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Online shopping vs. B&M in a small town
By Jesse | March 30, 2008
Jason from Tupelo, MS submitted this entry for Anniversary Bash Contest. Only One Day Left!
I’m from a relatively small town with an indoor smoking ban. We have three tobacco stores that carry premium cigar brands and those are sold at a significant markup. So, naturally, I shop online for my cigars. Even with shipping I save about half.
I recently heard of a cigar shop 50 miles away that carries Rocky Patel, Oliva, CAO, and Padron to name a few. When I would go into a shop here and ask for any of those, I would get a blank stare. I decided to make the trip this weekend to see what life with a real cigar shop would be like. Within 2 minutes of me perusing the cigars, the owner starts chatting with me. Not trying to sell. He just asks me what I like and says, “Those are wonderful. I haven’t had one in the last couple of weeks”. He tells me to let him know if I need any help. I find a few sticks I want to try. He comes over again and tells me that if I want I can smoke in the shop. I comply.
Around this time others start to show up. They light up their purchased sticks and sit around talking of life, politics, sports, and of course, cigars. They ask me my opinion as if they have known me my whole life. By the end of the two hours I was at the shop, I had met about 15 people who share my passion for cigars and life in general.
In conclusion I would like to say how much I envy smokers with a local cigar shop at their disposal. If such a shop existed closer to me, I would definitely cut my online shopping in half just for the companionship of fellow cigar smokers. Even though the shop is close to an hour away, I plan to make at least one trip a month to this, my Utopia. If you have a cigar shop in your town, treasure it.
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Tags: Bash Entry, Buying Cigars, Online Cigar Shopping
Topics: Cigar Talk |
March 30th, 2008 at 11:14 pm
Living in the Twin Cities area we have a number of shops within a quick drive and I found since we tried to go through the process of opening our own shop how important it is to support your local lounge. I found myself purchasing less online and buying a stick or two when I go into a shop.
Taxes are a killer with the smoking ban, but if we are going to have these places to smoke there has to be the ground support, otherwise people like us who enjoy this hobby are going to be relegated to the garage.
March 30th, 2008 at 11:55 pm
i have at least 3 local shops in my area(manchester nh) and i truly treasure the shops!(one more than the other two) but,it is a convenience to have such a shop in your area to sample the cigars to be able to tell which cigars you like or dont like.and to tell ya the truth,the expensive ones arent always the best!(my favorite right now is a sancho panza double maduro at $3.20 a stick!)the commraderie is the best part.online prices are great, but for guys like me that dont smoke a great deal(more than 4 cigars a week) the local shops are just the ticket!affordability is a big factor for some people too,especially when you’re trying to find the perfect stick for your tastes!