Harborside Health Center

SOME GOOD THINGS, SOME AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT
SLOW LINE: I’ve only been to Harborside Health twice, once around a year-​and-​a-​half ago, with a friend who’d just gotten her card and wanted me to go with her. There was a line that took 15 or 20 minutes, which feels like a lot ’cause you’re standing in a line that’s mostly not moving.
‘Course I’m spoiled by my regular place on Broadway, which, while lacking the breadth of HH’s products and services, is fast fast fast, and the counter employees are extremely pleasant, and the whole thing is very low-​key and professional. Not that HH’s people aren’t pleasant, at least most of the actual service people I’ve dealt with.
SECURITY GUY LITTLE TOO COP-​LIKE: I visited HH today and forgot that you have to use the far side of the two-​sided steps as you’re walking in from the parking lot behind the office building next door. The entrance and exit are the same door, and when you naturally start up the «wrong» steps (i.e., the ones that are closest to you if you’re coming from the far parking lot), they tell you to come in the other side, in the manner of all guys whose job it is to tell people to go in on the other side. There’s no sign or anything to indicate the «right» way to enter, i.e., no way you could possibly know other than having the guard tell you and then ask you, «is this your first time here?» At this point you feel stupid and a little fucked with, but on the plus side, you’re glad you haven’t come to HH for something to help you with your anxiety disorder.
SUGGESTION: Short-​term: put up a sign that says «ENTER» with a big arrow; longer term: reorganize the traffic flow inside, with separate doors for the entrance and exit.
FRONT DESK GUY GOOD, BUT. .. I re-​registered at the front desk ’cause I just got a new card. Pretty easy; feels a little intrusive, though. They take your card and license and scan them. I can see that they have to do this, but the HH experience feels vaguely police station/​DMV/​courthouse-​esque — not quite airport-​level intrusive, though. I asked front-​desk guy if there were any times when the lines tended to be shorter. «No, it varies.» Fair enough. He did tell me I can order online if I know what I want and then come in and pick up my order quickly at a special counter, and pointed the way to it.
COMMUNICATION PROBLEMS: I went to the Web-​order pick-​up counter and looked at a brochure about a line of branded liquid products while waiting for the guy ahead of me so I could talk to the employee there. I asked if there was a complete list of available products on the website, and I forget her exact answer, but it didn’t make any sense at all, like when you ask someone a question and they assume you’re actually trying to ask a different question and so they answer that question instead. Again, fair enough; I’m sure they get plenty of customers who don’t communicate well for whatever reason, just like any other retail business. I told her that the front-​desk guy said that this was the Web-​order pick up counter and I wanted to know if the website has a complete list of every product HH offers. Turns out she had assumed that, because I was standing in front of the special branded liquid product display and brochures, I was asking about that. Yikes. Communication problems appear to be a common thread at HH. Once we got that straightened out (and I stepped away from in front of the branded liquids), everything made more sense. She was very friendly.
WEBSITE NEEDS OVERHAUL: HH has a very extensive website, reflecting all the stuff they sell, services they offer, rules, policies, and so on. I’m guessing that they’ve just kept adding to it over time as their business has grown and changed, when they really need to have it completely redesigned.
CALL-​IN HELP IS FIRST RATE: HH does have a phone help desk if you have problems with the site, and the woman I talked to was extremely pleasant, professional and helpful. Yay! On the other hand, I wouldn’t have needed to call if their website were more user-​friendly. You have to scroll down a very long page to find what you’re looking for, instead of choosing from well-​designed menus. Plus, it’s hard to register, choose UN + password. Good Web design is hard, I know, but I expected HH to have a better site.
DELIVERY GUY WAS GREAT: The best part of today’s HH experience was the delivery guy. He called within an hour of when I ordered online (mid-​afternoon) and told me when he’d be here with my shit, within a 20-​minute window! I didn’t check the time he got here, but it seemed about right. Guy was very friendly and professional. Introduced himself and shook my hand. Told me stuff about CBD/​THC blends.
HH has done a great deal for the medical cannabis industry, and I give them big kudos for that. I’m sure it’s hard running a business like that. Some things could definitely be improved, but their people do know their shit, I’ll say that for them.

Came to harborside to pick up some clones! They have a great selection, Tuesday’s and Thursday’s are the big Dark Heart Nursery clone drop off days, be ready to get there super early to line up for the best cuts. Rest of the day’s lines aren’t bad.
Alex D and Alex A helped me out, they were great, knowledgeable and efficient! Can’t recommend this place enough!

Harborside Health Center made me feel so comfortable as a new patient. I have never used medical canibis or recreational for that matter in my life. I was intimidated at first but was greeted so warmly by the gentlemen outside, the gentleman that opened the door, the nice ladies that started my paper work & gave me a tour. I was soon at ease. I would like to give a specific shout out to Lynn who helped me decide what I needed. He spent so much time with me explaining every stupid question I had. Lynn was so patient & non-​judgmental, helpful, understanding & all with a warm smile on his face! THANK YOU SO MUCH LYNN! I will be back.

I feel that harborside has lost its competitive edge since their services are widely found at other dispensaries. Nevertheless I am a loyal customer and will continue to return

After my first visit to Harborside, I felt compelled to let others know how positive my experience was. After a tour and orientation of the health center, I had the great fortune of ending up with Michelle and Christi, the duo behind the counter who took exceptional care of me. They could not have been nicer and more patient, answering every question (sometimes twice!) and providing additional support and care. Their positive demeanor and wealth of information left me feeling confident about my purchase and future visits to the center. Thank you both and Harborside for a great welcome!

I’ve been trying dispensaries for the past year and this is hands down the best one in the East Bay. I can always count on quality products from Harborside. The prices may be a bit higher than other places, however I have never seen mold on anything like I have in other dispensaries. You get what you pay for. I have found the employees to be pretty knowledgeable and decent overall. I have a few favorite budtenders I trust that I try to get, can’t always do that though. It’s a very nice place that’s clean, and the selection is terrific. I like the veteran and senior discount every day as well. Many other dispensaries only give discounts on certain days of the week.

Ohhhhh YOU GOTTA COME TO THIS PLACE sooo awesome!
Liked it more than any others
Comfortable, inviting. and has everything!!!
Cases to see every product… The edibles in like paper candy wraps cut open so u could see the inside.

I made an appointment a few weeks ago for hypnotherapy. My appointment was for January 18 at 2 pm. I was very excited for my appointment. Ichecked in waited and waited got checked in again… im thinking, just afew more mins. Nah, they called me in to a room to tell me that the therapist had left early, they were just so busy that nobody knows what is going on. I will be going to another club.

Very mixed review here. As anyone knows who’s bought clones here before on a Saturday morning, the line could be incredibly long. I waited over 6 hours for harbor side to open to make sure I got what I wanted. It was my turn in line and I picked out what I wanted. Came time to pay, no big deal I’ll pull out my atm card I’ve used a few times before.
Lady swipes it, and says it can’t read your card. IT DIDN’T SAY DECLINED, IT SAID CARD CANT BE READ. I say it could be because it has a chip in the card AND your system isn’t built for that but it’s a visa can you manually type in the numbers? Ive been to many business where they manually key it in no problem… NOT AT HARBORSIDE. I was spending close to a grand, I figured the least they could do was try and key it in manually… Instead they tell me go use the atm… I said that’s fine but I can only pull $ 500 out per day from ATMs like everyone else, her response was… I know but maybe your bank can lift the limit… I’M IN LINE FOR CHRIST SAKE I cant just call chase.
This is already very terrible service considering how long I waited and how frequent I spend money at this location. Pulling $ 500 out of the ATM here, I would only be able to buy half of what I wanted, that’s not why I came, to only leave with half.
Next disappoint I figure fine i’ll just run to chase real quick, they literally gave me 14 minutes to come up with the money. That was not enough time to go to the bank and back, no way in hell. They told me after that, there’s nothing they can do it about it. Are you kidding me? TRY TO KEY IN MY CARD MANUALLY!!! UNREAL.
If you go here, save yourself and bring cash or they’ll basically tell you that you’re SOL.

My first time experience here at Harborside was wonderful, I had never been into any kind of cannabis club before and I was nervous and didn’t know where to go or what to do but thanks to the team over at Harborside I felt welcomed and I was surprised how nice they were because i’m only 18 and i expected the usual runaround because I look like a 12 year old but there was no funny business which i cannot express how thankful I am for their non-​ageism there and I got everything I wanted and more, oh and a special shout-​out to my new homegirl and first ever bud tender Michelle who hooked me up with a DELICIOUS brownie and was very insightful on my first trip. one last thing i cant stress enough how wonderful the atmosphere is there, it feels safe, to be who you are.

So it was my first time coming into the dispensary about two weeks ago when I was greeted by everyone in such a positive environment. Hannah (blonde with short hair) I believe was the one that gave me the tour of Haborside and was well informed about any questions I asked. I forgot to ask about the free classes but next time I go in I’ll know for sure anyone there will be able to answer my questions.
I went in line which was rather long for a Thursday but then again it was my first time so I don’t know the standards. They have a express line for those that know what they want without hesitation which is great.
I was helped at the counter by man named Ian A. that helped me throughout my purchase very well. Gave me brochures and talked me through what exactly I wanted which was CBD. Gave me great description about the dropper product he recommended and the different variations of it. Another employee named Alex A. jumped in and began recommending other similar products as well with such enthusiasm. One product both recommended was out of stock so I guess I missed my chance! Should’ve known better since this is the most popular dispensary in the state. They refill stocks all the time which is perfect.
If I can rate higher out of 5 stars I would. This will be the only dispensary I’ll ever go to. Great security, wonderful and passionate people every where I don’t see there is any other choice

DONT WASTE YOUR TIME! If you call first they tell you to check Twitter rather than answering your question directly. Then when you arrive they will take no responsibility for misprints on Twitter.
Trying to be a vendor? Be prepared to sit in a waiting area for 1 – 2 hours. Have an appointment? They will say they dont keep records of appointments.
This place is so slimy and snakey unless you simply want to buy weed for outrageously high prices there is no point in coming here.

The friendliest club I’ve been to. Staff are friendly and place is so clean. De’Leon helped me out a ton and answered all of my questions. The wait was a while but totally worth it.

Over the past six months I have visited a variety of dispensaries in the Bay Area. They all have pros and cons, but I continue to find myself coming back to Harborside time and again. Im always in a better mood after I visit harborside, and its not just because of the quality medicine. The professionalism, efficiency, and kindness I experience here is second to none. They offer a wide variety of quality products and the associates are well educated on the medicine they distribute. Mollie, Mitchell, and Dustin are a few of my favorite Budtenders to work with because they so are genuine, patient, and compassionate. This is the only dispensary I could ever need/​want.

Excellent service! I love the staff here, always friendly and knowledgeable about their products, whether I’m at the center or over the phone. Recently I called in and talked to Christina in the call center and she was magically my delivery person, so it was nice to have phone to door service and to meet the kind person who helped me with my order! I highly recommend patients to go to Harborside!

I would give this place 5 stars if it weren’t for the person who checked me out. I came in as a new patient the other day, but this one woman ruined it for me.
The man working outside was very nice, kindly told me where to wait for someone to come help me.
The woman who gave me the tour was great. I could tell she has to do that sort of thing a lot and I appreciated that she made herself available for questions during the tour. She explained the difference between the two lines, one being an express line for those who knew what they wanted, the main line being for those who may have questions. Well, I am not new to this sort of thing by any means, but I really wanted to hear recommendations from someone about what strains would be good for specific medical issues I have been having.
After about 20 minutes in line, no big deal, it was fun to people watch and look at all the different strands and goodies they offer, I was finally called to a register.
The woman who «helped me» called me over. I put down the little booklet the tour woman had given to me and started to say «well, I am looki-​» while looking at the offerings of flowers they have displayed.
When register lady said, «Is this your first time here, you get a free edible or pre-​roll» I say thanks but think, Well, that’s really great, but that is not why I came in. I said the brownie was fine, and starting to ask her about the flowers. I started by saying that I was looking for both a nice satvia for daytime anxiety, and also a nice indica for nighttime sleeping. She didn’t say a word. Nothing. I looked at her. Nothing.
I kept looking at the offerings. I looked at her, smiled, tried to look lost.
She started telling the patient who was being helped next to me about free chocolates they were giving away. Nothing to me.
I asked her if I could mix and match to make an ounce. She said she didn’t know what that meant. I said it meant, can I buy different kinds to equal an ounce.
She told me I could buy whatever I wanted. Okay, thanks.
I asked her if she could recommend a nice sativa for the daytime. She took something out of the case and told me to smell it. I wanted to know more about it, but she just told me if it smells good to me, I’d probably like it.
Well, okay, but I have these ailments (started to tell her about dizziness, etc said,” do you think…“
I look up to a blank face, and stare.
Nothing.
All I wanted was some help, someone to help me figure out what I was looking at, tell me what’s good for various medical ailments I won’t go into here.
Nothing. It was like trying to pull teeth.
At this point, I almost asked if someone else could please help me.
I ended up buying three eighths, but not really sure if it was even what I wanted. I went in really thinking that the person who helped me would be able to recommend a specific strain for specific issues. I have never had that issue at another club, most of the budtenders can’t stop talking about their products.
This woman seemed interested in only putting the most expensive strands, on the counter, and not trying to educate me to make the best choice.
I have heard that Harborside cares about their reputation, so I hope this review helps. I hope I when I return, I’ll be helped by someone who can at least pretend like they care.
For reference, this woman was maybe in her 50s and had a bit of a rockabilly look to here. She had some word tattooed across her chest. She needs a lesson in customer service.

Joe was so helpful and really help me out as this is a new road I’m going down, and know nothing about it. Still have a lot to learn, but he got me off to a good start.
All the staff was great!
This is for sure the place to go. Largest in the states and what a selection.
Note:
You may need to wait in line for awhile as you are not the only one who came in. It was worth the wait

There’s lots of dispensaries in Oakland, so it’s a blessing for a medicinal patient. I frequent a few spots in the Town, but Harborside is the real deal– a true health and wellness center. They have a holistic approach to stay balanced– counseling, yoga, acupuncture, etc. But I’m more familiar with their abundant strains of flowers & concentrates!
Shout out to Alex A. She took her time in comparing strains for me. She answered my questions about dosages and random stuff. Alex was kind and happy to help me choose the right meds. I will wait in line again just to see her smile!!!
Place is clean, safe, and efficient. I’ll be back bruh.

I love Harborside!
When I first got my Cannabis Card
I came to this spot and they were so helpful and very accommodating. My favorite thing about this place is the Express Line! if you know exactly what you want you can avoid the long line. On the other hand if you have any questions you can have a consult and they will answer any question you have, in the world about sweet MJ!
The staff are totally friendly and answer all questions. very patient, cool people here.
I LOVE that you receive points on Every purchase. I like to get 180 points then receive a free Sativa pre-​roll.

I’ve only been here once, but can say I had a great experience so far. Very friendly staff, I even got a tour of the place and was told about all their services apart from their medical cannabis business (the holistic center offers a wide variety of services to their members for free — even yoga, acupuncture, reiki and the like!).
My consultant was Molly and I can highly recommend her! She was very knowledgeable, talked in depth with me about my medical issues and recommended the edibles that would most likely help me. We will see how it works out in the long run, but so far, I feel very well cared for and will definitely be back if it turns out their products help me.
A little tip for future customers: they do not offer payment with credit cards (because the card companies don’t accept them as a business, weird!), but accept debit cards. However, with the debit cards, you have to pay a fee. So I would recommend to bring cash.