anyone feel awkward in vape shops

[Mechman]

I feel awkward going into local vape shops and getting hounded for an ID, when I'm covered in tattoos. It makes me feel even more disturbed when they've got signs on the doors claiming 18+, yet 12yr old children sit in the vape lounge playing on iPads while I'm fogging the place up. I'm looking at you VapeRite!!

 

[AndriaD]

I've been to a few shops in the area and most of them think since I am a woman that I don't know what I'm talking about. They start telling me about dripping and I just listen to them go through it all then inform them that yes, I have a mod. I also feel that if I test some of the juices that they expect me to buy a bottle or a few. In one shop I tried 3 juices and didn't really care for any of them. When I started to leave the owner says "you're not gonna buy any?" I didn't want to be rude so I just said we would be back. The cigarette depot and vape in Duluth, Ga has always been very friendly however. They are more into vaping regardless of the name. Ha

Whereabouts, in Duluth? We're in Lawrenceville, straight out Old Norcross from [Un]Pleasant Hill, so Duluth is quite close!

Andria

 

[Jh7704]

We went from zero B&M's to 4 within a 10 mike radius of my house in a matter of 3-4 months. One if which is ridiculous, RBA clones that are straight from Fasttech, one Patriot in particular that I happen to have and paid $7.15 for, was on SALE for $49.99. Seriously? I'm not opposed to them turning a profit and keeping the lights on, paying employees and what not but C'mon. They are straight up ripping people off, $89.99 for a 650 mAh eGo fixed voltage kit with a $5 case and a USB charger? The sad part is people pay that and start their vaping experience on a bad note. Don't forget the $0.75 a ml house mix juice that tastes like dirt. I buy most of my juice and hardware online or DIY/rebuild, but I like to support the local shops and buy some Space Jam or some Suicide Bunny or whatever on occasion. It just won't be from him, we do have one that's pretty decent at least. They just opened their 4th location, good prices, friendly staff and legit mech mods/RBA's. They also have a rewards program card type deal, buy 5-30 ml bottles get one free so I patronize them at times, they also keep up with new gear unlike the other. "We got this brand new, just released yesterday battery called an eGo Twist, over here we got a Vamo V2"......smh

 

[Midniteoyl]

We went from zero B&M's to 4 within a 10 mike radius of my house in a matter of 3-4 months. One if which is ridiculous, RBA clones that are straight from Fasttech, one Patriot in particular that I happen to have and paid $7.15 for, was on SALE for $49.99. Seriously? I'm not opposed to them turning a profit and keeping the lights on, paying employees and what not but C'mon. They are straight up ripping people off, $89.99 for a 650 mAh eGo fixed voltage kit with a $5 case and a USB charger? The sad part is people pay that and start their vaping experience on a bad note. Don't forget the $0.75 a ml house mix juice that tastes like dirt. I buy most of my juice and hardware online or DIY/rebuild, but I like to support the local shops and buy some Space Jam or some Suicide Bunny or whatever on occasion. It just won't be from him, we do have one that's pretty decent at least. They just opened their 4th location, good prices, friendly staff and legit mech mods/RBA's. They also have a rewards program card type deal, buy 5-30 ml bottles get one free so I patronize them at times, they also keep up with new gear unlike the other. "We got this brand new, just released yesterday battery called an eGo Twist, over here we got a Vamo V2"......smh

Ya.. I've seen those.. Last place I saw like that I flat out told them. They seemed surprised and said its 'what the distributor recommended as a price'... Ya, they didnt even vape

 

[NealBJr]

Lol, I'm also from lawrenceville like AdrianD. Out of the three shops I visit, I feel uncomfortable in two of them. I still recommend them to others. Put it this way, one shop makes custom E-pipes and deals with drippers a lot. my "regular" vape, is a Vamo mod with a tank... I feel very out of place there. The second place deals with mainly mech mods and, again, mostly drippers. I do feel out of place there as well. Although I do use mech mods with tanks, most of the people there are sub ohm drippers using mech mods. I drip occasionally, but most of the time I'm looking for new tank systems or some Variable Wattage mods... neither of them have a wide selection of those. Their other clientele are EGO users using things like vivi-novas or aero/protanks.... again, not my standard.

so, Yes, I do feel out of place at both of those shops. I still stop in there from time to time.

As far as trying juices... One place, I've had nothing but horrible juice from.. and I've tried a few. The other place has good tasting juice, but is quite expensive. So, I'll treat myself from time to time with their juices, but %90 of my shopping is done online.

the one good shop I like deals mostly with EGO types...but the sales people are nice.. there's one guy that's into the mechanical scene, and he's very friendly... so I usually deal with only him in that shop. their selection is quite small though.

 

[Edbhr]

You guys are lucky to have vape shops, we have to ship everything in and cross fingers that it wont be confiscated.

 

[Lurch]

So, how long do you think the explosion of vape shops will last?

I friend who owns a vape store tells me expects to last between 7-10 years then will try to sell the business.

In answering my own question, I guess any moves made by the FDA will have a major influence on the answer.

 

[yungstu]

Sometimes I get a awkward feeling as a sense of not belonging . Most vape shops where I live have a very loyal customer base so being the new person in , there are a few awkward stares. After a few times visiting it goes away .

 

[DaveP]

I order from Madvapes and Hoosiers and a few others, but only when I need something Stormy's doesn't carry. It's mostly juice that I order or some piece of hardware I can't get locally.

Andria, Madvapes has an Atlanta store listed. How's the atmosphere there? Have you been into their Atlanta store?

 

[VLadies]

Whereabouts, in Duluth? We're in Lawrenceville, straight out Old Norcross from [Un]Pleasant Hill, so Duluth is quite close!

Andria

It's on Pleasant Hill right where I-85 intersects. Sorta hard to get to considering that God-awful lane change intersection. Better if you come from Petco and go toward 85 and it's on the right right before you would get on the highway going South.


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[Completely Average]

I have come to hate most vape shops and can't wait for the majority of them to fail. I have found that the majority of vape shops fall into one of two categories.

1. The newbie shop. These shops specialize in ripping off the uninformed new ecig user. They've got astronomical markups on entry level gear, high priced generic juices, and virtually no knowledge outside of the sales pitch they were taught.

2. The showoffs. I'm pretty sure the only reason these shops open is because the owner is a major geek who really just wanted a place to sit and blow huge clouds all day long with his buddies. They typically only carry the gear they use which means entry level gear is not stocked and even midrange stuff is hard to find. Their prices are often decent but their selection is usually limited to stuff for the high end user and they often seem more interested in showing off their latest subohm build to their buddies than helping the customer that just walked through the door.

Out of more than 20 shops in my area there are only 4 that I really like, and two of those are chain stores that I wouldn't mind see expanding more. These 4 shops all have friendly service, people behind the counter who are knowledgeable about the entire industry and not just the products they have on their shelves, and relatively competitive prices. The rest are living on borrowed time as far as I'm concerned.

 

[AndriaD]

I order from Madvapes and Hoosiers and a few others, but only when I need something Stormy's doesn't carry. It's mostly juice that I order or some piece of hardware I can't get locally.

Andria, Madvapes has an Atlanta store listed. How's the atmosphere there? Have you been into their Atlanta store?

Well it's kinda hard to say, it wasn't very long after their big Grand Opening, and it was a Saturday, so it was a bit hectic in there. However the one counter guy that I talked to was very nice, very helpful; at the time I was looking for one of the airflow controller bases, and asked if they had that in stock at the store, since they carry it online; he found out for me that they didn't have it in, just then, but would be getting it. At that point we just kinda looked around, mainly at their driptip selection, and he was very friendly and helpful with that, especially considering what a small purchase it was, but I got the gunmetal driptip I'd been eyeballing online; I hated to spend $3 for shipping for a $3.95 item; with retail markup, it was $5.95 at the shop, so I still saved a dollar, so I figured that was good enough, and got it. They had a fair selection of assorted hardware, but they probably do have more now. I just don't get up that way too much anymore, since we moved to just outside the main "business district" of Lawrenceville; MadVapes is actually in Buford, right across the street from the Walmart at Hamilton Mill. But I'd say it was a pretty decent shop; didn't feel any of the "elitism" that the "modzzzz" places have in such abundance, and the counter help seemed friendly and competent.

Andria

 

[AndriaD]

It's on Pleasant Hill right where I-85 intersects. Sorta hard to get to considering that God-awful lane change intersection. Better if you come from Petco and go toward 85 and it's on the right right before you would get on the highway going South.

Works for me; we always come straight out Old Norcross (the MicroCenter on Pleasant Hill is my favorite toy store! ), so we'd just turn left onto [Un]Pleasant Hill, and be going in the right direction. Excellent!

And yeah, that section right there around 85 and the mall is WHY I call it [Un]Pleasant Hill.

Andria

 

[Cohnistan]

I did at first but then they started recognizing me and it was always friendly play to hang out and vape. I will say their juice wasn't great and prices little high but for hanging out and emergency supplies it's great!

 

[ILoveNorCal]

You guys are lucky to have vape shops, we have to ship everything in and cross fingers that it wont be confiscated.

That does put things into perspective a little bit.

So, how long do you think the explosion of vape shops will last?

I friend who owns a vape store tells me expects to last between 7-10 years then will try to sell the business.

In answering my own question, I guess any moves made by the FDA will have a major influence on the answer.

I think that to some extent, they will be much like the Frozen yogurt fad and hookah bar fad. lots of shops will pop up, looking half put together, many will fizzle out, and a few good ones will last.

 

[Midniteoyl]

So, how long do you think the explosion of vape shops will last?

I friend who owns a vape store tells me expects to last between 7-10 years then will try to sell the business.

In answering my own question, I guess any moves made by the FDA will have a major influence on the answer.

About 2 years...

 

[Rafx]

I had one open up a few blocks from my house. It by far is my fav, every one is nice and knows thier stuff.
The keep every thing from high end to low end in stock.
The best thing they have going is the lay out lets people lounge and hang out without disrupting buissness.

 

[Moonbogg]

I felt a little strange walking in the buy my kayfun because I see a lot of pipes and stuff and that scene reminds of a typical smoke shop or head shop where people go to buy hardware for drug use. So I felt uncomfortable walking in, but I realize that vaping hardware is not for drug use and I was there to buy stuff myself. So I tried to chill out a little, but I still have the idea in my head that a smoke shop is not a place I want to be and it still isn't (unless its a VAPE shop)

Also, I am uncomfortable with how some youtube vaping people talk about drug use on the side. I don't want anything to do with drugs and I don't want to be associated with drug use, so those people should shut their trap regarding their drug habits. I can just see it now, "Vaping is linked with drug use, a new study". We don't need that crap.

 

[Ed Kindred]

We have several close by but we live in the Houston area. A few we're on the upity side I may live in Houston but I grew up in Tipton, Oh, (6 houses). We've found several we're comfortable in, even if I'm the "old guy", 55, in the room. Keep lookin' !!!

 

[LiamPan]

Depends on the shop, and what they cater for. I feel comfortable enough in shops selling beginner materials or shops specialising in juice, but in the more mod orientated shops I feel intimidated somewhat, mostly because a lot of their equipment is well above my head.