It was just a matter of time. But wages are SO low, it would take quite a bit of doing to get the employees any real money. Still, we can expect to see higher costs -- then some automation that they have refused to invest in due to the ultra cheap labor. Some of the cost increases will wash out in the long term after automation kicks in..
They will rethink how they do business.
Who is 'they'?
Between CA legalizing it and NY dropping the ban, that was all great advertising. A larger customer base should keep costs the same on basic hardware and juice.
If people want to have more flambouyant hardware that's where you'll see the cost go up. I'd rather lose a carto here and there than see e-cigs start a class war over
vaping and vaping tipping, in the minds of non-smokers and/or non vapers, alike, toward the drug culture and/or black market.
For the cost of living, wages aren't high at home, so it could go that way however, I think it was Steve who posted V4L will be keeping both "old" and newer models available, so imho, if it goes that way, it won't effect V4L. Not everyone has disposable income to put up more upfront and wait to see the savings.
I like V4L's approach. It doesn't exclude anyone by income, which is exactly what Phillip Morris and other big corporations want to happen to e-cigs so people will go back to killing themselves.
Right now, just trying to get stocked, despite what my sig says(I think it's calculating based on the juice longevity(I could go maybe 3 wks w/o ordering) I'm only spending $8 less/wk than analogs. When I have a two month stock and can go a month w/o ordering anything I'll see the tangible savings. Any higher than it is right now doesn't leave the cost factor open for new customers. And IT DOES play a factor in helping people decide to use vaping to quit.
Unless people are striking in China and prepared for the backlash (taking into account the billions being spent to clean up the oil spill) they'll see fewer jobs and the outsourcing might stop. We'll all have the opp. to do something to do something to make something for e-cigs, keeping it the peaceful product it is now and those who want the bells and whistles and can afford them can vape the same as those of us just getting started.
In business, like BP, the public isn't going to pay for mistakes and really, by
volume, there aren't any major issues if you use the CoolCarts sold now - If you stealth vape, that's a different issue. The instructions say to use these things for 10 minutes and not vape again for at least 30 minutes. After two minutes on the regular cartos, they are too hot to vape! In that case, if it's a cooler cart then the cost goes to the consumer. And, then it would only be a problem for companies that don't keep the affordable stuff out there.
That isn't what I read from Steve's post. It's possible I read incorrectly.
Can you imagine how low the cost of living must be in China since everything is made there and all the jobs are there??
I agree, things are going to get more innovative but, that doesn't mean they'll be the mainstay for e-cigs. If the biggies didn't need a larger consumer base to kill off and cost tax payers billions in health care to try to help, they wouldn't put all the junk they put in analogs in the first place!
Without all that junk, there's less incentive for the kids who are addicted to analogs to put out alot at once on e-cigs.
So, what you're saying has already been thought out or e-cigs wouldn't have gotten this far and I have no clue what you're ranting about from a realistic point of view. The exception being the biggies prices might influence the cost of e-cigs. They've been trying to kill off smokers for decades. Sounds like an open door to shut them down once and for all because it's now so obviously deliberate.
My hunch is they'll keep their prices low enough to not toss themselves under the proverbial boat and if they don't the gov't will tax big tobacco out to keep health care affordable, first.
I just wish those (expletive) metal needles were not associated to e-cigs. imho, THAT is the problem.
