Issue with many vape shops...

[ScottP]

Do you think every employee that is hired in a pet store knows everything about pets? My point was that if vape stores want to remain in business, they had BETTER start teaching their employees some stuff, just like other boutique owners do. In fact, many of them hire "in bulk" and have an orientation period, with the knowledge that they will be keeping employees who demonstrate skill and interest, and letting go the ones that don't.

My point was simply that the comparison between vape and other boutique stores is perfectly legitimate.... And you may never enter a vape store again, but a lot of potential NEW vapers will do so, and their results with vaping initially may well depend on how they are treated and what items they leave the store with.

I don't think most new vapers go, "Oh gosh, I want to start vaping, I'd better check the internet." I got here due to problems with my vape setup, and while I'm very glad I did, the internet simply isn't a starting point for many vapers.

Anna

The difference is you can learn how to keep a fish alive and clean the tank in 15-30 min. It isn't difficult or complicated. You are not going to teach people ohm's law, the difference between mechs, hybrids, VV, VW, and TC mods. Differences between MTL and DL and which devices work best for each. Differences between clearos, sub-tanks, MTL tanks, RDT's, RDAs, RDTAs, along with how to build coils, wicking techniques, battery chemistry and safety, wire types and benefits of each, and all the rest of the stuff they SHOULD know in order to ask customers the right questions and bring ALL of the aforementioned knowledge to bear in making an accurate recommendation to that customer, in that same 30 min. That level of training is going to be a hellofalot longer. Now spending that time and money training someone that you have to fire a week later b/c they won't stay off their phone is a non-starter. Of course it also hurts if the owner is also uneducated and just decided to open a shop b/c he heard "ecigs were a booming business". I know there are a lot of shops opened for that reason. There is one of these by my house. The owner is the also the only employee and he really has no clue and no excuse.

I really think the reason some vape shops are better than others is b/c they got LUCKY with a hire or two and got people that had already self trained by watching hours and hours of videos and who already know ohms law and how to build, wire types, etc. Others may not have many applicants that fit that bill or worse may get applicants that THINK they know it all but they were trained by their buddy who didn't have a clue either and knew just enough to blow a big cloud.

 

[stols001]

I don't expect a vape store employee to know everything about vaping, honestly, but basic safety principles, ohm's law, types of vaping, unsafe practices, that could be taught in about 3 days. You will be able to tell which employees aren't paying attention during the training, and the ones that can't stay on their phones, etc. I don't expect a vape employee to know how to fix a broken mod if it's complicated, but to change a coil and check O rings and know that Mech Mods are for advanced users, as well as how to determine if someone will want a beginner, medium or advanced setup, yeah.

The vape shop I frequent did have those Above and Beyond employees who could fix a mod I brought in with wires sticking out of it, and I am thinking in all likelihood this employee was no longer minimum wage and had been with the company some time. Maybe he learned it on his own, maybe he didn't. My point is there are some basics that could be taught that often aren't, and that may in fact have more to do with owners knowing nothing and not teaching things, but as you say, those are the type of vape shops one doesn't frequent.

And yes, I learned a lot here and it took a time investment, and not everyone has the interest or desire to learn these things, but if you want to work at a vape shop you should have the desire to know SOME of this stuff, including basic customer service. I don't expect every minimum wage employee to know how to build safely on a mech mod, but they should know what they are and why they can be dangerous.

3 or 4 days training (probably weeding out employees along the way) is not unreasonable, in my mind. That's typically the amount of training for waitresses, (actually, it was MORE, if you were working in a high end restaurant like I did) oil change folks, and etc. I am not talking about three months of training, but if the employer knows what they are doing they should be able to teach a decent amount of knowledge in that time frame. Minimum wage employees are human beings, not cats, and even the most snowflaky of snowflakes can be taught decent customer service principles and basic vaping principles.

Honestly, in the economy we've had lately, employers ought to be able to find some really intelligent employees. In fact, over Halloween, I did ask my kiddo about mech mods. He knew Ohm's law, battery safety and was able to identify the differences between a mech mod and an unregulated mod, meaning fixed wattage, which he was enthusiastic about as it's a safer delivery system. He currently works for minimum wage at Dollar General, and you'd better believe he does a good job. These kiddos are out there. I'm sorry you aren't running into more of them.

Anna