Beware of mall Kiosk's!

[Tom_E_Calm7]

When I was new to vaping, about 2 weeks in, I went in search of supplies at the Florida Mall. I want to name this mall directly so no one falls for this scam. Well, firstoff the guy only had 1 type of kit (that I still havent heard of yet) that he was selling for $100
Then I started asking if he had liquid. Well the guy pulls out a 10ml bottle and I ask him "how much?" He says.........wait for it.......
40 BUCKS! I was like WTF are you serious right now? The idiot tells me (in badly broken English) "one drop is same as pack of cigarette"(yes thats exactly how he sounded). YEAH RIGHT! Then I continued to try and ask questions about the PG/VG content and he says "aww naw naw, you no need know that, its good, its good" Needless to say that was right about where I cut it short. When I told him nevermind, he became very pushy and tried to drop the price on the liqiud down to $30. I said I would think about it and may come back. He angrily says to my face " your not coming back, thanks for wasting my time".
Long story short, the point is that I think you should be able to ask ANY e-cig vendor questions about their product. If they dont know what they are talking about and charge you more than $1 a ml, then that vendor IS just trying to rip you off.

 

[RedDeath5]

agreed. i'm really glad i didn't buy a kit from the guy in the mall, even though he let me vape a carto with him to try it out. $130 for 1 battery, a charger and 5 cartos...yeah. i'm looking forward to seeing him again with either my 510 mega or my pitbull...

 

[PowerofParanoia]

I don't think anyone who has had to deal with the mall kiosks has had a good story to tell about them.

I hope they stay out of Texas. Not that I browse the mall all that often, but if there was a kiosk there, I would have to stand there and pass out ECF business cards so that the guy doesn't rip anyone off. It would be painful to watch him butcher a newbie's hopes because of his prices and crappy attitude.

Mall kiosks are just sketchy anyway. Most of them sell such specific products and it seems like no one is ever interested in them. The only kiosks that I ever see with people even stopping near them is the kiosk with piercing jewelry and the kiosk with hermit crabs.

There's my two cents. lol.

 

[basilray]

As much as we all rip on the mall kiosks, it is how a lot of us ended up here. I paid $150 for a single auto-battery RN4081 kit and 40ml of juice. I knew there had to be better out there, but it was still enough to get me to quit analogs before I got my 510.

Long story short, it's a very love-hate relationship with the Mall vendors.

 

[pearlheartgtr]

I stopped by a mall kiosk the other night out of curiosity and asked how much the little bottles of e-juice (I think they were about 15ml) were. $23.99 each! I thanked the lady and slowly backed away while she was selling a 510 kit to a customer. I didn't catch the prices on those though. I believe it was a Totally Vapor kiosk.

With the over pricing at these places, it almost makes me want to get up some money and open a booth at the flea market to sell supplies and kits at web prices. Or heck, get a mall kiosk to undercut and put them out of business.

 

[Liv2Ski]

I live in the Albany NY area and I guess we are lucky. The Kiosk in Colonie Center is pricier than the web but not like some of the outragous numbers others are reporting. Yes their prices are higher than the web but I think they are reasonable considering the rent they pay. I bought a dual 510 starter kit about 2.5 months ago w/two atty's, box of 5 empty carts and 15 ml of juice. Price was $79 but they had 25% off coupon right there. $50 buck seems reasonable for instant gratification. There accesories are higher 12.95 for atty but if I was in a pinch and needed an atty $13 bucks is not too bad. They are charging $15 for 15ml of juice. That is a little steep for non US juice. Anyway it makes me happy that they are not gouging the new vapers out there in my area

 

[pearlheartgtr]

I live in the Albany NY area and I guess we are lucky. The Kiosk in Colonie Center is pricier than the web but not like some of the outragous numbers others are reporting. Yes their prices are higher than the web but I think they are reasonable considering the rent they pay. I bought a dual 510 starter kit about 2.5 months ago w/two atty's, box of 5 empty carts and 15 ml of juice. Price was $79 but they had 25% off coupon right there. $50 buck seems reasonable for instant gratification. There accesories are higher 12.95 for atty but if I was in a pinch and needed an atty $13 bucks is not too bad. They are charging $15 for 15ml of juice. That is a little steep for non US juice. Anyway it makes me happy that they are not gouging the new vapers out there in my area

That is reasonable considering the convenience and shipping from some web vendors.

 

[classwife]

I have wondered what a standard 510 kit bought in bulk with wholesale pricing whould have to be sold for in a mall to make a profit....Would of course be waaaay higher than an on line purchase for sure. We all know that things cost more at the mall. The real problem is not so much the price as the lack of truth about how long carts and juice lasts. And yes, some of them even charge much more than other mall kiosks too !

 

[pearlheartgtr]

I have wondered what a standard 510 kit bought in bulk with wholesale pricing whould have to be sold for in a mall to make a profit....Would of course be waaaay higher than an on line purchase for sure. We all know that things cost more at the mall. The real problem is not so much the price as the lack of truth about how long carts and juice lasts. And yes, some of them even charge much more than other mall kiosks too !

I was looking at a wholesaler and 510 kits (2 batteries. 1 or 2 attys. carts. charger... your basic starter kit) run about $160.00 for 10.

 

[classwife]

And kiosk rental prices are probably all over the place depending which mall...then insurance....

Would like to see a real business savvy person "pick a mall" and show just what it would have to cost to make a profit....just to see if (most) mall kiosks are within the right range of pricing for the location....make sense ?

 

[rons29445]

I once contacted a local mall in regards to placing some amusement machines along the walls and I believe I was told $50 per sq foot per month. My machines only took up 2 sq feet but $200 per month sticks in my mind as a default pricing.

The S***51 kiosk I saw was almost 6feet long 3 feet wide = 18 sq feet x $50 = $900 per month rent.
Granted you might not have to pay for utilities (electricity for cash registers and display lighting), but I could be wrong on that one.

 

[classwife]

So, I am not the only one curious !! Thank you ! That seems low tho... About 15 years ago in California we looked at one for something else and they told us 2500. a month. Also...?? perimeter spacing ?? Anyone going to the mall this weekend? Any whoooo, what I am getting at is that (most) of the mall prices may not really be "a rip off" due to these factors.... the trouble is the lack of truth about the product !

 

[PowerofParanoia]

That's fair enough.
I didn't even think about mall rent space prices.

 

[RedDeath5]

i may head down to the mall in South Bend today to see if there's anything there.

 

[Elendil]

I don't understand using the terms "rip-off" or "scam" to describe the mall kiosks. In a capitalist economy a seller is free to ask what they want for their product and a consumer is free to buy it or not. It is a pretty simple concept.

Where these guys lose me is the exaggerated claims of battery life and the representation that 1 cart = 1 pack nonsense. That is outright deceptive advertising.

Put it another way. If I want to put an old 1974 Vega in my driveway and put for "FOR SALE---$15,000" sign on it, that is not a "scam". I am asking a specific price for that car. If you don't want to buy it, don't. If someone does buy it it simply means that they feel they were getting fair value for the money spent. Your opinion may be that they aren't. If however, I claim that the Vega will get 120mpg, then you have every right to feel I am ripping someone off or scamming them.

It really comes down to doing proper research before making a purchase. If you were shopping for a refrigerator, would you but the very first one you looked at? Probably not. You would do some research on performance, price, and reliability and make the most informed decision for you.

Why is that logic thrown out the window when it comes to an ecig purchase?

 

[classwife]

El...that's what I was getting at....most of us here are used to buying on line at waaaay cheaper prices...people don't take into account the brick and mortar issues with cost. And malls are a high cost way to shop for anything....A business has to make a profit....and the owner of the location of the business has to make a profit, etc...they just need to tell the truth about the product , then the price can stand alone, and it will cost more at the mall !

 

[Tom_E_Calm7]

And kiosk rental prices are probably all over the place depending which mall...then insurance....

Would like to see a real business savvy person "pick a mall" and show just what it would have to cost to make a profit....just to see if (most) mall kiosks are within the right range of pricing for the location....make sense ?

I see what your saying, but my major problem (besides the serious overpricing) was the fact that when I asked him questions he brushed them off like they didnt matter. That is why I got so ticked off at the guy.
Also, I DEFINITLY agree with what pearlheartgtr said "With the over pricing at these places, it almost makes me want to get up some money and open a booth at the flea market to sell supplies and kits at web prices. Or heck, get a mall kiosk to undercut and put them out of business. "
That is EXACTLY what good honest vapers should do.
And elendil, this particular guy was trying to tell me that 1 drop was equivalent to 1 pack. And yes, I even asked him twice to make sure thats what he was trying to say. Now if thats not just blatently trying to rip someone off, what is? That is why I felt people should be warned.
Thanks guys for all the feedback.