Anti B&M

[Jarbs]

That's right, I'm against my local B&M stores. They charge far too much for what I'd like to purchase so I scour the interwebs for deals that make my wallet happy.
Sorry, but getting something right now isn't worth the extra dollars to me. I'll be ok waiting for something I find more reasonably priced.

 

[RoseB]

I don't blame you. There aren't any B&M stores here. Just smoke shops that sell a few e cig items. If I get really desperate or can't make an order then I'll get a clearo or something. One of the stores had a smok Zmax for $110

 

[Jarbs]

I don't blame you. There aren't any B&M stores here. Just smoke shops that sell a few e cig items. If I get really desperate or can't make an order then I'll get a clearo or something. One of the stores had a smok Zmax for $110

the vape shop near me sells smoktek aros for $20 and the head shop sells protanks for $25. they can both go.....well, i'm not quite permitted to say what they should do on this forum.

 

[K_Tech]

That's absolutely your choice as a consumer. I don't have any B&M's within a reasonable driving distance from my house.

Just an FYI - keep in mind that the average rental cost per SQUARE FOOT of retail space can be anywhere from $10 - $70.

That doesn't include utilities, insurance, taxes, payroll, or inventory.

I'm not trying to defend anyone, just providing food for thought. A B&M has a lot more overhead than someone operating an e-cig store out of their basement.

(And if you think a B&M has a big markup, don't ever, ever buy jewelry!)

 

[Sbowlden]

The B and M's your'e going to are probably just ordering from the same sites you are and marking it up. In my experience, cigar shops and sex toy shops that also have vaping equipment and juices do this while stores that specialize in vaping do not and so have prices more inline with the internet sites. Most vape specific stores have extensive juice bars for you to try to also and the head shops typically want you to stick the bottle up to your nose and smell it.

 

[OBDave]

I like to hang out at the juice bar at my local shop and sample flavors - although it usually gets me in trouble overpaying for juice, which is about the only thing I'll buy in person. Kanger coils are $3, iTaste VV 3.0s for $50 (battery only), EVODs $15, PT2s $30. No thanks!

 

[OBDave]

Just an FYI - keep in mind that the average rental cost per SQUARE FOOT of retail space can be anywhere from $10 - $70.

That doesn't include utilities, insurance, taxes, payroll, or inventory.

Wow, commercial property in eastern Ohio must be a lot more expensive than out here in San Diego, by an order of magnitude. Suburban spots go from 90 cents to $1.50 per square foot, you could have an oceanfront spot (which is where my B&M is located) for probably $2.25. If people are really paying $70,000/mo. to rent a 1,000 sf shop, I need to start buying up strip malls in your 'hood like they're going out of style!

 

[lladnar550]

B&M's can be very hit and miss. I walked into a new one the other day and asked how much a 900 mah vision spinner was. When the employee told me 89$ (single battery, with an evod, no charger...), I turned around and walked out without looking at anything else. But, I have also been into several that were reasonable. The evic I have came from a B&M a little over a year ago, and I paid 95$ for it, around the average price online at the time. I am willing to pay 10-15% more at a B&M than the average price online, but that's it.

 

[SpookyDriver]

I don't mind paying more for the convenience of getting what I want right now. If I'm not in a hurry, I'll order online. If I'm bored and want to try something today, I'll pay a few bucks more. It's a fair trade, IMO.

 

[HauntedMyst]

When it comes to vaping I am ADAMANTLY anti B&M. I haven't been to one that offers me any value in terms of education (thanks to ECF) or product. I love B&M's in other industries but so far the vape stores have been a huge disappointment.

 

[Jarbs]

The one good thing I will say about my b&m vape shop, Flash Vapors(yes i'll plug them here), is the girl working there said I should just dive right into mods as I'll eventually get them. She sure was right there, but $70 for an MVP 2.0 is absurd.

 

[tricci]

B & Ms have much higher overhead than online stores thus vape gear will be more expensive. My local vape shop is more expensive than online stores, but not by that much. I don't mind paying extra to have a place to hang out, sample juices, and buy equipment on the spot. However, I don't buy much at my local shop other than Vapor Chef juice as I like higher end stuff and my local shop doesn't have any yet.

 

[lladnar550]

The one good thing I will say about my b&m vape shop, Flash Vapors(yes i'll plug them here), is the girl working there said I should just dive right into mods as I'll eventually get them. She sure was right there, but $70 for an MVP 2.0 is absurd.

Assuming it is for a full kit, and not just the body only, 70$ is about right for a MVP 2 in a b&m. Average online price (US Vendors) is 62 for a full kit. It means that if the B&M is dealing with a wholesaler and not directly with Innokin, they are probably paying between $45 and $50 for the unit. Add a standard 30% margin would put it in the 70$ range. Online vendors can operate at a lower margin, around 10-15% and still maintain a profit. Also, online vendors may be selling enough units to deal directly with the manufacturer, netting them a 10+% lower cost on the units to start with. (At-least this is how the Retail IT world operates, from what I have seen the supply chains are similar in the ecig market)

 

[KiMB00P]

I get my equipment know but buy my juices locally.

 

[Kang]

The one B&M near me only sells clones but make awesome juice to order. As I'm not into clones personally (don't care what others do though), I'd never buy gear from there. That said, the people are nice and it's great meeting people in the community.

 

[Tinkiegrrl]

I usually stick to juice when I go to a brick and mortar. The higher end the better the deal I've found. A bottle of 5 Pawns in a brick an mortar is often very similar to why you would find online. This way, I don't feel as ripped off and I'm still supporting a local business. For equipment I never buy in a brick and mortar. I always go online, save for a coil or something that I may need ASAP.

 

[Rule62]

I think B&Ms are great. There have been several that have opened up in my area in the last year or so. With the increased competition, the pricing has come down somewhat. It's not as outrageous as it was 2 or 3 years ago, when B&Ms were few and far between. Many nowadays also have online sales, which help subsidize the overhead of a B&M. All of the shops I've been to in my area also allow customers to sample juices before buying, which is something the online suppliers can't do. Some of the shops have also become 'hang outs' for local vapers, giving us a chance to meet other vapers, talk equipment, teach and learn.

 

[Chawg]

The B&M's I've been to are kind of hit or miss. I notice that the places that ONLY do vapor are more spot on with online prices than the places that just so happen to sell vapor. Either way the problem I have with some of the B&M's that I've been too is the staff. Young kids, maybe 21-24, blow a massive cloud of vapor in your face as soon as you walk in. It's like part of their sales pitch I think. "Hey, look at all this vapor, cool right?" No, not cool. Seriously, if I'm standing around you and some vapor blows in my face, cool. But don't intentionally blow a thick cloud IN MY FACE! What sucks is they actually have good prices.

 

[8dragon9]

Holy crap...it has to be location around here. An ego 900 is 18.00 here, I bought my mystart revolver 1300 for 24.00, I pay 6.00 a 10ml bottle which to me is worth it though I want to try other flavors. I paid 30 for my pt3 but at the same time got a great discount on heads. The shop I frequent is on the low side. Mods are pricey 136.00 after tax on the svd express kit with charger and two 3400mah batteries. Idk, I like supporting local, seeing, feeling, using things before I purchase. Thats worth the few extra bucks to me.

sent from the s4 of DOOOM

 

[Rancor0681]

The one good thing I will say about my b&m vape shop, Flash Vapors(yes i'll plug them here), is the girl working there said I should just dive right into mods as I'll eventually get them. She sure was right there, but $70 for an MVP 2.0 is absurd.

There are still plenty of Internet company's charging that