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Last post 7 years ago by edin508. 27 replies replies.
Does your local B & M Cigar store suffer from the hobby business syndrome
Tabloid Snapper Offline
#1 Posted:
Joined: 06-13-2016
Posts: 49
I had been on a mission for curiosity to visit ever B & M Cigar shop in the area of the world I live. The mission was two fold. Looking for a great shop if there was one, and looking a what the shops had to offer. Many of my stops were more than one or two times, so I think some shop had a second chance to shine.

Most of what I found were what I call hobby businesses, where maybe the owner thought it would be cool to have a cigar shop. But they have no idea of what it takes to run a successful business.

Many of the shops I visited suffered from one of the list below of problems.

Under trained employee with no product knowledge.

Employees who want to hang out with regulars, smoke cigars, and not wait on customers.

Employees who do not greeting customer coming through the front door. Customers are ignored.

Employees who do not offer customers help or assistance.

Employees who do not thank customer for shopping in the shop

Employees who are in la la land not even realizing a customer is in the shop because they are on their cell phone, testing or on a lap top.

Shops that may have been dusted in the past, but are dusty, dirty, and just nasty.

These are some of the experiences I have had at the local B & M’s. There are what I call l hobby businesses.

I believe or think buying cigars is a luxury purchase, hell if you are paying over $10,00 or more for a single cigar that to me is a luxury purchase. The experience should be like going into a fine auto dealership, not like going to a pig pen to feed live stock.

The funniest comment I heard was from one B & M Clerk who asked. “Where do you normally buy most of your cigars?” I replied honestly, say online. The B & M clerk said because I lived in the community I need to support the local shops in the community I live in. I replied I would if the local shops could compete with price, and service I get from the online retailers.

When I was walking out I asked myself if the guy was trying to make me feel guilty for trying to get the most bank or smoke for my buck. I did not feel guilty as this shop I had left was no a charity, it was a business. A very dirty & dusty business that could have been clean maybe once in the last year.
NoisyTutor Offline
#2 Posted:
Joined: 07-29-2015
Posts: 258
fog
Bur Offline
#3 Posted:
Joined: 07-31-2012
Posts: 5,638
My favorite shpo has a dirty/funky feel, but that's cause it's been in the same spot forever and just plain feels lived in. The owners and staff keep it clean but only so much you can do when there's probably 5 cigars burning from the time it opens to closing minimum-sometimes more like 20-25 between the indoor smoking area, card table and outside patio. Pretty friendly bunch, and since they recently celebrated their 40th anniversary, if it's a hobby, I'd say they are pretty good at it!
Covfireman Offline
#4 Posted:
Joined: 09-03-2015
Posts: 809
Where I go now has the smsfeelas the one Bur mentioned. He did leave out the porn magazines in the bathroom and stripper card pinned to the wall.
Hmhaines Offline
#5 Posted:
Joined: 12-16-2015
Posts: 853
My local is amazing, really. The guys are knowledgeable, helpful, careful, and generally intelligent. Although their prices are a little higher than the online prices, I accept that it is more expensive to run a good B&M and we all know that the owners are putting money back into the shop.

I have, however, been to a handful of shops with all or most of the above issues. So sad.
deadeyedick Online
#6 Posted:
Joined: 03-13-2003
Posts: 16,957
I'm not sure why you frequent B&Ms like the ones you talk about all the time. There are PLENTY of great shops in the PHX area that have great service, big screen TVs, comfy chairs, drinks, indoor and outdoor lounges.

Yes, they can't compete on price with the internet but their experience is worth it on occasion.

DED
Mikekoz13 Offline
#7 Posted:
Joined: 10-21-2015
Posts: 383
My favorite local shop does suffer from one or two of the listed items BUT I still really like going there.

It has a nice relaxed vibe and the smoking area has great, comfortable, big, leather furniture and a big screen TV.

The biggest minus..... a lot of the hired help has little cigar knowledge and is not very engaging.

One of the biggest pluses...... we can take our own beer in with us at no charge. So we take our beer, buy a couple of smokes each, and hang out for a few hours. The owner IS engaging.
BuckyB93 Offline
#8 Posted:
Joined: 07-16-2004
Posts: 14,111
What are these local shops you speak of?

Signed a Massachusetts resident.
bgz Offline
#9 Posted:
Joined: 07-29-2014
Posts: 13,023
I pretty much go to around 4 or 5.

PM me I'll tell you what they are.
BuckyB93 Offline
#10 Posted:
Joined: 07-16-2004
Posts: 14,111
Most of the ones in MA are inside and around the I-95 belt.

I live in central MA. There use to be 3 or 4 around Worcester but I think they all dried up except for the Owl Shop on Main St. in Worcester. It’s been there forever but it’s not the same since the son started taking over for the old man. I haven’t been there in years so I can’t comment as to how things are now.
deadeyedick Online
#11 Posted:
Joined: 03-13-2003
Posts: 16,957
BuckyB93 wrote:
What are these local shops you speak of?

Signed a Massachusetts resident.


Won't name any but one has 27, yes 27 big screen TVs, room for at least 60-70 in comfy leather chairs, a full U shaped bar with maybe 10-12 craft beers on tap, wines and great selection of liquors. The walk-in is about 300 sq ft with floor to ceiling selection and the outdoor lounge has seating for another 30-40.

There are many others.
bgz Offline
#12 Posted:
Joined: 07-29-2014
Posts: 13,023
Ded, on another note, any time you guys are getting together to herf, let me know. I know sometimes I get busy, but it's something I would like to do from time to time.
ZRX1200 Offline
#13 Posted:
Joined: 07-08-2007
Posts: 60,476
I've got a great shpo, and they protect me.
deadeyedick Online
#14 Posted:
Joined: 03-13-2003
Posts: 16,957
ZRX1200 wrote:
I've got a great shpo, and they protect me.


Damn, my shpo never passes out Trojans. d'oh!
deadeyedick Online
#15 Posted:
Joined: 03-13-2003
Posts: 16,957
bgz wrote:
Ded, on another note, any time you guys are getting together to herf, let me know. I know sometimes I get busy, but it's something I would like to do from time to time.


Not so much in the summer but will do.

DED
edin508 Offline
#16 Posted:
Joined: 06-19-2012
Posts: 4,647
A Bucky sighting!!!

And yeah, most of the"cigar shops" I have been to around here are either quite small with a couple fold out chairs or a bit larger with more glass pipes and bongs than cigars.
stinger88 Offline
#17 Posted:
Joined: 05-29-2012
Posts: 6,574
My local has a good selection and is pretty clean. There one problem to me is that the "lounge area" is a membership area. To be a member it is roughly $30 a month. To me, that sucks. I would love to be able to sit and smoke with others that shop there but it is pretty hard to throw over $300 to them and probably only use facility once or twice a month. If it looked like a very nice, luxurious lounge, maybe I would do it but it doesn't. It looks like chairs placed in a kitchen area of a home. No thanks.

They do have a decent selection of cigars and I do support them on that.
Tabloid Snapper Offline
#18 Posted:
Joined: 06-13-2016
Posts: 49
My expectation are high when I walk into the local B & M to do business. Because in most case their price are higher than on line. I am stuck paying sale & tabacco tax. If the experence is not totally positive I will not support the local yocal who think believe it is my duty or obligation to support the local shop because I live in the community where it is located. The local B & M is not my favorite charity.

All I expect is a clean place to come.

Knowledgeable staff.

Good selection & fair pricing.

Maybe being greeted like I was important.

I am important like ever person spending money there, our money become profit to keep the doors open.

If G the local B & M can not measure up to those few points, why support them.
bgz Offline
#19 Posted:
Joined: 07-29-2014
Posts: 13,023
Man, you really don't like B & Ms do you, lol...

Guess you didn't want to know my top 5, oh well, I offered.
Mikekoz13 Offline
#20 Posted:
Joined: 10-21-2015
Posts: 383
Judging by your profile and words I'm guessing that you're older .... like me (56 last week... where did the years go?!).

I always TRY to remind myself that the younger generation just does not generally put premium on things like customer service. I don't like it but that's just the way it is now.

You'll wear yourself out with this...... bid here, win here, open a beer, light a smoke and be happy.
Bur Offline
#21 Posted:
Joined: 07-31-2012
Posts: 5,638
Covfireman wrote:
Where I go now has the smsfeelas the one Bur mentioned. He did leave out the porn magazines in the bathroom and stripper card pinned to the wall.


lol

The shpo I mentioned had an "Over the Line" team for years (San Diego beach event, think 3 on 3 softball with even more beer, used to crown a "Miss Emerson" etc....) and the tournament book/pictures were like Jack's posts or more risqué.

But they also had a pic up "for the ladies" that would have given FGM's Thonginator pic a run for it's money-blech. So I guess losing that picture at the same time the Oink of the Day pics came down was a fair trade.

And yeah, sales tax/Kalifornia cigar tax boosts prices two to three times what they are on here, but they have a wide selection, no waiting, and also a great assortment of pipe baccy.
Tabloid Snapper Offline
#22 Posted:
Joined: 06-13-2016
Posts: 49
There are two B & M's in the Valley I live in that understand good old customer service. The shops are both clean, staff is educated in customer service, staff know stock, staff has a passion for what they do, and their mission is what I call customer & giving each customer a positive customer experience. Both shops are owned by the same person, and both shop do well I will assume.

I am a guy who grew up in the 60's, was at the right age when Vietnam was going like a house on fire, and had the fortunate experience of understand & experiencing true fine dinning. When I was a young man mom fixed dinner from scratch. There were god awful TV dinners, but mom cooked my dinner from scratch.

The nation was not litter with taco bells, KFC's, McDonalds, and eating out meant going to a family run place. Where you knew the owner, and staff was there forever. There were no Applebee's, Olive Gardens, or any of the other chain joints with marginal food, and marginal service.

I was luck to have experience real old fashion service & customer service before the day when the phone was answered by a machine barking orders like a Marine Di. To push 1, or 4, or what the heck. the phone was answered by a live person, with pulse who even took & wrote messages, people called you back, and did not hide behind voice mail.

The younger generation could learn a lot from listing to folk their grand parents age, or their very own grad parents. I have many friend who fought in WW-II and honestly anytime I can get one of them to open up about their war experiences I listen. I have heard stories that are no in history books.

One of my best friends died yesterday, he was in the Republic of Vietnam in the U.S. Air Force at Bien Hoa Air Base. He was a supply officer in charge of keep track of, ordering more of, and loading Agent Orange onto U.S. Aircraft to spray all over the RVN. He told some story that are not in the history books about his experience in the RVN. Had I not spent a lot of time with him before his death I would have never ever known as much as I do now about the AO Spraying Program, (Ranch Hand Program) and how he was so involved with that nasty stuff daily.
bgz Offline
#23 Posted:
Joined: 07-29-2014
Posts: 13,023
Well, there's 2 on my list that are gone, lol.

I have a feeling I know which 2 you are referring, good shpos.

But there are more (Not necessarily with the level of hand holding you want in the humidors).

I'm assuming I'm half your age, and I know what you mean about the younger generation, I say the same thing about the kids that are half my age :P
jjanecka Offline
#24 Posted:
Joined: 12-08-2015
Posts: 4,334
I've been to a couple hobby shops like that. Thankful that most of them all closed. It seems like the spot in Sugar Land is mutating a bit into a Hobby Shop maybe due to new management but I skip all the nearby stuff and opt for the Giant shop in Houston with all the bells and whistles. They all have special memberships and I think to myself, "maybe I'd buy more boxes here instead of online if they waived the fee." It woule be nice to hear "Hey, you're here every week spending good money have a locker on the house."
Tabloid Snapper Offline
#25 Posted:
Joined: 06-13-2016
Posts: 49
Well I was in business for over 25 years. My business provide a service to the publishing industry. Part of the reason my success was because I offered super customer service. I tried to cover ever base, and over killer every aspect of what I did for the client. This was all called superior customer service, and just because I produced a product it was offer to the client in a superior way. People remember great customer service.

I appreciate being treated like a important person when I do out and spend my money. Be it at Wal-Mart where you ask someone where is an item and they do not walk away from you saying not my department. They say follow me I will show you trying to help you. It is like going to Sunday breakfast and the waiter person knows I want water, and black coffee, and they remember and ask. Water & Black right?.

There is one little cigar shop Fine Ash Cigars in Avondale, AZ near where I live it is lacking in a few areas that would make it 100% better. But the owner Sam loves cigar, loves talking cigars, always greet you and gives you the feeling he understand his customer pay his bill at month end. So he try's his hardest to offer both customer service & positive experience.
bgz Offline
#26 Posted:
Joined: 07-29-2014
Posts: 13,023
Knucklehead, competitor reference, you should edit your post.

Don't know why I'm even telling you, you never respond to anyone... psssh.
edin508 Offline
#27 Posted:
Joined: 06-19-2012
Posts: 4,647
So I went to visit another local shpo that has a pretty good selection of smokes and the people that work there know tobacco. I get to the door just to find out it is closed on Sundays and closes at 6PM when it is open. How many people shop for cigars durring those lame hours? You would think that they would open later in the day and stay open later into the evening to get the people heading home from work and just get people in the store that work, and want to spend a couple bucks at the local shpo and have a smoke!
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