CI: good or bad for the cigar-buying experience?

[milhouse]

alot has to do with your location. living in nyc limits, the taxes are through the roof. For example a liga number 9 robusto is $18.20 plus sales tax of 8.875%. makes the decision easier. Plus most of the b&m's do not even offer a seating area, and those that do, do not have a television or even drinks for purchase. The rent is so high, they have to get the money somehow.

 

[StogieNinja]

I can just clearly see one of these super stores moving into my state and putting a lot of my local shops out of business. Which would be too bad, I'd hate to see the love of money trump the love for cigars in this fine, cigar friendly state

lol, I can't see any cigar superstore setting up shop in WA, so maybe that's part of it for me. Then again, these kinds of places tend to be destinations. I could be wrong, but perhaps they might draw non-cigar smokers into the cigar world, and when those folks return home, they might seek out a local shop to do business with.

 

[CalixtoLopez]

In WA we've seen big box liquor stores with walk in humidors like Bevmo and Total move in over the past year, which have decent prices and selection, but not the same personality as a good B&M. As for B&M doing mail order at lower margins, it's not really worth the overhead unless you can guarantee huge volume.

We leave that to the usual suspects, and focus on personalized service.

A lot of guys come in looking for proprietary CI brands like Manowar or Nica Libre. It's important to know what those are so we can suggest a similar B&M only brand, and hopefully switch them over!

I can't understand why states don't realize that high tobacco taxes actually mean less revenue, since people just order online to avoid taxes. How many of you would return to buying locally if your tastes were lowered and stick prices dropped by $1-2?

 

[BesstR]

I do my shopping at both online and B&M. I live in a small community with no real B&Ms with a lounge. When I travel to Phoenix I do go to a couple of places. I am usually pressed for time so I hit what is closes to me. I go to Fumars beccause it is close to the highway. However, I do go to Cigar King when I have more time and Brandon is not working LOL. No, Brandon is a good guy when he is a sleep and not having bad dreams. They have treated me well at both places in Phoenix. Online I like Emersons and Holts with CI thrown in the mix.

Sent from the mind of a mad man and his little device.

 

[blueboy714]

when I started smoking cigars in the mid-70's there was an excellent cigar/tobacco shop in town that was run by 3 generations. I went there for years until the youngest was ready to retire. He sold the place to someone who concentrated on the cheap brands that they could make the most money from. They lost a lot of loyal customers. Since then I've been about 75% online and 25% B&M.

There is one shop in town that good at recommending cigars, helping with questions, etc. - IF it is right person. One brother runs the cigar part of the shop and the other runs the wine shop/bar. Once in awhile I've gotten discounts or the like, but that isn't often.

Online I've always liked Holt's because they provide excellent phone customer service. You don't like the box of cigars you bought - return then and we will reimburse you for what is left.

A big difference is price - my state (Wisconsin) automatically adds on 20% to your cigar purchase it makes it difficult for the B&M to compete without the "extras" (you can't sit in an online shop and have a cigar and a drink and chat with fellow cigar lovers). Heck, sometimes it's cheaper to buy from overseas than it is 5-10 miles from my house.

 

[Cigar Cowboy]

Never a problem with CI. But there are better sites out there. Try "cigars at your price" I get 90% of my stuff there.

 

[xravin]

Could say a lot on the subject. Perhaps later.

For now, my shorter answer is: very few B&Ms leave me feeling warm and fuzzy inside.
-Service often sucks, especially towards the younger demographics.
-Prices can be outrageous (ESPECIALLY in states with high tobacco taxes).
-Selections are frequently limited. The employees often try to push things that make them the most money. I've also been in stores where anybody could buy core Fuente lines, RyJs, etc, but the higher end smokes were hidden and reserved for select customers.

I have to agree with this. If the difference was a couple of bucks per premium stick I'd be in the B&Ms all the time. But it's many bucks more, and that adds up fast when you are stocking a humidor. I've also had issues with the hidden selections. I was in one shop and the guy working there asked what I was looking for. I told him and said I didn't see it, he opened a cabinet under some boxes and said Oh we don't put those out on display. This has happened with probably 70% of the sticks I look for. Half the reason I go to a B&M is to see the sticks in person! If they are all shut away I may as well order online, that way I don't have to ask about every premium stick I'm interested in.

Now there is another shop local that has everything out on the floor, better but still high prices, but they can be a bit hostile towards the noobs. I've only ever been there with a guy from work who is older and frequents there quite a bit, so I had no trouble. But I've heard stories.

But like I said, couple bucks more and a warm and fuzzy atmosphere and I'm all in. Had a little place back at my undergrad that was like that, just a bunch of nice old guys hanging around smoking and being jovial with whoever came in. They were in a college town though and probably used to younger customers.

 

[ninjasaurus]

I started a thread on another forum to the same effect. I do go to local b&m on occasion. However, the reason I order online are less than the price difference (prices are reasonable here) but more do to the poor customer service that many have mentioned here. Additionally, only recently have some shops expanded their selection to rival what can be bought online.

 

[StogieNinja]

Never a problem with CI. But there are better sites out there. Try "cigars at your price" I get 90% of my stuff there.

That's a site I like, it's owned by Nice Ash, and one of the guys there is a member here, szyzk.

 

[GoingPostal]

I'd love to buy at a B&M but I really don't have that option. Here in CA taxes make it tough for B&M so you got to be lucky to have one near you. there is one 30min away but small and has very limited selections. there are 2 other options about 1hr away but that's a long way to drive for a smoke and traffic/parking is a bitch but when im in the area i try and stop by and pick something up.

So do stores like CI hurt the cigar buying experience? in some ways i think they actually make it easier to get a new smoker into the hobby buy offering a lot of selection while not putting to big dent in the pocket book

 

[MDSPHOTO]

At my last residence there were 5 B&Ms within a 15 minute drive including one with the largest humidor in Georgia. Like others have mentioned, service was not great at any of them. I found a new B&M about an hour away that I would ride my bike to and hang out with the owner as he was building his clientele and that was a great experience. At my new house there are two liquor stores that have cigars and not a wide selection, so online is really my only choice. I also think online shops allow access to a lot more samplers which the B&Ms could not offer.

 

[jimmypa]

Could say a lot on the subject. Perhaps later.

For now, my shorter answer is: very few B&Ms leave me feeling warm and fuzzy inside.
-Service often sucks, especially towards the younger demographics.
-Prices can be outrageous (ESPECIALLY in states with high tobacco taxes).
-Selections are frequently limited. The employees often try to push things that make them the most money. I've also been in stores where anybody could buy core Fuente lines, RyJs, etc, but the higher end smokes were hidden and reserved for select customers.

^It can be one, or any combination of the above.

This ^^ I would love to frequent a nice B&M and support local small businesses, talk about the cigars, ect... but it is hard to justify the high prices, limited selection, and sometimes poor service. I envy the guys who have great B&Ms near them. Take Tatuajes for an example, if I see them at a B&M near me they are always priced soo high compared to what you can get them for online then tax is added on top of that, and they will usually only have a very limited selection. Online, I can search through a few websites (mostly our sponsors) find exactly what I want (rare/htf limited releases sometimes), at a great price... and getting it shipped right to my front door is just a bonus.

 

[BrotherMaduro]

What I wouldn't give to have choices when it comes to b&m. I have 2 places in my area to choose from, and both have a very limited selection. If I want to hit up a real cigar shop I have to drive close to 100 miles.

Online is pretty much my only option for variety. Which sucks because I can't just buy 1 stick to try and find out if I like it. I've got a lot of 5 packs that I bought that were less than delicious.

There are sites where you can buy singles. Cigar.com is my favorite for that purpose. CI also recently started offering a limited selection of singles. You can also get them at Cigarbid, if you're looking for fun and adventure.

 

[thedismaltrade]

Could say a lot on the subject. Perhaps later.

For now, my shorter answer is: very few B&Ms leave me feeling warm and fuzzy inside.
-Service often sucks, especially towards the younger demographics.
-Prices can be outrageous (ESPECIALLY in states with high tobacco taxes).
-Selections are frequently limited. The employees often try to push things that make them the most money. I've also been in stores where anybody could buy core Fuente lines, RyJs, etc, but the higher end smokes were hidden and reserved for select customers.

^It can be one, or any combination of the above.

Additionally, I have met VERY few tobacconists who are, you know, actually tobacconists. Most shop employees I encounter are just dudes doing it for the paycheck. They know very little, and are of no use to people except for new smokers.

To counter the "Walmart mentality", B&Ms run off the "Starbucks/Nike mentality." They're not selling you products, they're selling you an experience. I don't have a problem with either, but if you're going to take issue with the Walmart method... you should be taking issue with the Starbucks method too.

Wow- couldn't say it any better

 

[Dread]

The experience is worth more to some than others, to me it is a huge part of my purchasing habits. When Im hungry I go to a locally run restaurant, when I need a haircut I go to the the local barber, when I want cigars I go to the local cigar shop. But at the same time I can also understand why the experience can only pay off to a certain extent before a product or service simply becomes too expensive. All I really have to say it this, if it is within your means then there is no reason to not buy local. The relationships are worth way more than saving a few bucks in my opinion.

 

[HarleyMark13]

I would love to be able to walk into a B&M but the closest one to me is about 150 miles away. As a result I buy everything online but I try to stick with the sponsors, however my budget makes the final choice.

 

[OldGringo]

I've been buying my daily smoke cigars from CI for many years. I also visit my favorite B&M 3 to 4 times a week and buy 4 or 5 cigars from them. The B&M owners know and understand that I cannot afford the luxury of spending $100 a week in thier shop and appreciate the money I do spend there on cigars, and other smoking related items. I will not enter their shop and light a cigar I did not purchase from them, but have on occasion finished a cigar I had started earlier before purchasing another 2 or 3 from them.

 

[BigDaddyJG]

I thought CI was also a B&M?


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[SmokeAndMirrors]

I personally am all about a great place to buy from and sit and smoke. However, lounges are hard to find...and that is what really hooks me into a B&M is the ability to relaxe and enjoy a smoke with others. I do most my business online however, because I do not have a B&M within an hour of me

 

[K Williams]

Good. CI & CBid...same company.

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