Flaky new vapers need some inspiration

[Brewmaster B]

I'm having some trouble with a few dear friends who are kind of flaking out of vaping.

In total, I have been able to convert 4 of my employees at my brewpub. My manager, who was .5-1pad and her husband (also my salesman, who has been 3 or more PAD for many many years, has COPD and needs this bad) both got 2 ego twists each, and several clearos and flavors. The stuff was a gift from my apprentice, who paid over 100$ just because he's a great guy. They both loved it at first. They walk in with their egos right in their hands, and didn't quit smoking but cut down dramatically.

Now its been 2 weeks and once a clearo goes bad on them, or they run out of a flavor they like, they just give up because it requires an effort to attain new parts or flavors. Now they are back to smoking like fiends.

Case number 3: My bartender who loved my provari so much she just had to get one herself (once again, someone gifted this to her). I bought her some Caramela from mountain oak vapors and she love loved it. However, 2-3 weeks later, she's tired of the flavor, and instead of getting anything new on her own, she's now smoking again full time. A GD Provari! It makes me cringe. I don't know what to say to them, I don't want to be a pushy-Pete, but I want to see it work for them, I know how much they enjoyed it at first. Just once it requires any effort, they'd rather just go buy cigrettes. Someone help me with the right thing to say or do. It keeps me up at night because I love them so much.

One out of the 4 total is doing great, continues to vape away and loves going out to find new flavors and toys.

But now I'm not so enthusiastic about trying to convert new people when they are close to me, it is just emotionally draining to see them not make it.

Thanks for reading that rant! Let me know if you have a clever or helpful suggestion, or just a similar experience.

 

[Baditude]

There's not much more that you can do than you already have. Kudo's for your efforts!

No one is going to put down the smokes for good unless they are truly determined and commited to do so. Smoking is way too easy. Just light up and go. Run out of smokes? There's more to be had at the corner store. Too easy.

Vaping is a great alternative to smoking, but it is hard work. It takes organization skills and pre-planning. Forget to recharge those drained batteries and you'll not have any power to use an e-cig. Run out of juice? Unless there's a local vape shop, you are out of luck until you order more online and then wait for delivery. Juice delivery devices are known to stop working unexpectedly, and if you don't have backups, you're screwed again.

This needs to be explained to new vapors. Many believe they only need one battery and a juice delivery device to get by. Many smokers balk at the price involved in starting out vaping. Initial costs can be expensive, but after that one big initial purchase they can see savings over the price of cigarettes with only juice and replacements for disposable juice delivery devices for the ensuing months to follow.

I always ask smokers how much they spend on cigarettes a month and wait for an honest answer. Usually it's at least $150 for a $5 pack per day habit. They think nothing of spending that much on cigarettes, but spend that much on a starter's kit?

I never push the issue on such new vapors. Once they see how successful you are, they might become motivated again to put in the effort to make the switch for good. Once that happens, be there to educate and support.

 

[CookingWithGuns]

While I'm still quite new to vaping, I saw this issue with a friend of mine who was converted over by another friend of ours. Luckily there were a few places nearby to pick up liquid so once she learned about those, when she got tired of a flavor it was as simple as when she'd go grab a pack of cigs. As for the cartos though, I think our friend just bought extra and held onto them and sold them to her when needed, he was nice that way.

Basically, if you can't get someone into it enough, hope there is a store nearby with juices.

 

[Markitup]

Unfortunately, as with all things in life, quitting smoking is not something that happens because others want it, you have to want it yourself. I've convinced two people to try vaping since I started 2 1/2 months ago, but even as I did so I realized neither was going to quit smoking. And they didn't. I answer questions from curious observers, but don't actively try to get anyone to quit smoking. As I recall from my (recent) smoking days, there is nothing more annoying than a former smoker

 

[wv2win]

Even using better hardware, you have people too lazy to provide some effort so they can successfully continue to vape. It's why I know (and from personal local knowledge), for every one person who trys vaping with a model like the Blu and then moves to a better model, there are easily 50 who just go back to smoking due to how poorly they perform.

I think you did much more than the average friend would do and should feel good about that. But unfortunately, some people are just too lazy to help themselves.

 

[smileyjen45]

Well it is a tough subject some just don't have the drive they have to want the switch if they can't be motivated to grab tanks and liquid and charge up there batteries it wont work unless you really want to babysit them all the time which is not your responsibility when they are really ready they will take the plunge but you could just throw in conversation little things like amazing flavors your vaping on that day throw out there how many days you have been quit and remind them how easy and stress free it can be if they keep up with it and maybe suggest sites they can easily buy from and have product in hand in days and remind them that yes it is more convenient to buy a pack at the store but costs way more in the end and a 10 ml bottle will last longer than a pack of smokes ever will

 

[InTheShade]

Well it's about buy-in too. I know I have to make this work because I've spent over $500 doing it, so I am 100% committed to using vaping to help me stop smoking.
If I received a kit to stop smoking as a gift, I may not be as committed.

As Bad said above, it has to come from them, don't feel too bad, you showed them the light - now it's up to them.

 

[Brewmaster B]

Basically, if you can't get someone into it enough, hope there is a store nearby with juices.

Cool thing is, Mountain Oak Vapors is about 30mins away and it has some of the best flavors in the world! And a new store just opened even closer with an awesome juice bar. They are pretty top-notch also. My buddies are missing some golden opportunity.

 

[Brewmaster B]

Well it's about buy-in too. I know I have to make this work because I've spent over $500 doing it, so I am 100% committed to using vaping to help me stop smoking.
If I received a kit to stop smoking as a gift, I may not be as committed.

As Bad said above, it has to come from them, don't feel too bad, you showed them the light - now it's up to them.

I can relate.. I've gotten pretty heavy into the hobby side of this, and only use pretty advanced equipment. I hope they are not intimidated by my style of vaping.. My daily is a philipine mech and ERA. I only recommend the ego twist to starters though. Why this person had to get a provari is beyond me. I did not encourage that, but didn't dissuade too much either.

 

[CookingWithGuns]

Cool thing is, Mountain Oak Vapors is about 30mins away and it has some of the best flavors in the world! And a new store just opened even closer with an awesome juice bar. They are pretty top-notch also. My buddies are missing some golden opportunity.

Well if they want to get rid of their equipment, I'm still new and starting out, and won't turn down charity haha.

 

[Smokachino]

Wow! What a great friend you are , and I can certainly understand your frustration. I have a dear friend who is a heavy smoker and, while she vapes in places she can't smoke, she clearly has no intention of quitting the analogs. I try to lead by example, but unfortunately that's about all I can do. I'm always showing her my cool new "toys" and talking about how much money I'm not spending on cigs, but she continues to smoke. It's funny, though, that the ONLY time her eyes lit up and I had her full attention was when I mentioned that vaping had drastically decreased my appetite I guess you just never know what may motivate someone, so maybe if you keep throwing stuff at the wall something will eventually stick!

 

[G'ma]

Since I am old, I can quote this:

"Pull the string, and it will follow wherever you wish. Push it, and it will go nowhere at all."
-- Dwight D. Eisenhower


: )

 

[brock957]

You did your part plus some. They just don't want to quit that bad.

 

[nctrekken]

I would have suggested getting some new flavors for them to try, but if mountain oak vapors (great liquids) is down the road and they just wont go get their own juices. Don't know what else you can do. Lead a horse to water......

 

[Baditude]

Since I am old, I can quote this:

"Pull the string, and it will follow wherever you wish. Push it, and it will go nowhere at all."
-- Dwight D. Eisenhower

I'm older too. Here's another one:

"You can lead a horse to water, but you can't force it to drink it."

 

[ImThatGuy]

Sounds like they want to be spoon fed...

 

[Susan W.]

I'll help anyone if they want help but I won't buy equipment for others. I've done that in the past and been disappointed. If others really want to make the commitment, part of that is taking care of their equipment and supplies.

 

[StereoDreamer]

In Reiki, (a form of healing energy work), the man who developed the system, Mikao Usui, taught Reiki and gave attunements for free (or for small donations). But after his death, his head student, Mrs. Takata, suggested that people charge higher fees--especially in the West--because Westerners didn't appreciate or show gratitude for things they got for free. She felt that when people paid a substantial fee for something, they were more likely to really appreciate it, and have gratitude for and dedication to the new techniques they learned.

This is true for many people. Many people just can't see value (in their hearts) in something they get for free, even if they KNOW in their brains that is is tremendously valuable and beneficial to them.

I'm all for helping people get into vaping. I'm all for giving people gifts. But if someone can afford to smoke, they can afford to buy their own eGo and a few clearos and a bottle or two of juice. Giving someone a complete setup will, for most people, not get them "into vaping" because they have no attachment to it.

This is apparent in the woman you spoke of with the Provari. Someone GAVE her a much-desired, super-high-end mod, and she abndoned it when she got tired of the flavor of juice she got for free with it.

If people don't WANT to quit cigs, then no matter what you give them, they won't become vapers. They have to WANT to stop smoking.

How do you fix that? You can't, really. AS the owner of the business, you could institute a "no smoking ANYWHERE on my property while on the clock" policy, but leave your property vape-friendly. That might work for them while they are on duty, but it's not really a positive wy to influence people's behavior, and it is very manipulative.

People have to WANT to quit. No two ways about that...

 

[charmschool]

I'll help anyone if they want help but I won't buy equipment for others. I've done that in the past and been disappointed. If others really want to make the commitment, part of that is taking care of their equipment and supplies.

+1 on that. You and your apprentice went way above & beyond. They're not motivated, so tell them to pay it forward & ask for the equipment back, then give it to Dimi for raffles at the next SCV meet!

 

[ziggytrix]

Cool thing is, Mountain Oak Vapors is about 30mins away and it has some of the best flavors in the world! And a new store just opened even closer with an awesome juice bar. They are pretty top-notch also. My buddies are missing some golden opportunity.

Plan a trip to the juice bar. Invite them to come along. But don't pressure them. If you can get the one who's doing great to come, then maybe the others will want to come to so they don't feel left out? But I can't stress this enough, don't be a nag about it! It has to be their decision or it will never stick.