Shop owner rant!!!

cascadian · Sep 2, 2015

As an early entrant into the brick and mortar vape shop industry, I would like to think I know what this industry is suppose to be about. With the increase in competition through the years I have questioned what I know about the industry but have always come to the conclusion that, yes, this is about offering an alternative to smoking that also offers potential health benefits to the end user. And building a relationship with customers where they will keep coming back, if for no other reason than to update you about their ultimate success of not only stopping smoking but also stopping vaping.

Today, I was pissed off beyond belief over what this industry appears to be about for a local competitor. This is merely a cash grab for some. First customer is a mouth to lung user who was entirely happy with his ego-c and bottom coil tank with the one exception of batter capacity. He wanted an all day solution. Competitor's solution was an Eleaf iStick 40W TC mod paired with an Aspire Atlantis V2 and a 24mg bottle of juice. First and foremost this should not have cost over $200 USD. Secondly, why would anyone match the Atlantis V2 with the 40W iStick ever, let alone for a mouth to lung user. Lastly, 24mg juice for sub ohm vaping.... REALLY!

I was able to take care of the customer in a manner where they did not waste all of the $200, but I shouldn't have had to. They should have been taken care of at the original point of sale.

Second customer of the day that was not satisfied with their purchase from the same competitor. They had been sold nickel coils for use with their eGo One XL kit. They were upset over the flavor. Well they should have never been sold nickel coils for use with a non temperature control device. After the customer had left I called the competitor to find out what was going on. I was told to mind my own business. That they intentionally sell what they have in stock even when it is the wrong thing to customers as they don't allow any returns. They get to keep the money and frequently end up selling additional items as a result. Hence, the cash grab.

There were two additional instances today involving this same competitor where the customer was forced to come to our store because they were sold the wrong thing. Don't get me wrong, I am more than willing to help anyone with equipment they may have purchased from a competitor. The problem is, if said competitor actually cared they would have satisfied the customer already.

For other shop owners: Do you have competitors like this in your area?

For customers in general: Why do you shop for vape gear at a counter in a convenience store? Why would you think that they can in anyway offer knowledgeable service and support?

Mattp169 · Sep 2, 2015

you have the greatest competitor in the world. He makes you look good each and every time he sells something and insures noone goes back to him.

Teresa P · Sep 2, 2015

Well,.....my first was a Blu from a gas station. I didn't know where else to go. My second was an eGo batt and ce4 from eBay, again because I didn't know where to go. When I finally found the one b&m in town - virtually no advertising - I was met with attitude because I had no real "gear." I thought everyone used what I had and I was very intimidated by the bigger "machinery" behind the glass. No one offered suggestions or advice, but they were more than willing to take my near $40 for two 15ml bottles of juice, pat me on the head, and send me out the door. I was in there every week. NO ONE CARED.
It refreshes me to hear a business owner with a genuine compassion for people, not just customers. Until I found this forum, I was on my own. I took a stab in the dark with everything I bought, and a lot of money got wasted. I started DIY just by "figuring it out" and my wits were all I had until I ended up here. And I'm grateful.
You need to just keep doing what you're doing. It won't take sincere folks very long to figure out where to go and who has their best interests at heart. If someone like you, if just ONE of those lackadaisical dullards at the one source of information I had had acted sincere about what they were doing, I might still be doing business there. But I know more than they do now and I had to wing it till I found the dear folks here. Trust me when I say you're one in a million, because it's true. Just stay true to your own integrity and they'll come to you.

nabibrian · Sep 3, 2015

Teresa P said:
Well,.....my first was a Blu from a gas station. I didn't know where else to go. My second was an eGo batt and ce4 from eBay, again because I didn't know where to go. When I finally found the one b&m in town - virtually no advertising - I was met with attitude because I had no real "gear." I thought everyone used what I had and I was very intimidated by the bigger "machinery" behind the glass. No one offered suggestions or advice, but they were more than willing to take my near $40 for two 15ml bottles of juice, pat me on the head, and send me out the door. I was in there every week. NO ONE CARED.
It refreshes me to hear a business owner with a genuine compassion for people, not just customers. Until I found this forum, I was on my own. I took a stab in the dark with everything I bought, and a lot of money got wasted. I started DIY just by "figuring it out" and my wits were all I had until I ended up here. And I'm grateful.
You need to just keep doing what you're doing. It won't take sincere folks very long to figure out where to go and who has their best interests at heart. If someone like you, if just ONE of those lackadaisical dullards at the one source of information I had had acted sincere about what they were doing, I might still be doing business there. But I know more than they do now and I had to wing it till I found the dear folks here. Trust me when I say you're one in a million, because it's true. Just stay true to your own integrity and they'll come to you.

Very similar to my experience with B&M shops in town.

cascadian said:
Second customer of the day that was not satisfied with their purchase from the same competitor. They had been sold nickel coils for use with their eGo One XL kit. They were upset over the flavor. Well they should have never been sold nickel coils for use with a non temperature control device. After the customer had left I called the competitor to find out what was going on. I was told to mind my own business. That they intentionally sell what they have in stock even when it is the wrong thing to customers as they don't allow any returns. They get to keep the money and frequently end up selling additional items as a result. Hence, the cash grab.

There were two additional instances today involving this same competitor where the customer was forced to come to our store because they were sold the wrong thing. Don't get me wrong, I am more than willing to help anyone with equipment they may have purchased from a competitor. The problem is, if said competitor actually cared they would have satisfied the customer already.

For other shop owners: Do you have competitors like this in your area?

For customers in general: Why do you shop for vape gear at a counter in a convenience store? Why would you think that they can in anyway offer knowledgeable service and support?

This is one of the very reasons why I prefer to avoid going to a B&M if I can possibly do so.
I appreciate local business, I truly really do. But not when treated like a dollar sign.
Thank you for sharing a mutual complaint. I wish most/all B&M shops had your business sense.

FlavoVape · Sep 3, 2015

Well one of the B&M that I got my first setup from I don't go back there. They don't respond to email...they turned me on to the Atlantis but their always charging full retail for stuff and then acting like their giving me a 10% discount...lol

You sound like a good B&M though. Wish you were near Baltimore/DC

Keep doing what your doing and word will get around that your shop is the place to go.
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Markw4mms · Sep 3, 2015

Mattp169 said:
you have the greatest competitor in the world. He makes you look good each and every time he sells something and insures noone goes back to him.

Amen to that!
Kudos to the OP for being one of the few who really care, and don't just see a customer as $$$$.

cascadian · Sep 3, 2015

Mattp169 said:
you have the greatest competitor in the world. He makes you look good each and every time he sells something and insures noone goes back to him.

Although I appreciate the sentiment, it really doesn't make me feel better. I would prefer to make myself look better than them, while they make themselves look good. That would make the industry look good.

You see, the basics of psychology dictate that a significant percentage of the population is made up of people who do not like to fail. If they fail at something once, they might try again under the perfect circumstances. But they will never repeat that effort over and over again. With these people you have but one, possibly two chances to get it right with the conversion process. Or we, as an industry, will never have another opportunity.

For every customer that comes to me after "failing" with equipment purchased from my competitor, how many give up and will never try vaping again. For every one that realizes that it was the fault of the competitor, how many will feel that vaping just isn't an acceptable alternative for them, possibly for anyone.

Markw4mms · Sep 3, 2015

cascadian said:
Although I appreciate the sentiment, it really doesn't make me feel better. I would prefer to make myself look better than them, while they make themselves look good. That would make the industry look good.

You see, the basics of psychology dictate that a significant percentage of the population is made up of people who do not like to fail. If they fail at something once, they might try again under the perfect circumstances. But they will never repeat that effort over and over again. With these people you have but one, possibly two chances to get it right with the conversion process. Or we, as an industry, will never have another opportunity.

For every customer that comes to me after "failing" with equipment purchased from my competitor, how many give up and will never try vaping again. For every one that realizes that it was the fault of the competitor, how many will feel that vaping just isn't an acceptable alternative for them, possibly for anyone.

I guess the best you can do is try everything you can to make your shop the best you can, and hope that more and more will pick your shop to go to first and not as a rebound after the other shop steers them the wrong way. Word of mouth from the customers you did set right after the other guys screw up will also go a long way to getting you more business, and helping people get started the right way. Good luck to you, we need more of your kind in the business!

Browncoat · Sep 3, 2015

A lousy competitor is the best thing any local small business could ask for. So long as they are in business (which usually isn't long), they will constantly drive traffic to your door. Word of mouth will spread, and eventually they'll have to pack it up. I got taken for a ride by the first vape shop I ever visited also. They're no longer around. I suspect because I wasn't the only one who went elsewhere for better service.

cascadian said:
For customers in general: Why do you shop for vape gear at a counter in a convenience store? Why would you think that they can in anyway offer knowledgeable service and support?

I think people like yourself tend to forget just how new all of this actually is to most people. It's easy to get caught up in the online vaping scene that is full of knowledgeable people, high end gear, and "glamour vaping". We tend to forget that Average Joe Smoker has no idea what he's getting himself into with vaping. He doesn't realize there is a whole wide world available to him outside of Blu and gas station e-cigs. If he does happen to stumble into a dedicated vape shop, there's no way of knowing if everything is on the up-and-up. You just have to take the salesperson's word for it, throw down some cash, and hope for the best.

You can't save the world, man. This industry is the wild west, and its full of snake oil salesmen who are looking to make a quick buck.

FlavoVape · Sep 3, 2015

Good points here. It's also important for your stress levels that you realize you can't control others....only how you react to them. Sometime all you can do is shake your head when others do things like this.

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Dbreezy187 · Sep 3, 2015

I first picked up a standard disposal tank and ego battery from a convince store as I had no knowledge of what to get. We had no b&m store at the time, after reading forms like (especially, mostly) this one I educated myself on with to get and how to use it properly. I personally have never stepped foot in a b&m shop no spoke with anyone else that vapes.I hope to change that soon.

Zamazam · Sep 3, 2015

Mattp169 said:
you have the greatest competitor in the world. He makes you look good each and every time he sells something and insures noone goes back to him.

We have plenty of those shops where I live. The 3 or 4 that are honest and knowledgeable always have 4-5 customers in the store at any one given time. The other shops, tobacco stores, and ripoff joints are slowly closing due to lack of business.

Zamazam · Sep 3, 2015

Markw4mms said:
Amen to that!
Kudos to the OP for being one of the few who really care, and don't just see a customer as $$$$.

The key to any business success! Value and respect your customers, not their money. The money will come your way if your customer base is happy and satisfied. Repeat business and recommendations via word of mouth and on the net is worth more than any flashy neon sign any day of the week.

mrmoodz · Sep 3, 2015

I primarily buy online but I do visit the same local shops a few times a month.

Here's what keeps me coming back:

A. Support the local economy
B. Developing relationships with the business owners
C. To have interaction with human beings. You don't get that buying online.

I like having the feeling of the show Cheers when I go to my local shops.

cascadian · Sep 3, 2015

V4P3R eMAG said:
A lousy competitor is the best thing any local small business could ask for. So long as they are in business (which usually isn't long), they will constantly drive traffic to your door. Word of mouth will spread, and eventually they'll have to pack it up. I got taken for a ride by the first vape shop I ever visited also. They're no longer around. I suspect because I wasn't the only one who went elsewhere for better service.

I think people like yourself tend to forget just how new all of this actually is to most people. It's easy to get caught up in the online vaping scene that is full of knowledgeable people, high end gear, and "glamour vaping". We tend to forget that Average Joe Smoker has no idea what he's getting himself into with vaping. He doesn't realize there is a whole wide world available to him outside of Blu and gas station e-cigs. If he does happen to stumble into a dedicated vape shop, there's no way of knowing if everything is on the up-and-up. You just have to take the salesperson's word for it, throw down some cash, and hope for the best.

You can't save the world, man. This industry is the wild west, and its full of snake oil salesmen who are looking to make a quick buck.

I have successfully built our small business without relying on lousy competition for over four years now. When we opened the first location, we were the fifth brick and mortar in the state. The closest existing vape shop was almost one hundred miles away. Now there are 5 competitors within 10 miles of that location. We have built relationships with two of our competitors in that market and actually display the juice menu for one of them in our store. The other, we had a shared bbq event recently at a local lake for our customers to show our appreciation. I go as far as letting these competitors know when I am adding new product. And in turn they frequently offer me the same consideration to avoid everybody carrying the exact same gear and juice. Saturdays have become an interesting event recently with customers organizing a caravan style shop hop. Having fifty customers roll through over a two hour window has been a benefit to all three shops and more importantly, the customers love it.

Having good competitors can also make everybody better. And I would much rather share a portion of a customers business with good competitors than end up with all of a customers business because they were screwed by a bad competitor. For every customer that ends up in my shop after being screwed, how many have gone back to cigarettes, or refuse to buy local anymore?

BrattVapes · Sep 3, 2015

That's unfortunate, and the worst is that someone who isn't into vaping like us and simply wants to quit analogs... They know no different than the service they get there.

I have one B and M here that I frequent, however I hardly purchase. Markup is insane, however staff is knowledgeable-ish... They are fun people which is why I go there. Talk with em, bs, blow clouds. They always recommend the expensive things, which is not always what you're looking for but makes them bigger sales.

That said. I appreciate one person there who really really knows his stuff and cares, much like I imagine your shop is. It sucks that this is what B&Ms have become. It sucks worse that juice is so expensive there.

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Joshua Iles · Sep 5, 2015

I have one bnm that i like in okc, it's actually one my wife found and when she goes in to buy me juice they've always been helpful and even threw some freebies in. When I'm actually in okc with her this trip I'll go in myself and see what's what. She doesn't vape but has supported me and helped my addiction, haha. This shop has been good to her, the juice is pretty good even if I can't taste it before I get it haha. I do remember asking her to pick me up a battery once, if they had some. The guy had I'm guessing 1600mah batteries and told her at the moment that was all he had and it wouldn't last very long probably, I think she said they were mxjo but not sure. That's a good change from the local shop who had a few efest and others but had no clue about what they were, just that this ones red and this ones purple.

serenity219 · Sep 5, 2015

There is a shop which is a five minute walk from my house. I will endure an hour long bus ride in the midst of a blizzard rather than set foot in that shop. Good service matters and knowledgeable staff matter. I have been vaping for a year and a half and have a lot to learn still. I go to shops where I know I will walk away understanding what I have purchased and how to safely use it.

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head_jt · Sep 20, 2015

The local shop here is only good for juice and not much else. They'll assist newbies as far as it takes to get the sale. The prices there are hella expensive. There's no reason why a 20w eleaf should be $50+ without as much as a charger cord or ego adapter. The online ordering is great since I can (like I just did an hour ago) place an order for juice and pick it up for no extra shipping charge. It seems around this part of Baltimore you have the gougers, the pretentious hipsters, and the walking low-pressure systems. I'd like to visit more local shops, but they're dispersed all around the county and the city shops are very much into.... controlled substances I'll say.

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Joshua Iles · Sep 20, 2015

Funny this one came back up, I spoke a little too soon about that one particular shop. Turns out they wanted $90 for an istick 100, but it came with 2 batteries, woo. Now I agree with selling mods with a battery, I think they do that with all of them and they're mnke batteries, so that parts fine. However, that price is not. I did score my kbox mini tho for cheap cuz I think he felt sorry for me and the built in charger was broken, and I have plenty of batteries and a charger. Craziness tho on the markups some of these shops have.

head_jt · Sep 20, 2015

I understand the need to make money. I understand supply and demand. However, what I don't understand is how you can advertise in the same venue as low priced online only merchants with your b&m pricing. $17 nautilus from ecig.com, or a $35 nautilus from nettmix. Damn, tough decision.

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f1r3b1rd · Sep 20, 2015

The Industry is changing no doubt about it
I started two years ago, when I did we had one b&m and I was unaware of the large internet presence. So I bought a blu, thats all I knew about. The next day i naught another carton of cigarettes. -that thing sucked.
A few weeks later I went into the b&m and was talked to like I was a craphead. They were the only game in town and they knew it. They sold me a blister pack for 70$. It died a week later. So they sold me another one. Then I looked on eBay and got an mvp2 and found the forums.
After that i didn't go back into a b&m for about 6months, when I saw a new shop opening. I went in and the people were friendly but the gear was.....less than nice.
Now a year and a half later, im spoiled with shopping online, we have severs shops but they work together, one caters to the super high end, one caters to thr boutique juice, one to cloud chasers, and one to the average vapor. Its refreshing to see them as a local industry really work together.
That shop that talked to me like I was a jack off, actually takes time with a noob to walk them through the process, holds building tutorials, and teaches the noobs ohms law.
Guess I went in at the wrong time. Lol

head_jt · Sep 20, 2015

f1r3b1rd said:
The Industry is changing no doubt about it
I started two years ago, when I did we had one b&m and I was unaware of the large internet presence. So I bought a blu, thats all I knew about. The next day i naught another carton of cigarettes. -that thing sucked.
A few weeks later I went into the b&m and was talked to like I was a craphead. They were the only game in town and they knew it. They sold me a blister pack for 70$. It died a week later. So they sold me another one. Then I looked on eBay and got an mvp2 and found the forums.
After that i didn't go back into a b&m for about 6months, when I saw a new shop opening. I went in and the people were friendly but the gear was.....less than nice.
Now a year and a half later, im spoiled with shopping online, we have severs shops but they work together, one caters to the super high end, one caters to thr boutique juice, one to cloud chasers, and one to the average vapor. Its refreshing to see them as a local industry really work together.
That shop that talked to me like I was a jack off, actually takes time with a noob to walk them through the process, holds building tutorials, and teaches the noobs ohms law.
Guess I went in at the wrong time. Lol

It's possible they realized their customer service was going to put them out of business. Especially when someone can get full support, info, and product sitting at home in their undies without dealing with the hassle of making it out to a shop. The only part I don't like waiting on is juice unless it's good quality stuff. The house blends aren't too bad and are cheap enough to taste and toss if it's that bad.

f1r3b1rd · Sep 20, 2015

head_jt said:
It's possible they realized their customer service was going to put them out of business. Especially when someone can get full support, info, and product sitting at home in their undies without dealing with the hassle of making it out to a shop. The only part I don't like waiting on is juice unless it's good quality stuff. The house blends aren't too bad and are cheap enough to taste and toss if it's that bad.

On the rare occasion that I actually buy juice, I will go to one of the shops.

head_jt · Sep 20, 2015

I'm still fresh enough to be 100% frightened of mixing my own. I'm saving that endeavor for my 0% nicotine days.

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f1r3b1rd · Sep 20, 2015

Its easy, I got into it, when I fairly new. The dudes at the shop pissed me off so much. I was bound and determined to never have yo go into a vape shop again.
Now, I look forward to going in, but I like my liquid better.

head_jt · Sep 20, 2015

I have 2 very inquisitive kids meandering about here. I'd rather not have that many products that are contact hazards. Besides, at my current rate 0% will be coming up by the end of the month.

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f1r3b1rd · Sep 20, 2015

Awesome!!! Congrats!!!!

head_jt · Sep 20, 2015

Danke! I've trickled down from 18 to 12 to 6 within 2 weeks. I think it's growing to hate nicotine. I've always gone through phases of not liking it but now u have something to keep me out of liking it again.

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Bean8379 · Nov 16, 2015

I was using a pen for a very long time, a pen that is actually a clone of a kanger evod that I paid $35 for at a vape shop either late last year or early this year. I got suckered with that one, but that's in the past. I was given a mech mod and I went to a local shop where there was a cloud competition, and while I was there I figures I would ask a few questions. First off, a battery, rda and a charger would have cost me nearly $60. Then I asked if they could build coils because I wasn't sure yet if I wanted to try building my own. They wanted me to start off with a .25 ohm coil or coils, did not explain anything to me about ohms law or battery amp limits. I didn't have any money at that time and if I did I would not have given them $60. I went on eBay and bought a battery for $5, 100ft of coil wire for less than $5, and an xtar travel charger for $5. I went back to that same shop, and someone showed me how to build coils for free, and actually listened to me when I told them where I wanted to start off, which was around 1 ohm. He actually had me wrap a coil that ended up coming out to around 1.2 ohms. This was not the same person who tried to get me to pay $60 for $15 worth of stuff and recommended a .25 coil for somebody new to mods.

DarkJester89 · Nov 18, 2015

Well, you can just wait for the shitstorm to hit and watch his company burn to the ground, figurately that is. I understand the notion, but I don't own a store, but 2 out of 5 local stores are like that around here.

pulsevape · Nov 18, 2015

I don't know why anyone shops at b&m........test juices maybe but other than that...

head_jt · Nov 18, 2015

pulsevape said:
I don't know why anyone shops at b&m........test juices maybe but other than that...

That's about it. I've gotten house juice just because I was waiting in a shipment of good stuff. Occasionally they have old clones they want to get rid of at decent prices so I'll snatch up one of those.

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pulsevape · Nov 18, 2015

head_jt said:
That's about it. I've gotten house juice just because I was waiting in a shipment of good stuff. Occasionally they have old clones they want to get rid of at decent prices so I'll snatch up one of those.

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would never buy a house juice....it's usually shit made in filthy conditions...

head_jt · Nov 18, 2015

pulsevape said:
would never buy a house juice....it's usually shit made in filthy conditions...

True, yet the "kitchen" at this shop is behind a glass wall so you can see everything that goes on back there. And so far only one of their flavors doesn't taste like the container.

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Bean8379 · Nov 18, 2015

People shop local for convenience, trying to support their local economy, and hoping that they can trust the people who work at the shop for sound advice because some people like to get advice from a person instead of reading it on a computer screen. I'd say the majority of people who go looking for face to face advice automatically assume that advice from a "professional" would be more accurate than that of an anonymous web surfer. Of course, I've found the exact opposite to be true, but that's just me.

head_jt · Nov 18, 2015

Bean8379 said:
People shop local for convenience, trying to support their local economy, and hoping that they can trust the people who work at the shop for sound advice because some people like to get advice from a person instead of reading it on a computer screen. I'd say the majority of people who go looking for face to face advice automatically assume that advice from a "professional" would be more accurate than that of an anonymous web surfer. Of course, I've found the exact opposite to be true, but that's just me.

Most of my info I gathered online through reviews and YouTube. The only advice I got locally was which cartomizer to jump back in with. They're knowledgeable there yet I wouldn't take device suggestions in house

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pulsevape · Nov 18, 2015

Bean8379 said:
People shop local for convenience, trying to support their local economy, and hoping that they can trust the people who work at the shop for sound advice because some people like to get advice from a person instead of reading it on a computer screen. I'd say the majority of people who go looking for face to face advice automatically assume that advice from a "professional" would be more accurate than that of an anonymous web surfer. Of course, I've found the exact opposite to be true, but that's just me.

It has been my experince that people in vape shops are embarassingly ignorant about vaping.Most of the info I've learned has been off the web or more importantly other vapers on forums.

Joshua Iles · Nov 18, 2015

One of the biggest parts of the problem is some shops are just about making that big sale, regardless of the consequences of safety. One shop i go to is very pricey, but that said they always sell mods with batteries if need be, and the last time I was there they only sold one battery and they were mxjo 1500 mah I think. Yes there are better batteries, but those are known good safe batteries even for low ohm builds on a mech. I applaud them for that, may be low mah so I'm sure they tell people to buy a few, but those aren't some unknown fire batteries that are gonna go boom when u build too low or try to draw higher amps. Now another shop I have been to sells probably about half a dozen weird rewraps and efest, and don't have a clue about what any of them really are besides what color they are.

wally · Nov 19, 2015

When I started we did not have B$M stores and only a couple on line stores. Started out on cigalites and just was not giving me what I wanted so looked in you tube to see what I could find and sure as the world turns I find where they were soupping them up, lol. Seemed like over night on line stores opened up and before you know it we had everything. I kind of enjoyed buying on the net reminded me when I was a kid ordering stuff in the mail looking everyday to see if it was there so I got use to it and enjoyed it. Still do it. I figured it would not be long before they would have B$M stores and they also came over night. But the Difference was huge these guys had no experience other than a tip it was a good thing to get started in. So I would go and visit some of them and kind of funny how good they were about winging it lol. One of them took advice and enjoyed me coming in for any kind of advice I had. The others were mostly just about the dollar and would sell you anything the higher the cost the better. As for juice I would always try what they had and all the times I did that I found one that I could tolerate but would not make a all day vape. In fact the online stores had some crappy juices at first until some like me started making them good. Buddy and me went to a popular store the other day where they have over 150 samplers lined up in a row. So my buddy got on one end I got on the other and we tested everyone of them he did not like any and I found one that I could vape maybe for a day if I had too. Odd some were just one flavor I still can't figure how you could mess that up lol. I'm sure in time these stores will get better a few have already and a few that came on later had experienced people they are good stores. But there for while it really was a joke.

IX of XIII · Nov 19, 2015

im not a store owner ( im a body piercer at a tattoo shop) but we also sell mods, tanks and ejuice. Ever since i started working here, our vape business jumped. Not only because of better product selection. My boss has now told me to handle all of the ordering and explaining the ins and outs to our other counter people. Why? as a vaper myself, i give info and knowledge to our vape customers. Theres a smoke shop next door who also sells mods tanks and juice but they have no idea how the devices work. Thats the big difference. Its not just making money, its making sure the customers have a good experience with their products. Especially new vapers trying to quit smoking. Thats what brings them back to your shop.

stevegmu · Nov 19, 2015

Forums like this are no different. New vapers are told on a daily basis they need sub ohm setups, RDAs and to start out with DIY...

Joshua Iles · Nov 19, 2015

stevegmu said:
Forums like this are no different. New vapers are told on a daily basis they need sub ohm setups, RDAs and to start out with DIY...

Unfortunately yes some people always recommend the big boy setups for everybody. Thankfully now there are some fairly low cost subohm starter setups if people wanna go that route. Also some good options for those who don't. I don't drip and don't believe I ever will.

head_jt · Nov 19, 2015

Joshua Iles said:
Unfortunately yes some people always recommend the big boy setups for everybody. Thankfully now there are some fairly low cost subohm starter setups if people wanna go that route. Also some good options for those who don't. I don't drip and don't believe I ever will.

Getting back into vaping I initially expected to get a tank and be done with it. No subohm, no building. Definitely no rdas. After accidentally trying that 0.5 ohm coil I couldn't do above anymore. Then I got hooked on the airflow and went from there. Just starting out I would never suggest nothing beyond a basic tank setup with prebuild coils. I say let people grow at their own pace otherwise they'll be scared away from the entire thing.

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pulsevape · Nov 19, 2015

stevegmu said:
Forums like this are no different. New vapers are told on a daily basis they need sub ohm setups, RDAs and to start out with DIY...

they are told this because most people on this forum are fairly new to vaping and this is how they vape......it is convenient and easy.

pulsevape · Nov 19, 2015

head_jt said:
Getting back into vaping I initially expected to get a tank and be done with it. No subohm, no building. Definitely no rdas. After accidentally trying that 0.5 ohm coil I couldn't do above anymore. Then I got hooked on the airflow and went from there. Just starting out I would never suggest nothing beyond a basic tank setup with prebuild coils. I say let people grow at their own pace otherwise they'll be scared away from the entire thing.

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most old school vapers were forced to jump in at the deep end of the pool...yeah there was a huge group that would refuse to learn how to build, and waddle down to the local b&m to have there set ups built for them, but most were forced to learn battery saftey,ohms law, and how to build......I think it is and was the best way to learn how to vape.....you had to learn the do's and don't to stay safe and to produce the best vape.

head_jt · Nov 20, 2015

pulsevape said:
most old school vapers were forced to jump in at the deep end of the pool...yeah there was a huge group that would refuse to learn how to build, and waddle down to the local b&m to have there set ups built for them, but most were forced to learn battery saftey,ohms law, and how to build......I think it is and was the best way to learn how to vape.....you had to learn the do's and don't to stay safe and to produce the best vape.

I totally agree that the necessity lead to very experienced and capable vapers across the board. I was gifted a Manhattan clone and honestly I'm too scared to try it. I understand Ohm's law and the capabilities of my batteries, yet I have no interest in attempting it's use. At least not yet. That fear is enough to keep me away from mechs as a whole. Someone new might just see all the options available to them and clam up. If armageddon happened today and all regulated mod chip sets were fried everyone would be master vapers.

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stevegmu · Nov 20, 2015

pulsevape said:
they are told this because most people on this forum are fairly new to vaping and this is how they vape......it is convenient and easy.

Convenient and easy are screw in coil/heads on a regulated mod...

Huff-N-Stuff · Nov 20, 2015

Speed read through most of the replys, but for the OP; The B&M Shops are all an hour drive (minimum) away for me, and the employees at those shops seem to have no REAL knowledge of the different product...IDK how to explain..?..get the customer in and out..?..don`t take the time to explain or just don`t know the product, make a sale and be on your way is the feeling I get from them.
Add to that the prices for their product are easily 60% mark up for what I could order off the internet. (hardware)
I think keep offering the personalized service you speak of, capitalize on that and your business should flourish.
JME/ opinion

NtL · Nov 22, 2015

I have a wick shop online, there is only 1 B&M shop I will go to around me. There was this one shop I went to and it took me asking the kid behind for him to pay attention to me. When he finally came over he and another guy were discussing how he came in 4th in a cloud competition (proceeded to do a "competition cloud"), he was blowing his vape all in my face as I looked at the items they had, and then he LAUGHED at me when I couldn't get the RDA open. Most vape shops I have been into make me feel like I just walked into my older brothers basement party uninvited. It's clicky, unattractive, and a huge disappointment. Vapers Who Care('s)!?

Shop owner rant!!!

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