Local B&M

[jasonatjl]

Went to my closest B&M today and wandered into their humidor. Came across a couple Tat Black CG 2013s @ $10/each (they had a total of 4).

Picked them up, 3 of the 4 had beetle damage! I took them to the front counter to make them aware of it, but the guy working the front register seemed disinterested and after I left, I saw him walk the remaining 3 (I bought the good one) back into the walk-in humidor!

Crazy.

But they do have Casa Cuba Divine Inspirations for sale at $11/each...might have to pick a couple up before the beetles do. :/

 

[GreekElite]

You better freeze that 1 good one you got just in case

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[jasonatjl]

You better freeze that 1 good one you got just in case

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Burning it as we speak, actually.

 

[Boudie]

Probably too expensive to toss and the next guy won't check as well as you did. Hope it doesn't spread to the rest of his humidor

 

[GreekElite]

Burning it as we speak, actually.

Lucky

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[jasonatjl]

Lucky

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Ugh, I don't miss that shit! I'm gonna be in the Midwest (Chicago and Michigan) around Christmas...I'm sure I'll freeze my gonads off while I'm there.

Probably too expensive to toss and the next guy won't check as well as you did. Hope it doesn't spread to the rest of his humidor

That was my concern, truthfully. I'd hate to see his whole humidor go down, unless he wanted to make the insurance claim, I suppose. I would have bought all 4 if they weren't damaged but hopefully the next guy checks his smokes too.

 

[SurfnSafari]

Went to my closest B&M today and wandered into their humidor. Came across a couple Tat Black CG 2013s @ $10/each (they had a total of 4).

Picked them up, 3 of the 4 had beetle damage! I took them to the front counter to make them aware of it, but the guy working the front register seemed disinterested and after I left, I saw him walk the remaining 3 (I bought the good one) back into the walk-in humidor!

Crazy.

But they do have Casa Cuba Divine Inspirations for sale at $11/each...might have to pick a couple up before the beetles do. :/

Sounds like the B & M Clerk really cares about his customers..........not.

 

[mjones9630]

SMH.. Damn shame

 

[SurfnSafari]

Ran into one of our local Cigar Representatives on a Bagel Shop run this am. He is effected by those of us who buy on line, as he make no commission on our sales. Apprently the big online dealer are his company house accounts, so no salesman get commission.

My idea I shot at him was a lot of folks don't need the B & M to hold their hand, we know what we want, or are willing to take a change on an unknown 5 pack.

The flip side is maybe last year when neighbor ask where to buy Cigar locally. I pointed them to ther local B & M, as they are not big consumers.

Honestly online, has replaced mail order. If the local Cigar Shop want to survive they need to compete with the big boys of the inductry, or they will be history. I do not believe the big boys are going anywhere.

Neptune in Miami is a online dealer I like, but the flip side is they have (3) B & M stores. Last one opened recently so they must understand all side of the Cigar business.

 

[Boudie]

B&Ms have to offer more then cigars. They have to be a place of refuge, camaraderie, and service. Kind of like a bar, you can buy alcohol anywhere but a good bar or good cigar shop will do well if they make you want to visit. I don't expect the little hole in the wall places to make it but when I saw the crowd at Davidoff of Geneva or the shop we visit in Biloxi a place with the right formula can do well

 

[navyvet]

Everytime i have gone to my b&m, i have been offered things that buying online doesnt offer me. Free coffee free cable tv free wifi sometimes food at not an increased cost and increased tax the b&m doesnt usally get anything extra from selling you their cigars. It is just impossible for them to match price of a warehouse type online cigar shop where most people go to save a couple bucks. I always make sure to support good b&ms if you want to have a place out of town or intown to meet and be able to smoke a cigar with a friend or family member people should give a good share of their business to their local shop

 

[SurfnSafari]

Part of the problem I see with local many Cigar shops is what I call hobby owners[/] who are not people persons, staff clerks that just want to hang out with their buddies. Let say many forget it's a service business that sell Cigars.

Have very little motivation to offer service. Most are paid minimum wage, and honestly you don't get much effort for low wages.

Then you have the likes of the Cigar shop that is not far from where I live. That shop I am sure was clean & tidy on the day they opened years ago. Dirty is not even a polite word to describe how it is kept. Same place has many empty boxes with zero inventory on hand. Shelves have maybe 10% of shelf space filled with empty boxes.

Honestly it is easier to order on line, and the regular places I buy from I get e-mail special, the one or two times there has been a problem, it has been resolved quick.

Yes there are some good B & M's out by me but most are an hour or more drive. So I only go there went I am in their neighborhood.

For me I like the convince of mail order as we use to call it, now we call it on-line. When I had my business in California I use to buy everything I needed from a place in NYC. Why, convince, two day delivery, the amount of money I saved on items, and no sales tax. Steve was the salesman who took care of me, never met Steve in person, but he knew me as a regular customer, and gave me good service.

I would expect in the next 5 - 10 years most B & M’s will go under if they do not get creative, and figure out how to go head to head with online.

Amazon is getting into everything. Maybe Cigar next? They have Cigar accessories already. So does Wal - Mart dot com.

JMHO.

 

[jasonatjl]

I'm all for doing some of my business with a local B&M - they often carry things that are harder to find online, even if it comes at a premium. Case in point - a 2013 Tat Black CG for $10 bucks. And a good B&M offers a service beyond just a product (As Ryan mentioned) - an experience is a service. You're supposed to cater to your customers.

The problem with my closest B&M is, it's not just a standalone cigar shop. They have a decent walk-in humidor along with lots of different humidors / lighters / cutters / accessories, but they're also selling vape juice, cigarettes, chewing tobacco, hookah, etc. There is no comradery or other brothers hanging out (to be fair, it's not a lounge), no coffee when I come through the door, etc. And for what things they have that are HTF, the prices on most of it are just too expensive (Examples: Liga 9 Belicoso are $23, Le Bijou Torpedo $16. EOTS are $30, plus tax.)

I'd go back to buy butane or maybe an occasional single, I just wish I had a real lounge that was closer.

SurfnSafari makes excellent points - B&M stores across ALL industries are going the way of the dinosaur - look at K-Mart, Circuit City, and Radio Shack, just to name a few.

 

[navyvet]

Well, for the kind of shops surfinsafari is talking about i wouldnt go either. But bad things happen when locals go away. Once locals are gone bad things will happen, but then it will be too late because they are gone most municipalities have already got laws in place that will hender future shops from opening because they need permits permits that they wont be able to get because of the laws they put in place so once they are gone they are gone for ever

 

[SurfnSafari]

Honestly the B & M's that will survive know about customer service. It cost them nothing to say hello, can I help you, are you looking for anything in particular, we have a special on Oliva Cigars (or), we just got in the new Jet Line Torches last week, btw next Saturday we are host an My Father's Event, or with special pricing.

Ever been to a shop like that. Bet they are going now where, and have a chance of having you as a replete customer. The but is those place are few and far between.

 

[csk415]

B&M have their place in our hobby. I like going to mine and picking up a stick I saw someone post about. It’s a great way to try something with out having to buy a 5er. They have a place to smoke if you buy a stick from their walk in. Its BYOB with cable and WiFi. They have events every other month. It’s located a few blocks from several bars and restaurants. It’s hard to remember but their are cigar smokers who don’t have a huge stash of smokes and prefer buying and smoking on the spot.

 

[SurfnSafari]

B&M have their place in our hobby. I like going to mine and picking up a stick I saw someone post about. It’s a great way to try something with out having to buy a 5er. They have a place to smoke if you buy a stick from their walk in. Its BYOB with cable and WiFi. They have events every other month. It’s located a few blocks from several bars and restaurants. It’s hard to remember but their are cigar smokers who don’t have a huge stash of smokes and prefer buying and smoking on the spot.

Good points made.

 

[zyxwvutsr]

Neptune in Miami is a online dealer I like, but the flip side is they have (3) B & M stores. Last one opened recently so they must understand all side of the Cigar business.

I had no idea they opened a store in Little Havana.

Thanks for the info.

 

[Coincrazed]

If that had happened to me I would never go back to said B&M. Simply because they don't care about quality or the well being of their customers.

I would, in fact, be extremely angry and offended if I saw them put beetle damaged sticks back into their humidor. That's not something to take lightly. What if (assuming that I didn't freeze all of my stash before going to the humidor) I bought a stick, brought it home, tossed it into my humidor, and that stick that they were too lazy and cheap to toss out, contaminated my stash and ruined all of my smokes?

 

[jasonatjl]

If that had happened to me I would never go back to said B&M. Simply because they don't care about quality or the well being of their customers.

I would, in fact, be extremely angry and offended if I saw them put beetle damaged sticks back into their humidor. That's not something to take lightly. What if (assuming that I didn't freeze all of my stash before going to the humidor) I bought a stick, brought it home, tossed it into my humidor, and that stick that they were too lazy and cheap to toss out, contaminated my stash and ruined all of my smokes?

Agreed. But mind you, this is a “smoke shop”, not a “cigar lounge”. They cater to more than just cigar smokers; I would imagine a fair portion of their sales come from people buying cigarettes, whatever that fruity shit is people put in their hookahs, and vape juice.

Good spot for odds and ends such as gas, probably not my go-to for smokes I plan on aging.