Weed and Rolex watches offered side-by-side at Aspen boutique, the headline at watchpro.com proclaims, linking to the wrong story at westword.com. A little sleuthing unearths the correct link. “This is the first store in Colorado (and likely the country) to have Rolex products and pre-rolled joints in the same inventory,” westword.com declares. The pictures don’t show any watches. Same at Dalwhinnie Farms’ website. So I called them . . .
“We don’t have any yet,” the sober-sounding store associate informed me (which explains the lack of any mention of Rolex on their website). Nor do they have any concrete plans to sell Rolex in the immediate future.
watchpro.com’s story relied entirely on secondhand intel. Like this:
Westword reporter Thomas Mitchell found a rich mix of boutique-style merchandise at the pot dispensary, including Rolex watches — presumably pre-owned — alongside leather goods and jewelry.
Mr. Mitchell “found” no such thing. The quote at the top of this article is the only reference to Rolex in his story.
After forty years in the media, I understand the need to rely on competitors for information, and the commercial demand for time sensitive clickbait.
But it behooves any professional publishing in the public square to consider his or her source – in this case a website for the marijuana industry – before accepting a story as writ.
If a publisher accepts an unspoken obligation maintain a basic level of factuality, a little fact checking goes a long way.
Here’s the thing: Rolex would never in a million years allow a dealer to sell marijuana under the same roof as Rolex. Mr. Corder knows that – hence the parenthetical aside that the Dalwinnie Farm’s Swiss watches were “presumably pre-owned.”
If Dalwhinnie Farms’s “budtenders” sell pre-owned Rolex that’s a good story. One that cries out for comment from Rolex. Our call to their U.S. press department is in. We’ll update if, as and when.
Don’t get me wrong. I admire and appreciate WatchPro editor Rob Corder’s work. Despite an obvious pro-industry bias, I rely on his publication for breaking news and story ideas. I look forward to a correction.
Meanwhile, I’ll say this about the story itself: it’s hard enough to resist the temptation to buy a Rolex when you’re not stoned. Fire-up some of Dalwhinnie Farms’ Shift Tennis Balls flowers and your credit card may melt. Or maybe just look like it melted.
I am still trying to wrap my head around this original story. What kind of business case are they making, besides hoping for class and prestige to rub off on their brand? It’s more likely to confuse and limit customers. Do they really think there will be crossover appeal?
Extreme claims require extreme proof. I still find the claim incredible, which is not to say impossible.
There would be. Plenty of people shop high or drunk and definitely have cash to burn. That’s why they give you liquor at high end stores (e.g. Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus etc…) Though I’m not sure weed makes you spend.