If a person did wish to give e-cigs a trial, I tend to let them try out mine XD.
But perhaps do you think it would be a good idea to recommend one of those cheap 'disposables'?
I've seen them sell for as low as about $10 American, but I have no idea about the quality of these, and if it's low... well as the OP said, first impressions count.
EDIT: And as to the mall guys, say what you want about them, but a friend of mine bought a kit from them, and after deciding she didn't really like
vaping gave it to me. It has been getting daily use since January, and everything still works great, the batteries and atomizer, and the cartridges can be refilled dozens of times. They may be overpriced, but they are at least selling a pretty good product for it, and making it accessible to people who wouldn't otherwise have access.