Local B&M's

[Stephen1520]

The town I live in has (or had) 3 shops. I went into all three of them Monday looking for a different drip tip. I drove by one of them again yesterday and a sign on the door said "Permanently Closed" and you could see the inside had been cleaned out. That got me to thinking. Why? What happened? Everything seemed fine on Monday.

Honestly, I don't go into the B&M shops much anymore unless I'm just grabbing some coils or I'm bored and want to look around. I buy everything from my online vendors. Mods, juice, batteries, tanks, wire....everything. I understand that a local store has to make a profit and they jack up the prices some. I would love to be able to support a local business, plus a local vape business. But I can't bring myself to pay $20+ for 30ml of e juice when I can get 240ml for $30 online. One of the stores had the RX200 on sale for $89.99! Yes, that was a sale.

I was just wondering how many other people still purchase at their B&M. Are the prices this crazy everywhere or is it just in my area?

 

[Douggro]

I drove by one of them again yesterday and a sign on the door said "Permanently Closed" and you could see the inside had been cleaned out. That got me to thinking. Why? What happened? Everything seemed fine on Monday.

You answered your own question in your second paragraph.

 

[Gfdeputy2]

99% of my stuff other then DIY supplies comes from my local B&M his prices are not much higher then online about the same when you include shipping & I don't have to wait for days for the stuff to arrive

 

[Stephen1520]

You answered your own question in your second paragraph.

That's what I figured. 100% mark up is crazy. I wondered if these shops catered to mostly new vapers. Because once you have been vaping for a while you find much cheaper avenues

 

[Stephen1520]

99% of my stuff other then DIY supplies comes from my local B&M his prices are not much higher then online about the same when you include shipping & I don't have to wait for days for the stuff to arrive

I wish it was that way here. Another one of the shops makes their own juice and sells it for $27 for a 30ml bottle! The owner himself told me they make it themselves but I bet it's made, bottled and labeled by a company for them and that's how much they have to charge to make a profit.

 

[Douggro]

That's what I figured. 100% mark up is crazy. I wondered if these shops catered to mostly new vapers. Because once you have been vaping for a while you find much cheaper avenues

Online vendors are buying at wholesale and selling at low-margin. B&M's purchase from wholesalers/distributors and pay more margin, then have to add their mark-up in order to make money. Margins for B&M's are different on a per-item basis. They rely on the convenience/immediate demand portion of the market, and the first-timers to stay open.

 

[Gfdeputy2]

my shop actually does make their own & 30Ml bottle is $15
I built his display racks for his samples & a rack for his flavorings. I do DIY because I enjoy making different concoctions. Most of the stores are way over priced. It can't be easy for B&M's as for what they pay for mods these online stores are selling for about the same price. Makes a difference when you purchase 100's - 1,000's compared to a dozen

 

[cllmda]

I wish it was that way here. Another one of the shops makes their own juice and sells it for $27 for a 30ml bottle! The owner himself told me they make it themselves but I bet it's made, bottled and labeled by a company for them and that's how much they have to charge to make a profit.

Thats crazy...? charging high end gourmet juice prices for a in-store juice...Theyre usually much cheaper !!?

And 27$ is expensive even for high-end Gourmet juices, thats a five pawns price,LOL !!!
I really think theyre exagerating a bit there......

 

[sparkky1]

That's what I figured. 100% mark up is crazy. I wondered if these shops catered to mostly new vapers. Because once you have been vaping for a while you find much cheaper avenues

The whole concept for smokers wanting to quit and pull in a store and get advise and a device as well as a plethora of flavors to try, I feel is worth the up charge, not to mention if the device stops working a day or two later.
Have you seen what Chicago is charging just for the state tax on 30ml juice ?

 

[Stephen1520]

Thats crazy...? charging high end gourmet juice prices for a in-store juice...Theyre usually much cheaper !!?

And 27$ is expensive even for high-end Gourmet juices, thats a five pawns price,LOL !!!
I really think theyre exagerating a bit there......

I actually sampled one of them and it was really good but not $27 good when I can find good for $8

 

[edyle]

That's what I figured. 100% mark up is crazy. I wondered if these shops catered to mostly new vapers. Because once you have been vaping for a while you find much cheaper avenues

I believe that would be part of it for sure.
I'm sure there is a name for the phenomenon of a new industry / technological shift which causes a short term business opportunity for the purpose of the shift, but which then fades away as the industry settles down.

Vape is reaching a point now where perhaps the initial uptake is slowing;
of course there is also the threat of regulation making business more risky.

Added to that is the other trend of online shopping for everything.

 

[Douggro]

Any time you want to question the impact of online purchasing, just look for bookstores in your area.

 

[Stephen1520]

Any time you want to question the impact of online purchasing, just look for bookstores in your area.

A book what? [emoji12]

That is a very good example

 

[OlderNDirt]

My closest "good" vape shop is almost 100 miles away. I can get there maybe once every couple months and if I am need of something sooner, they will mail it to me on their dime. And I gladly buy some equipment from them at a higher price then I may be able get it online, within reason, because I really don't want to see one of those signs in their storefront. There are just too many things they can provide for me that I cannot get anywhere online.

 

[Stephen1520]

My closest "good" vape shop is almost 100 miles away. I can get there maybe once every couple months and if I am need of something sooner, they will mail it to me on their dime. And I gladly buy some equipment from them at a higher price then I may be able get it online, within reason, because I really don't want to see one of those signs in their storefront. There are just too many things they can provide for me that I cannot get anywhere online.

I would agree with that and I would do the same but I just can't do 100% mark ups

I did pay $150 for my Sigelei 150TC at one of these shops when I could have gotten in for $70 online

 

[BreSha6869]

I wish it was that way here. Another one of the shops makes their own juice and sells it for $27 for a 30ml bottle! .

That's mental.

In my part of Canada, almost all B&Ms sell their own labelelled 30ml juice for $15Cad (about $10USD). Super high end stuff like Majestic, The Swartz, etc. are all under $25CAD ($17USD).

Most also do 3x30ml of their normal juice for $35 ($24USD).

Funny, but I beatch about these prices!

 

[FishingBuffalo]

B&M's are a good starting point for smokers- we know that. B&M's DO have to show profit, pay employee(s), keep lights on, pay taxes, etc. But we must ask ourselves before we start slamming B&M pricing, do we as individuals give these kinds of killer online deals to the way we make our living. Most likely not.

There are a few B&M's with fair pricing, but you have to research, just like you do with online. If I don't like the price I don't buy no matter who it is from.

 

[Topwater Elvis]

I'd bet it had to do with 84th Tx Leg SB 97 & passed & went into effect Oct 1 2015.

That effectively cut many B&M's total sales by 50 ~ 80% at least, most lost their mail order business overnight, most of those that didn't are wholesalers & met the requirements before they went into effect.
Several ignored sb97 & paid the price, several were caught in 'sting' operations.

 

[Rule62]

Vaping is big in my neck of the woods. In my area, there are easily a dozen B&M shops within a couple mile radius of my house. It seems like everybody who has been vaping for a couple months, wants to open a vape shop. Because of the fact that we have a fairly active local vape group, I know most of the owners, and have been inside most of the shops. Honestly, I don't know how a single one of them sustains itself. They have become hangouts for the young local vape crowd; lots of people sitting around, chatting. Nobody spending much money. Even most of the seasoned regulars buy their gear online, but hang out in the vape shops, fiddle with coils, and maybe sample some juice.
What I predict will happen, in the next year or two, is that many of these shops will close. I never thought I'd say it, a couple years ago; but there are too many shops now, in my area. There's no way the local vaper economy can support all of them. I hope I'm wrong. I hate to see any local business fail. But at the same time, eventually, the local base of new vapers, who seem to be the only ones willing to pay B&M prices, will become saturated.

 

[OlderNDirt]

I would agree with that and I would do the same but I just can't do 100% mark ups

I won't pay $200 for something I can get for half that online, but I just paid $45 for a tank I could get for $25 online. Not that bad when by adding a couple $15 30ml bottles of juice I needed and they threw in a third bottle for free. Not to mention that gave me 3 punches on a 10 punch card for a free bottle of juice. That left the almost "100% markup" at costing me just $5. As I said "my good shop."