As the cannabis industry heads into one of its most important sales weeks of the year, BDSA’s 2024 Green Wednesday insights offer a clear signal: consumers are showing up early, buying bigger, and responding strongly to promo-driven value. With holiday competition heating up and budgets tightening nationwide, Green Wednesday has cemented itself as the #2 cannabis holiday of the year—second only to 4/20.
Whether you’re a retailer fine-tuning your promo calendar or a brand optimizing sell-through, the data points to several high-impact opportunities this week.
Green Wednesday Is Officially a Shopping Event, Not Just a Pre-Holiday Spike
Green Wednesday continues to drive elevated shopping behavior, with bigger baskets, more items, and significantly higher traffic than the average November day.
In 2024, stores saw:
- 1.5× more transactions per store
- 1.1× higher basket sizes
- 1.2× more items per basket
Green Wednesday delivered +66% incremental sales vs. non-holiday days, making it second only to 4/20’s +147% surge, and edging out Black Friday’s still-strong +60%.
The Discount Story: Deep Promotions Drive Conversions
The week of Green Wednesday had the deepest discount depth of any 2024 holiday period, averaging 28.65% off. Consumers had clear expectations: this is the week to buy.
Category-level discount behavior mattered:
The menu-posted price for edibles remained unchanged for Green Wednesday, and saw sell-through pricing 10% lower than a non-holiday. In contrast, many other categories showed menu increases, then discounting off the higher anchor price. This lead to a with a more modest sell through pricing decrease while still driving perception of greater discounting. Flower, for example, increased original menu prices by 3%, then discounted off that anchor price. The result was a 5% lower sell-through price than a non-holiday.
Category lifts reflected both pricing tactics and consumer responsiveness:
- Edibles saw the highest incremental sales: +17%
- Pre-roll and sublinguals: +15% incremental sales
- Flower, extracts, and vapes: +13% incremental sales
Which States Over-Performed? Keep an Eye on the East Coast
Across most major markets, Green Wednesday ranked as the #2 holiday of the year. Exceptions included Michigan, Illinois, and Oregon, where Black Friday slightly outperformed.
But two markets stood out: New Jersey & Pennsylvania
These states showed exceptional alignment with 4/20 activity, suggesting consumer enthusiasm rivaling the industry’s biggest day.
- NJ: Green Wednesday sales were +116% vs non-holiday daily averages (4/20 was +121%).
- PA: Green Wednesday surged +123% (vs +128% on 4/20).
Category Spotlight: Edibles Are the Undisputed Holiday Hero
Among all major categories, edibles captured the strongest incremental lift (+17%) during the Green Wednesday week. Pre-rolls and sublinguals followed at +15%. Flower, extracts, and vapes posted +13% lifts.
Factors potentially contributing to edibles’ strong incremental lift include:
- Holiday-friendly format: portable, discreet, and easy to share during travel and gatherings.
- Approachability for newer consumers: avoids smoke, smell, and paraphernalia, making it a comfortable option for mixed-experience groups.
- Gifting behavior: chocolates, confections, and gummies lend themselves to holiday gifts and add-on purchases.
- Clear promotional structure: simple, value-forward deals (e.g., BOGOs) make edible promos easy for consumers to act on.
- Discreet consumption: ideal for people staying with family or traveling who want odor-free, low-visibility formats.
Final Thought: Green Wednesday Is Now a Predictable Growth Engine
The data tells a clear story: Green Wednesday has earned its place as one of cannabis’s biggest commercial opportunities, and consumers are highly predictable in how they shop this week.
Retailers who activate early, lean into transparent value, and elevate high-demand categories will win not just this week, but into December as those reactivated holiday shoppers return.
Every state behaves differently during holiday weeks, with distinct consumer patterns, pricing behaviors, and category responses. If you want to translate those insights into smarter planning, optimized promotions, and stronger sell-through, connect with BDSA. We’ll help you navigate Green Wednesday and every other major cannabis holiday with clarity and confidence.