Good River Wellness, one of the two medical and recreational dispensaries in Euclid, is set to add a drive-thru where those with pre-orders can pick up without having to leave their car. The storefront, which was once a late-night diner, opened in December 2023 and started adult-use sales shortly after Ohio started allowing sales in August of this year. The drive-thru is expected to open by the end of October. Erika Morales, the assistant manager for Good River Wellness, stands behind a cash register. (Frank Mecham- The News-Herald.) Erika Morales, the assistant manager for Good River Wellness, 27101 Euclid Ave., said they decided to open the drive-thru so that people who already knew what they wanted could get their orders quickly. She said that because so many customers are medical patients who have mobility issues, they or their caregivers could have easier access to their medicine. “I think it’s just a convenience thing for patients and customers, it’s an easy way to get in and out,” Morales said. “Some people they have children, dogs, or other reasons why they can’t get out of their vehicle and the drive-thru makes it a lot easier and less stressful for the patient or customer. “It will be strictly pre-order only just because we don’t want to hold up the line and cause any confusion.” she added. “The orders only take a couple minutes to get ready, unless something goes wrong, in which case you would get a phone call, like if a product was out or there was anything going on where you couldn’t get that. “We also wanted to try and be unique. The drive-thru was already built into the previous structure, so it was easy to just add that convenience in.” She said that adult-use sales have nearly doubled compared to the number of medical sales, and with that increase in business, she said that the store is looking to expand its number of staff and hours. Currently, the store has a sales staff of seven “wellness associates” and four managers. Morales said she wants to start hiring more staff starting in the beginning of October and were always looking for applications. The problem with filling those applications she said is that it can take up to a month from the time of first interview to when that associate is able to conduct sales. “With the drive-thru opening and really with adult-use expanding things, we have just gotten busier and want to have more people available for the patients and customers so there aren’t longer wait-times,” Morales said. “We communicate directly with each other because this is a small business. Everyone that has, basically a say in it, is here. There is no department in another state controlling everything. We take care of everything in house, so we just require more staff.” Each associate has to be thoroughly trained in regulations and have a background check completed before being hired. She said the process is similar to that of a pharmacy, in that before each sale is completed the product has to be matched to the label and other information checked before it is dispensed all while following state mandated regulations. “We are always open to taking new resumes, always open for potential employees to come in and chat with us,” Morales said. “There is a lot of movement, and it takes a really long time to get a badge. When someone gets hired, they have to do a background check, and fingerprinting and there is quite a few training modules that have to be done before they can even come in and work here. The outside of a drive-through window at Good River Wellness in Euclid. (Frank Mecham- The News-Herald.) She said that many customers are local, but that she has had conversations with people that travel for over an hour. She said because the area surrounding the store is lower income, she tries to be mindful of that and didn’t significantly raise prices after adult-use became legalized. She said that Ohio has regulations on what promotions they can give, but that they have been starting to offer bundle deals to stay competitive. “There is 20 percent off the top on both medical and recreational, on the medical side I always have a cultivator on sale so you can always get something,” Morales said. “When you come in here, it’s a small store so we know you. You aren’t going to see 20 different people, so it has that kind of neighborhood feel. “We are going to be completely transparent. If I buy something from a cultivator for 11 dollars, it’s dishonest for me to mark it at thirty dollars. I don’t do that. The normal mark up is always double and I’m taking 20 percent off of that. “It’s really important for me that the prices are reasonable and affordable for people, especially when the income of the area is mixed.” The front doors of Good River Wellness, 27101 Euclid Ave in Euclid. (Frank Mecham- The News-Herald.) She said that because of the nature of the industry, she tries to find people that can fill a retail role, but because of what they sell, it often gets more complicated than what an average person working at a store might experience. “Everyone that comes in has some type of condition even if they are coming in for adult-use they are treating something with that cannabis,” Morales said. “We have to be kind of gentle in what that person is going through. It’s really important to find out what they need, not be forceful in trying to sell any specific product but always caring about what that person is going through, what results they are looking for, and how much they can afford to spend. “With all of those things I feel like you have to be a caring person to be able to hit all those marks to fulfill their needs,” she added.