B&M Ripoff?

[InTheShade]

I always use the internet as a starting point for negotiating....and it doesn't need to be a contentious or emotion based discussion.

I usually say "I'm willing to pay you more because I understand you have overhead and appreciate your convenience but I simply cannot justify paying 2 to 3 times more." (And yes I will say it just like that)

The worst thing that happens is I walk out with all the money I came in with.

Exactly this. I posted recently that I do the same with the manager of a 'local' B&M I go to. Just being open and honest, saying that you know how much the item usually retails for online, adding in that you expect to pay a little more to get it in your hand today and making an offer usually results in a win win situation. You get the item today, they make a few bucks that they probably wouldn't have made - everyone is happy.

Saying that, $150 for a TMAX is about $80-90 too much in my opinion. You can get them for around $40 online and I think I would have been a little disappointed - especially if I were a frequent customer.

 

[InTheShade]

Which TMAX? The most recent does 30 Watts. That one I only saw one place online carrying it at $119 (just a quick search, someone else may find more prices). The old 15 watt version is the one I saw at $50-75. So, again, which version did the B&M have?

Good point. I was referring to the original 15w TMAX that has been out for a year or so now. If there is a new 30 watt version and the online pricing is around $120 then $150 seems very reasonable.

 

[Krashman Von Stinkputin]

Exactly this. I posted recently that I do the same with the manager of a 'local' B&M I go to. Just being open and honest, saying that you know how much the item usually retails for online, adding in that you expect to pay a little more to get it in your hand today and making an offer usually results in a win win situation. You get the item today, they make a few bucks that they probably wouldn't have made - everyone is happy.

Saying that, $150 for a TMAX is about $80-90 too much in my opinion. You can get them for around $40 online and I think I would have been a little disappointed - especially if I were a frequent customer.

It is amazing how powerful a statement like:
"for the price you're asking I could literally buy 2 (or 3) of them online, but I'd much rather buy just one from YOU"
can be.

A great sale is one in which both sides "win"
The customer gets the value he seeks at a price he feels is fair, and the vendor get the compensation he deserves for helping him find it.
An even greater one leaves them eager to do it over and over again.

 

[Mrdaputer]

Caveat emptor

 

[Kracker]

At my local b&m cloned rda's are $40-$45.00 and cloned mech.'s $60-$65.00. So about $100.00 for what you could get online for about $60.00 probably half of that on FT.


You could try to barter prices with them but you'd have to wait because all the salespeple are usually swarmed with people willing to pay those prices.

 

[klynnn]

I guess I was lucky, when I started there were no vape stores in my state. Everything has been ordered online. Now I go into a vape store and have sticker shock.

 

[Hawaiian Nate]

I recently walked into my local B&M and seen an IPV2 for $160. When I told him that I saw the online price for $110, He just laughed.

 

[shatteredsoul76]

I like the folks at my local shops but I just cant justify paying their prices compared to what I can get stuff for online. If it was only a dollar or two mark-up I would pay it but $55+ tax for a innokin VV V3 is outrageous.

 

[Prometheus72]

other than for stuff I MUST have that minute...I personaly NEVER buy anything at full price and certainly NOT from a B&M store. I think their business model is going to make them all but extinct very soon. That being said,....they target the ignorant consumer and there's no shortage of those....so may they will last.

One thing you guys have to remember is that the people on this forum and other forums like this are NOT usually the normal customer. We are well educated regarding prices, products, and companies. MOST vapers are still newbies looking to buy anything to get them off smoking and they are being put through the shredder by B&M stores due to their ignorance. Evenually they will educate themselves as we have done (I know I started off with ego and premade tanks etc...paid top dollar, bought chinese dekang juice etc) but I moved on very quickly. Some will follow us...many will not.

 

[Kevin littell]

3 B and M's in my area sell at online vendor prices. (not fastech prices.)



I frequent them.

 

[RCHagy74]

That is just nuts... Sounds as if the owner has no real retail experience or just does not care.
The theory is you use a markup/margin depending on the product base price and perishability.
So a thirty dollar item would have a forty to fifty percent M/M and a $125 item would have a twenty to thirty percent M/M. Depending on competition and what the market will bear.

Then you also have the fun of stocking just the right amount so as to not be left with items which al of the sudden suffer a price drop. 'cause nothing is more fun than deciding 'Do I still try to make a profit, re-coup my buying price or sell at a loss...'

Thing is... I sometimes miss retail.


RC Hagy