Please....Make it stop!

[Coffee Addict]

Make it stop...these so called "vape Shops" popping up all over the place. Alot are not a "bad" thing, but it is going too far. Everyone seems to want to jump into the new "fade" and know nothing about it.
I had to make a trip to one of these so called vape shops....Forever Vapes in Houston.I was floored from the minute I walked in there.

First I walk in there for a few things the first being juice. I asked for cappuccino, and was told they sold no cappuccino or coffee flavors as they were to harsh on your lungs. At first I thought they might be kidding, but came to find out they really had no such flavors in the store.
Since I was in "need" I had to decide on something to hold me over. I decided on something and they proceded to ask me the strength. When I told them 24mg, they both looked at me like I was crazy. They said.."No One sells 24mg anymore, studies have been done that have shown 24mg to be hazardous to your health" WOW, I misses that study.

You can imagine my frustration by now, but that wasn't the end. I also needed a battery for my Provari mini. The guy procedes to give me a flat top battery, which I explain won't work, I need a button top. He then decides he could maybe sell me a "BETTER" piece of equipment. I of course turn that down so he then comes up with a brilliant idea. Just use his flat top battery, roll up a piece of tin foil and put it on top of this 20.00....yes 20.00 battery he is trying to sell me so it will work in my provari.

OK, I am sure we would all like to get in on a new "fade" as so many are calling it, but it seems like one is showing up on every street corner with people who know nothing about vaping. As for me and my money. I am staying with the internet and the ones who have been there for us from the begining.
Thank you all for lisitening to my rant......a long time vapor!

 

[KODIAK (TM)]

Make it stop...these so called "Vape Shops" popping up all over the place.

Not sure how you folks do it in Texas but here up North nobody makes us go places we don't want to. (Much less force us to spend our money there)

 

[Coelli]

This is exactly what Yelp is for. Help others know not to go there!

 

[ImThatGuy]

fad, fade - tomato, tomatoe...

They were trying to give you a run. That salesperson was either new, or just hired to sell products and not be knowledgeable about the products being sold. Sounds like you won't be going there and most of the ecf members who read this thread won't either. LOL.

The stores newly popping up are just in it for the quick revenue before any regulation is set.

Not all b&m are bad. We have tons here in so cal and I can vouch for most of them. The ones I stay away from are the smoke shops that sell vapes.

 

[Bunnykiller]

they suggested a wad of foil on top of a battery??? dont worry... they wont be in business for long. With advice like that coming from the sales staff, it wont be long before the word gets around, just hope no one actually does it...( foil n battery trick)

 

[G and C]

The ones I stay away from are the smoke shops that sell vapes.

Amen to that. I made that mistake one time, and that will never happen again. I do like to go into the smoke shops just to see what it is that they're carrying, and what they have to say from time to time though. Rarely is it very interesting.

I have noticed quite a few vape stores popping up here in SoCal, but I stick with the one that I know, and they know me. Most of my stuff is bought online now anyway, since I've learned a bit in the last year or so of vaping.

 

[AndriaD]

This is making me really grateful for the 4 shops within easy driving distance of me, maybe 30 mins if there's no or light traffic. My fave is the one nearest me, The Vaping Shack; what a nice guy! Even patient with the absolute newbie I was when I first went there. Another pretty close is more of a mods place, and they seem a bit clique-ish, but they have Pipe Sauce so I have to go there to get Oak Barrel Cider without having to pay shipping. A brand new one is a bit up the road, but they're very nice, very welcoming, and seem to know their stuff, and they don't seem clique-ish at all, just really friendly. And the furthest one is a MadVapes retail location. The sales staff are mostly younger guys, but they seem to know vaping, and are very friendly, just like the online version. There's a *little bit* of retail markup over their online prices, but it's reasonable, not robbery.

Andria

 

[Singaw]

I always get a kick out of walking into B&M's that look great from the outside only to find the only thing they have inside is one brand of juice and half a dozen ego kits. Must of been all they could afford on their last Fasttech order.

 

[Jman8]

I've never been in a vape shop, but have been in places that sell vape gear. Part of the reason I'm reluctant to drive the 10+ miles to a vape shop is because of threads like this. I really dislike when a salesperson has condescending attitude toward buyer who comes in with good idea of exactly what they want, but seller is like, "oh, no one uses that anymore. Here try this cheaply made substitute instead."

 

[Forkeh]

Luckily my local shop isn't too bad. Prices are a bit high. Also they're really focused on newer, brighter, and shinier tech. No one there new what I was talking about when I asked for a low res atomizer, one that wasn't rebuildable. Not even just that they didn't carry any. Literally no one there knew what I was talking about.

I mean I know it's old tech, but a lot of people still use them to drip! How do you not know about these? I was also telling the lady handling my sale that I used to have a variable voltage gadget a couple years ago, but the gasket started leaking, and I fried the computer (we were discussing mechanical mods). She said she didn't know those things existed two years ago.

 

[StrafeMalone]

I have only had one bad experience at a nearby B&M store, but that was due to a new employee that had no idea what was going on around her (she did not last very long). I do agree that some people need to just not start a business if they have no idea what is going on around them and with what they sell.

 

[TheUsualSuspect]

So far, I've been inside of two B&Ms around my area. Both of them had kids in their late teens as sales associates. Both sales associates were hell bent on getting me into dripping. I tried to explain that, perhaps in due time, but I've recently quit smoking. I really don't want to have to take it apart to saturate the cotton every couple of vapes. I'm not chasing clouds right now, I'm running from smoke. I really wish the owners would educate their employees. Maybe I should take up part time work in one of the local shops. At least I would listen to the customer's wants/needs. Most smokers will stop in on a whim, be totally turned off by their experience, walk out confused, and light up an analogue.

 

[Spazmelda]

Wow, so coffee flavors are dangerous, and 24 mg/ml is dangerous, but rolling up foil for a battery contact is fine and dandy? Yikes... Yikes.

 

[Blind Squirrel]

I am fortunate that there are a number of decent vape shops in my area. The one closest to my home is pricey, but great for hanging out talking with all the characters that come in. The only places around here that are issues (as far as vaping is concerned) are the smoke shops, head shops and gas stations selling vape gear. They usually offer a plethora of Chinese knockoff gear and juice (sometimes at outrageous prices) and misinformation. I see many of them selling clones for about 75% of the price of the authentic version, referencing the MSRP of the authentic to show the great "deal" they are offering. Shady.

 

[Myah_June2014]

Closest vape shop to me is about hour 1/2 or 2+ if I head towards Chicago. So many on the Listings, would have no idea which one to pick & 4 1/2 hours of driving plus shopping time [least that's fun] I better know the shop is good! Would love to go to a store that has a vape bar so I can try flavors! Next time I'm heading to or towards Chicago I will have to do some research & hopefully find a couple to check out & test new juices.

 

[Cool-breeze]

I'm reasonably lucky when it comes to vape shops. There's one 5 mins from my home. That same company opened a second shop 5 mins from my parents with 2 other shops 20 mins from me. One of those shops has very knowledgable ppl and a very nice selection of equipment but sadly their juice sucks. I make my own half the time but some days it's nice to change it up. Back to topic I think we've all had a ..... who just needs a job try to help us at a shop. I went into one months ago looking for a 510 drip that wasn't a rda. I needed to sample juices and didn't want to build. First the kid takes me to the 2 rdas they have. I correct him and explain myself again. Then he shows me I clear 16s... When I again explain I'm wanting to sample juices easily he says "well that's why you just buy like 10 of them".

 

[Lurch]

So far, I've been inside of two B&Ms around my area. Both of them had kids in their late teens as sales associates. Both sales associates were hell bent on getting me into dripping. I tried to explain that, perhaps in due time, but I've recently quit smoking. I really don't want to have to take it apart to saturate the cotton every couple of vapes. I'm not chasing clouds right now, I'm running from smoke. I really wish the owners would educate their employees. Maybe I should take up part time work in one of the local shops. At least I would listen to the customer's wants/needs. Most smokers will stop in on a whim, be totally turned off by their experience, walk out confused, and light up an analogue.

That is very true! I was fortunate to find a good shop on my first try! If I had gone into another shop in our area first I probably never would have tried vaping! The second shop is pretty set up for the young "how big of a cloud can you blow while this horrible music video is playing in the background" type of place. Fortunately before I entered that shop I had an idea of what I wanted.

I went to a Flea Market last weekend to pick up a cheap VV ego style battery after having dropped mine and broken it. While I was there I asked the young lady if they had the Aero Mega yet. She said yes and pulled out a PT2. I asked about Aero bases for the PT 2 and she pulled out a carto. I showed her my Aero tank and explained the adjustable air flow and how it worked. She appreciated the demo. It's a shame people go into business and have no clue about the product they are attempting to sell?

 

[zanthious]

its bad enough when people tell us Vaping is terrible, we don't need a bunch of clueless businesses selling crap liquid to run off the rest who actually attempt to quit.. Vape stores in DFW are starting to out number churches.

 

[Vaslovik]

There are several vape shops in my area, and only one of them I'll go to anymore. I only go there to chat with them and get things for my old man, I don't need anything they have myself. There's a real vape opera going on around here between the stores. The store I went to when I first started vaping had a very nasty employee, I'll call him Rick, who treated me very badly, so badly that I stopped going there, and later found out that he was sleeping with the owner, who fired her boyfriend who was working there because he slept with a girl he hired there, and in the mix of all that another guy at another vape store was dating the owner, who turned out to be a psycho. While all this is going on Rick has assaulted two of his co-workers, one of whom called the cops, and was landed on for it by the owner, so he quit. He was the manager....

Meanwhile at another vape store the owner was only hiring young drug using hipsters who stole from him and young hot looking girls he wanted to sleep with, which resulted in "staffing problems" and his store closed two months ago.

There are two other stores here that are very high pressure on sales, and if you aren't buying something in the first two minutes they have no time for you. You walk in and immediately get the feeling that maybe you shouldn't be there. They don't like me much, they know I don't need anything they are pushing, I make my own juice so they can't sell me any, and I use a mech and RBA, and they don't have kanthal or mesh, but they did try to sell me some knock-off batteries, and were disappointed when I knew they were junk. I don't go to those stores anymore.

 

[crxess]

You walk into a shop that cannot support your needs, you walk out and don't go back.
Enough people feel the same way and they will not be around long.

Don't worry about the business' you don't care for. Worry how to keep the ones that are preferred and needed.