

After employment I realized all the more questionable practices like food product packaging lacking expiration dates,  disregard for food handing procedure and a slew of other violations. 

After actively studying and applying myself for advancement I was refused by the same woman for the only reason that I had not worked for the company long enough. They blindside us with poor insurances and I leave to find better employment. Less than a few weeks later two associates who have worked for the company less time than I, but are apart of the clique, get their own stores. 

Overall Ocean, and the family that own it are con men and don't deserve your hard work and dedication because that doesn't matter... and their food goes bad with no one knowing because first in first ot is not enforced.

This company will work you to death, and hold you to higher standards than they hold themselves. The bonus structure is a way to scam employees, and take advantage of customers who are in a vulnerable spot. You’ll be held to ridiculous sales standards, that you won’t be able to meet, and then be punished by having your hours cut. Management is promoted based on how upper management feels about you as a person, rather than your work ethic. Or they’ll tell you you’re getting promoted, make you do the work without paying you for it for months, and then tell you it didn’t work out. Associates are encouraged to tell customers what they want to hear, just so they’ll spend hundreds of dollars there on products that aren’t quality controlled. Associate complaints aren’t taken seriously, and are often swept under the rug. Employee safety is put at risk at locations in dangerous areas, with little to no regard from the owners. They offer a “family atmosphere” but don’t mention that they’ll try to push you out if you don’t fall in line with the inaccurate information they provide or buy into their shady business practices. This place is 100% about making money, and 0% about helping customers find medicinal relief. 

It's your normal retail job for the day to day, except you are truly helping the customers live a better and healthier life! Training lasts 25 days and you learn so much. There is weekly training guides that are quick and easy to do, they just ensure we continue to learn on the job.  the rest of the team is so helpful and willing to give tips for learning too. The vibes are great here! 

Management undoubtedly had problems in the past, however you can tell they are taking criticism in and adjusting their management style. I also noticed they do a lot of appreciation for the employees, like free products, pizza parties, shoutouts, etc. You'll work close with the district manager who has always been awesome to work with, he is extremely understanding and flexible with scheduling, so it's a good job if you are also in school. 

Overall, this company has a great mission and I highly recommend it!

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Sales associate 48 salaries reported	$16.35 per hour
Assistant store manager 13 salaries reported	$17.65 per hour
Store manager 1 salary reported	$52,000 per year
Warehouse associate 1 salary reported	$16.50 per hour
Facilities technician 1 salary reported	$47.50 per hour

Working at CBD KRATOM: Company Overview and Reviews

CBD KRATOM

CBD KRATOM Ratings

Popular jobs at CBD KRATOM

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected