Two ways to get the same order
Curbside pickup and delivery both start with an online order. The difference is the last leg of the trip. Curbside means you drive to the dispensary and a staff member brings the bag to your car. Delivery means a driver brings the bag to your address. The cost gap comes from who pays for that trip.
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Curbside pickup costs
Most stores charge $0 for curbside. The fee structure matches in-store pickup. You pay the menu price, state and local cannabis taxes, and any card surcharge. Debit card fees run $2 to $5 at some shops. Cash avoids that fee.
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Your own costs are fuel and time. A 10-mile round trip at 25 mpg and $3.50 per gallon costs about $1.40. Drive time is the larger expense. A 20-minute trip plus 5 minutes at the curb is 25 minutes of your day.
Rules vary by state. Some states allow curbside as a permanent option. Others allowed it under pandemic-era orders and ended it. Check the store page before you drive.
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Delivery costs
Delivery fees in legal US markets run $5 to $15 for orders under a threshold. Many stores waive the fee above $50 to $100. Minimum order sizes of $30 to $100 are common. Add a driver tip of 10 to 20 percent, the same range as food delivery.
Tax applies to the product either way. Some states charge an extra delivery license fee that gets passed to the customer.
Side by side
- Order fee: curbside $0 at most stores. Delivery $5 to $15.
- Minimum order: curbside none. Delivery $30 to $100.
- Tip: curbside $0 to $5. Delivery 10 to 20 percent.
- Your travel: curbside 15 to 40 minutes round trip. Delivery zero.
- Wait time: curbside 5 to 15 minutes at the curb. Delivery 1 to 3 hours in most markets.
- ID check: both. The driver scans your ID at the door.
Break-even math
A $60 order at a store with a $10 delivery fee and a 15 percent tip costs $79 delivered. Curbside for the same order costs $60 plus about $1.40 in fuel and 25 minutes. Delivery is $17.60 more.
At a store with free delivery over $50, the gap drops to a $9 tip. That is close to the value a driver places on 25 minutes.
Which one costs less
Curbside costs less in cash for almost every order. Delivery costs less in time. Pick based on what is scarce for you that day.
Limits to check
- State law on delivery and curbside.
- County or city bans on delivery in some areas.
- Delivery hours, often 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Distance caps, often 5 to 15 miles from the store.