Futile attempt at posterity Parts 1: https://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/threads/b-m-clerk-observations-part-1.612240/
And Part 2: https://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/threads/b-m-clerk-observations-part-2.637489/
Well, it's been a year since I got my job working at a Vape shop. One thing I've noticed in threads here and elsewhere is that Vape shop workers get a pretty bad rap. Being a customer at B&Ms I can attest that a lot of what is said is true...the elitism, the nonchalance, general disarray...yeah, being an "older" woman vaper walking into a shop can be kind of intimidating, if one cares about those things (I do not). Yeah, I get asked questions by young men like, "Do you know what a coil is" YES I DO. But ya know, at least they bother to ask. I'm quite impressed with any attempt at customer service these days.
My whole purpose for working at a Vape shop is to help people quit smoking. That I know the intricacies between different sub-ohm tanks is the byproduct of my own obsession. I shop about 50/50 in-store and online, and I certainly read all the boards to find reviews and the best juices. When a person comes into my store I do not assume he is a newb to vaping unless he specifically says so. The new vapers are easily my favorite customers...not that I don't know my regulars by name and preferences...but when a person comes in, usually smelling like cigarette smoke, and says "Well, I gotta stop smoking and I'm here to try one of these e-cigarette things" I gotta say, my heart just lights up.
Here's how I handle it: The gear is the easy part. I can start you off with an Evod or Spinner and Aspire BVC tank. That's just a matter of what you can handle (coming from the v-finger formation of holding a cig) and what you require. Tell me what you want and I can give you the technological parameters we can work within. That's easy.
The hard part: Finding a juice you will crave, or at least tolerate until you get used to it. If a customer says "none of that fruity stuff [been there]" then I have about 7 tobacco flavors we can start with. Generally one of my top 3 tobacco juices hits the mark. We determine your nicotine requirement.
I will show you the components of the gear you find aesthetically pleasing and comfortable. Here's the tank and battery. I take the tank apart and show you the coil. The coil is the "brain." The coil is what makes the whole thing your best friend or worst nightmare. Change it X number of days, according to usage and voltage output.
(If something goes wrong, 90% of the time it's because of your coil. Connection, worn out, etc. Don't make yourself crazy over it. Call me at the store or come in. I will help.)
What is voltage? Well, it's your heat and power output. If you crank your battery to 4.8 volts and go whole-hog on it, you will likely need to charge it every 3-5 hours, for another 2-3 hours. What? It takes that long to charge? Well, yes sir, the mAh rating is basically a suggestion. This is why most people have more than one battery...and when you're depending on this device to keep you off smoking, you might become frustrated when it runs out of power.
Well, which battery won't run out of power so soon?
This bigger one, but as you can see, it's not quite like the shape of a cigarette.
"That's kind of big."
"I know, but you can get used to it" (Puts bigger battery in hand of customer, knowing it feels like a brick to someone used to holding a pencil.)
Then I describe the way it works, answer questions about cigarette versus milligram of e-liquid equivalency, suggest strategies about how to use the product in order to curb the desire to smoke, and if I've accomplished all this in under 25 minutes then my voice has gone hoarse and I'm sure the customer is tired of hearing it.
Another favorite of mine -- who am I kidding, THE favorite part -- is when that customer comes back in, brags about not having a cigarette since a week or so of that initial visit, and replenishes his juice supply. That has happened a lot. It never gets old.
I love selling sub tanks and high-wattage mods to excited customers looking to "upgrade," but it's always going to be the slightly worried, skeptical and expectant newbies that make it worth coming to work every day. It's worth it to go over every single detail as many times as necessary to let them know this is not unchartered territory and that they are not stupid nor are they alone on this journey. And that if they spend $75 and still have a cigarette while their new kit is charging, they are not failures. And that they can call or come by any time and we will help them.
I guess some people might consider it lowly work. But I love it.
And Part 2: https://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/threads/b-m-clerk-observations-part-2.637489/
Well, it's been a year since I got my job working at a Vape shop. One thing I've noticed in threads here and elsewhere is that Vape shop workers get a pretty bad rap. Being a customer at B&Ms I can attest that a lot of what is said is true...the elitism, the nonchalance, general disarray...yeah, being an "older" woman vaper walking into a shop can be kind of intimidating, if one cares about those things (I do not). Yeah, I get asked questions by young men like, "Do you know what a coil is" YES I DO. But ya know, at least they bother to ask. I'm quite impressed with any attempt at customer service these days.
My whole purpose for working at a Vape shop is to help people quit smoking. That I know the intricacies between different sub-ohm tanks is the byproduct of my own obsession. I shop about 50/50 in-store and online, and I certainly read all the boards to find reviews and the best juices. When a person comes into my store I do not assume he is a newb to vaping unless he specifically says so. The new vapers are easily my favorite customers...not that I don't know my regulars by name and preferences...but when a person comes in, usually smelling like cigarette smoke, and says "Well, I gotta stop smoking and I'm here to try one of these e-cigarette things" I gotta say, my heart just lights up.
Here's how I handle it: The gear is the easy part. I can start you off with an Evod or Spinner and Aspire BVC tank. That's just a matter of what you can handle (coming from the v-finger formation of holding a cig) and what you require. Tell me what you want and I can give you the technological parameters we can work within. That's easy.
The hard part: Finding a juice you will crave, or at least tolerate until you get used to it. If a customer says "none of that fruity stuff [been there]" then I have about 7 tobacco flavors we can start with. Generally one of my top 3 tobacco juices hits the mark. We determine your nicotine requirement.
I will show you the components of the gear you find aesthetically pleasing and comfortable. Here's the tank and battery. I take the tank apart and show you the coil. The coil is the "brain." The coil is what makes the whole thing your best friend or worst nightmare. Change it X number of days, according to usage and voltage output.
(If something goes wrong, 90% of the time it's because of your coil. Connection, worn out, etc. Don't make yourself crazy over it. Call me at the store or come in. I will help.)
What is voltage? Well, it's your heat and power output. If you crank your battery to 4.8 volts and go whole-hog on it, you will likely need to charge it every 3-5 hours, for another 2-3 hours. What? It takes that long to charge? Well, yes sir, the mAh rating is basically a suggestion. This is why most people have more than one battery...and when you're depending on this device to keep you off smoking, you might become frustrated when it runs out of power.
Well, which battery won't run out of power so soon?
This bigger one, but as you can see, it's not quite like the shape of a cigarette.
"That's kind of big."
"I know, but you can get used to it" (Puts bigger battery in hand of customer, knowing it feels like a brick to someone used to holding a pencil.)
Then I describe the way it works, answer questions about cigarette versus milligram of e-liquid equivalency, suggest strategies about how to use the product in order to curb the desire to smoke, and if I've accomplished all this in under 25 minutes then my voice has gone hoarse and I'm sure the customer is tired of hearing it.
Another favorite of mine -- who am I kidding, THE favorite part -- is when that customer comes back in, brags about not having a cigarette since a week or so of that initial visit, and replenishes his juice supply. That has happened a lot. It never gets old.
I love selling sub tanks and high-wattage mods to excited customers looking to "upgrade," but it's always going to be the slightly worried, skeptical and expectant newbies that make it worth coming to work every day. It's worth it to go over every single detail as many times as necessary to let them know this is not unchartered territory and that they are not stupid nor are they alone on this journey. And that if they spend $75 and still have a cigarette while their new kit is charging, they are not failures. And that they can call or come by any time and we will help them.
I guess some people might consider it lowly work. But I love it.
