If You Don't Know Anything About Vaping, Don't Open a Vape Shop

[icemanistheking]

As we all know, vaping is under the microscope of the FDA and being heavily scrutinized by the media

For someone to open up a vape shop with very limited knowledge of vaping is not what this industry needs right now.

I understand people's needs to "cash in" on the latest fad / phenomenom...but do it in something that doesn't involve dealing with sub ohming and unprotected batteries.

One piece of bad advice from someone who doesn't know what they're talking about could result in someone being seriously hurt..or worse.

Not really the bad publicity vaping needs right now

That's true, but on the other hand, the more mainstream this whole thing gets, the better. I take comfort in the fact that I can randomly see people out vaping during the day...that's the only thing that gives me hope that the regulations won't pass, at least in their current forum (treated as tobacco products).

I also question how much of an impact the grassroots movement can have overall with how hard the FDA is pushing this thing- if the Chinese companies got involved and started lobbying out the ..., I think we'd all be much better off (they may already be I guess). Anyway, wrong thread, sorry.

OP, I agree that the store owners were a little ridiculous, especially with the bag of rusty atomizers (if true, REALLY hard to believe). But yeah, you came off as pretty rude, obnoxious, and childish, and if you can't even see why on reflection, then sorry to say but there's no hope. Some people are just .......s I guess.

Sorry I didn't start vaping until 2013, but this is literally the first time I've ever heard mention of the Joyetech Type A atomizer, and I am a registered member at 7 different forums. Perhaps they never came up in my initial research because they are no longer relevant in the vaping world? I would guess that CE4s and CE5s or some iteration of those are the most common individual atomizer type currently, followed by the Protank series, judging by the bajillion starter kits sold each day consisting of those items.

 

[edyle]

In all honest, that's like walking into a computer store now days and asking for a 486. It's pretty outdated for vaping and I can understand them not knowing about it.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Tapatalk

Yeah! And if the owner walked out back and came back with an old rusty 486 and said "You mean this??" then it means they actually know about the thing.

 

[Yankez]

That's true, but on the other hand, the more mainstream this whole thing gets, the better. I take comfort in the fact that I can randomly see people out vaping during the day....

I'm 100 % for going mainstream...in a positive way

People that open vaping stores without the proper knowledge of the products they are selling is not positive.

I relate it to someone who likes guns but has never held or fired one in their life..opening up a firearms store.

You might say apples to oranges but is it really?

Stacked batteries in a mod can go off with the same effect as a hand grenade

What I'm really saying is if someone wants to open a store know the product..or hire someone who does, If they can't..don't open a shop

 

[omyeyes]

This is what happens when you use the wrong charger for your specific type eGo battery:



If you watch all the way through you'll see that the big flaming ball of chemicals that stuck to the girl was the insides of the ecig and the outer casing was left on a shelf on the wall on the right.

Now do you understand why it's important for a retailer to know what they are doing?

This very thing happened in my kitchen while I was sleeping. I thought I was shot!!

 

[neutrontech]

Yeah! And if the owner walked out back and came back with an old rusty 486 and said "You mean this??" then it means they actually know about the thing.

Yeah and then claiming they just bought it new off 'some guy'.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk

 

[KODIAK (TM)]

If you're opening a business it is YOUR JOB to know what you're talking about and doing.

Says who? I thought the idea of self employment was to get away from people telling you "what" your job is.

People. Get a grip. This B&M isn't selling gun ammo or rat poison. It's a mom & pop vape shop. Go ask an employee at Wal-Mart to be an expert or point out all the dangers involved in the chemicals, gizmos and other crap he/she will ring up for you. See where that gets you.

 

[Nate760]

Exactly; for people into vaping for the last few years, Joyetech is a name that means something,

I've been vaping for barely six months.

 

[Nate760]

Says who? I thought the idea of self employment was to get away from people telling you "what" your job is.

People. Get a grip. This B&M isn't selling gun ammo or rat poison. It's a mom & pop vape shop. Go ask an employee at Wal-Mart to be an expert or point out all the dangers involved in the chemicals, gizmos and other crap he/she will ring up for you. See where that gets you.

This thread is all kinds of awesome, especially in light of the Sensitive Sally flash mob whose members 1) think I'm some sort of terrible bully for being surprised that a couple of vape shop owners don't have a basic knowledge of vaping supplies, and 2) have their undies in a twist over what I said to the vape shop owners in question, when they themselves didn't appear very bothered by it at all. In point of fact, they seemed just as amused as I was.

It truly amazes me the extent to which some people insist on living their lives with the #1 priority of never saying anything remotely critical to anyone under any circumstances. I mean, grow a set. Seriously.

 

[Nate760]

OP, I agree that the store owners were a little ridiculous, especially with the bag of rusty atomizers (if true, REALLY hard to believe).

Trust me, I had an equally hard time believing it. In fact, that was the exact moment when I decided a forum post needed to be undertaken in this incident's honor.

But yeah, you came off as pretty rude, obnoxious, and childish, and if you can't even see why on reflection, then sorry to say but there's no hope. Some people are just .......s I guess."

Well gosh, I guess I'll have to take some small measure of solace in the fact that I never insulted anyone, raised my voice, used any untoward language, or exercised any less courtesy toward these two people than I would toward anyone else. You will note also that I never even directly criticized either of them, and I can assure you the atmosphere remained perfectly cordial for the duration of my visit.

Sorry I didn't start vaping until 2013,

Why would you be sorry? I didn't start vaping until November of last year.

but this is literally the first time I've ever heard mention of the Joyetech Type A atomizer, and I am a registered member at 7 different forums.

You also, presumably, don't own a vape shop. If you did, you'd know the item I went there to buy is probably the most common replacement part among all second-generation personal vaporizers. When I've gone into any other vape shop asking for the same item, they've known exactly what it was, whether or not it was in stock, and where it was located in the stock room. And just for good measure, I checked the store's website before I went down there, and when I searched for Joyetech type A atomizer heads, it returned a photograph, a detailed item description, and a heading that said "200+ in stock."

Perhaps they never came up in my initial research because they are no longer relevant in the vaping world?

Well, if basic replacement parts for half of the Joyetech product line are less relevant now than three months ago when I bought my eGo-CC (at which time it and they were as ubiquitous as any other product line in the entire industry), then I guess you've got your finger on the pulse of the "vaping world" to a degree that far outweighs my mere mortal abilities.

I would guess that CE4s and CE5s or some iteration of those are the most common individual atomizer type currently, followed by the Protank series, judging by the bajillion starter kits sold each day consisting of those items.

Thank you for performing this exhaustive scientific research. You're a credit to us all.

 

[PosingOwl]

You might say apples to oranges but is it really?

Stacked batteries in a mod can go off with the same effect as a hand grenade

I find that hard to believe but I get where you are going....

You also, presumably, don't own a vape shop. If you did, you'd know the item I went there to buy is probably the most common replacement part among all second-generation personal vaporizers. When I've gone into any other vape shop asking for the same item, they've known exactly what it was, whether or not it was in stock, and where it was located in the stock room. And just for good measure, I checked the store's website before I went down there, and when I searched for Joyetech type A atomizer heads, it returned a photograph, a detailed item description, and a heading that said "200+ in stock."

Every vape shop that I have been to do not carry these. Unless had them hidden in the back somewhere. I have been to quite a few here in the states and overseas, but yet to see one. The only place I did see them was online. But oh well.... I started vaping in 2012 and all I used were DCT's when I first started, guess I missed them and their popularity. Seeing now that you are just admitting that you looked them up online and it stated on their website that they had some in stock seems like a defense maneuver. If that really was the case maybe throw out there names so the good ecf community could enlighten them for you.... If true then I admit that I would be wrong about the checking them out online.

 

[Funk Dracula]

The issue we have here is we need to get Nate760 off of the Joyetech type A atomizers. I heard it through the grapevine that they were a pain in the balls to find these days.

 

[-mj01-]

I'm not sure where the disconnect is in this thread, but my experience tells me that someone owning and directly running a niche business whilst lacking intimate knowledge of the product/niche is not a good thing.


I've encountered many people who have decided to open a business because their spouse wants their own business. The type of people I'm thinking of often do not care to learn the business. They see some other business doing well and think to themselves that they can too. Then, they go "find" products that "look like" those they saw and decide to sell. They do not care to learn, are too ignorant to realize that they don't think about what they don't think about, and when all is said and done - they end up "cheapening" the niche due to misinformation or giving the niche a bad name to many they encounter due to inferior product and lack of knowledge.

The OP, in my opinion, was not out of line. For me, that would have been an "are you f'ing kidding me" type of moment to see the bag referred to in the OP.

Let's crash check this, if I visit a wine shop, I expect the vendor to know his wines, as they specialize in wine. If I go to a tobacco shop, I expect the vendor to know his tobacco. If I go to an auto parts store, they better be able to (at the very least) put the info into the computer and get me the right part - based on what I am asking for. I don't expect that they can fix my car, as they're a parts store - but I do expect that they can give me the parts I ask for based on what I am telling them / asking them for.

So, to expect a VAPE shop to know their business and either grab the right "part" or at the very least know they don't have the right part is not unreasonable. ON TOP OF THAT, to expect a vape shop owner/vendor to know whether equipment is new or used - I don't even think that needs to be discussed. The owners should have known and for the owner to not know, that speaks mountains about his level of sense, let alone his understanding of the niche. I'd have run in the other direction after reacting with an "are you kidding me?" posture.

 

[Anjaffm]

I'm not sure where the disconnect is in this thread, but my experience tells me that someone owning and directly running a niche business whilst lacking intimate knowledge of the product/niche is not a good thing.


I've encountered many people who have decided to open a business because their spouse wants their own business. The type of people I'm thinking of often do not care to learn the business. They see some other business doing well and think to themselves that they can too. Then, they go "find" products that "look like" those they saw and decide to sell. They do not care to learn, are too ignorant to realize that they don't think about what they don't think about, and when all is said and done - they end up "cheapening" the niche due to misinformation or giving the niche a bad name to many they encounter due to inferior product and lack of knowledge.

The OP, in my opinion, was not out of line. For me, that would have been an "are you f'ing kidding me" type of moment to see the bag referred to in the OP.

Let's crash check this, if I visit a wine shop, I expect the vendor to know his wines, as they specialize in wine. If I go to a tobacco shop, I expect the vendor to know his tobacco. If I go to an auto parts store, they better be able to (at the very least) put the info into the computer and get me the right part - based on what I am asking for. I don't expect that they can fix my car, as they're a parts store - but I do expect that they can give me the parts I ask for based on what I am telling them / asking them for.

So, to expect a VAPE shop to know their business and either grab the right "part" or at the very least know they don't have the right part is not unreasonable. ON TOP OF THAT, to expect a vape shop owner/vendor to know whether equipment is new or used - I don't even think that needs to be discussed. The owners should have known and for the owner to not know, that speaks mountains about his level of sense, let alone his understanding of the niche. I'd have run in the other direction after reacting with an "are you kidding me?" posture.

Thank you very much for this wonderful posting!
I agree 100%.

And I must say that I was amazed at many of the comments, as well. Is that the outcome of all that wishy-washy Political Correctness nonsense?

Like, why on earth should a shop owner be expected to know their business? Naawwww.... Let's just pamper them, pat them on the head and give them a free education on vaping. On our own, unpaid time, of course. Forget "save the whales" - the new fad is "educate the shop owners". So that they can then take our money and earn cash on the knowledge that we gave to them for free.

Hellooooo???
I am too old for this kind of stuff. Too old-fashioned. And glad that I am.
My 2 cents.

 

[baseballmom]

I have to agree with quite a few here-if someone opens a shop, they sure better know what they're selling, more than just the basic names of items-how it operates, strengths and weaknesses, and have a good inkling of the vaping industry/trends/changes as a whole-I want them to know more than I do, more than most of their customers-I want them to know about a large % of stuff out there already, and be aware of the new stuff coming out. I want them to be familiar with different set ups, I want them to educate me and others. If they don't have item, they should at least be able to say "hey, we don't sell that here because x,y,z". At times they're going to have a customer who's really in the know-I expect them to have a good relationship with that type too and learn from them also-use collective knowledge to improve their offerings. I wouldn't buy stuff from a shop who is clueless, it just seems weird to be into it just for the money alone-I support shops run by educated vapers who know their stuff-maybe some here would say it's too much to expect, but I don't think so-they need to accept the responsibility of teaching new vapers too, and steering them in a right and safe direction, if they choose to get into the business, they should know it-and a little more than just ego's and ce4's. I sure wouldn't buy a sewing machine from someone who doesn't know how to use one, or has only sewed maybe a couple of times in their lives.

 

[Equilibrium]

Yeah, I don't think the OP was out of line.

IMO.. if you're opening a business then you should have a fairly decent working knowledge of the business you're getting into or at the very least hire people who do.

I'm glad the few shops that are local to me have knowledgeable people behind the desk.

 

[Equilibrium]

Thank you very much for this wonderful posting!
I agree 100%.

And I must say that I was amazed at many of the comments, as well. Is that the outcome of all that wishy-washy Political Correctness nonsense?

Like, why on earth should a shop owner be expected to know their business? Naawwww.... Let's just pamper them, pat them on the head and give them a free education on vaping. On our own, unpaid time, of course. Forget "save the whales" - the new fad is "educate the shop owners". So that they can then take our money and earn cash on the knowledge that we gave to them for free.

Hellooooo???
I am too old for this kind of stuff. Too old-fashioned. And glad that I am.
My 2 cents.

I too agree 100%

It's this society we live in today. One where everyone is a "winner". No one is a "looser"... hell we don't even keep score and we aren't supposed to hurt anyone's feelings.

 

[Completely Average]

And I must say that I was amazed at many of the comments, as well. Is that the outcome of all that wishy-washy Political Correctness nonsense?

Like, why on earth should a shop owner be expected to know their business? Naawwww.... Let's just pamper them, pat them on the head and give them a free education on vaping. On our own, unpaid time, of course. Forget "save the whales" - the new fad is "educate the shop owners". So that they can then take our money and earn cash on the knowledge that we gave to them for free.

Hellooooo???
I am too old for this kind of stuff. Too old-fashioned. And glad that I am.
My 2 cents.

I TOTALLY agree.


Perhaps I'm "old fashioned" but I wouldn't take my car to a mechanic who didn't know how to fix cars.
I wouldn't buy a house from a builder who didn't know how to build houses.
I wouldn't go to a restaurant where they didn't know how to cook.
I wouldn't get on an airplane where the pilot didn't know how to fly.

Why on earth would I go to a vape shop where they don't know what they are doing?

 

[T0rtitude]

No one has to educate them. I'm a firm believer in not educating anyone, ever. People who want to learn will educate themselves. That's why we have libraries and Google. Teachers are a waste of tax dollars, etc. My issue is purely with politeness. I'm huge on treating others the way you'd want to be treated even if they're the biggest mental midgets on the planet. So when someone opens a business and doesn't know what they're doing, I think it's better to simply say, "You can't buy coils from some ***** **** off the streets. If you don't want to be filing for bankruptcy in 3 months then you'd better quickly educate yourself. Start with Google if you want to learn more." Then walk out of the store without spending a dime. Cussing at strangers is just unnecessary.

 

[DeadbeatJeff]

My least favorite vape/smoke shop is the one run by people who don't vape or smoke. You know, the "there was already an ice cream shop and a convenience store here so I opened a smoke shop" store.

In this kinda shop they will have all the products, and will likely know what they all are, kinda, but will have terrible customer service and TERRIBLE advice, also the worst POS clones of everything money can buy... the ones that work like crap but are indistinguishable on the surface and box and label from "real" clones. Shops that sell fake Vision products, who maybe have Ithaka clones labeled as "Russian" clones (totally not based on an actual experience lol), and who sell products with broken O-rings and missing parts, but don't really know enough about the device to know something is wrong, who never check their devices anyway.

These are the shops that exist purely to profit from people's addictions, and before vaping became a thing were selling knock-off hookahs and semi-overpriced cigars and cigarettes.

I don't like the vibe in these kinda places. I won't buy vape gear or juice from people who don't vape.

Not sure what my point is; have been up for way too long.

 

[DeadbeatJeff]

No one has to educate them. I'm a firm believer in not educating anyone, ever. People who want to learn will educate themselves. That's why we have libraries and Google. Teachers are a waste of tax dollars, etc. .

As a private teacher/tutor, I find this absurd.

As someone who went to public school and uses daily what I learned, I find this incredibly ignorant.

As someone who still has a small vestige of faith in the possibility of a functioning democracy, and who believes a actual liberal arts education is essential to a functioning democracy, I find this belief dangerous.