Some of the shops around Houston are the same way. There are some great shops with great people that know what they're talking about (such as Forever Vapes), but many of them are staffed by pretentious know-it-alls. That's a shame because it drives people away from vaping.
THe differences in vape shops.....
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I live out in the middle of nowhere. The nearest vape shop is about 18 miles away. It's inside the tobacco store I used to buy my cigarettes in. I used to go in and buy my cartons (4 at a time, one month's worth) and I'd look at all the pretty stuff he had in the display case. He was usually sitting on his stool, happily blowing clouds at anyone who walked by his display. His set up kinda made me think it was just temporary, like one of those kiosks you see at the mall. But, he was there every month when I made my trip into town. Finally, after seeing him for a year I got curious enough to ask questions. Basically, I just told him I'd tried everything to quit, but I wasn't going to quit trying. He spoke a lot of technical stuff I didn't understand and I'm sure he was proud of his knowledge, but that didn't help me much. In the end he set me up with a Ego-T 1100 pass-thru battery, one clearomizer, a charging cord, wall adapter and 12ml of juice. That cost me $54 and the juice was a freebie. I tried the set up for a month or so, not really getting used to it. Finally, when I managed to vape without hacking up a lung, I started liking it. I even quit the analogs for good....or so I thought. After steady use for almost a week, my vapor outfit just quit. I called the guy up and he said for me to bring it in. He said that if it was the clearo (it was), he could sell me one for $12 and if it was the battery, it would cost $45. I went back and bought another carton of cigarettes. He never bothered to tell me these things don't last very long. I was determined to do this vape thing, so I did my research online. That was 6 months ago. Now, I buy everything online. I mix my own juice, I wind my own coils, I even modded a Ego battery case to a USB cord, so I could vape at my desk without a battery. That vape shop is the only one around for about 35 or 40 miles and I guess he figured he could get rich quick. He got my initial purchase, but after that he lost my return business. Anyone who wants to stay in business, needs to think about his customers first and not his bottom line. You take care of your customers and have fairly priced goods and the bottom line will take care of it's self.
When I started vaping there was only one shop about 1/2 hour from where I live. The manger of the store was the first vaper I ever met. They make juice, well. And I still go there often.
SInce then, many many shops have opened. They all have different things to offer, and some I go to now and again depending on what I want to purchase.
SInce then, many many shops have opened. They all have different things to offer, and some I go to now and again depending on what I want to purchase.
Thankfully for me, I live in California. I believe there is a higher concentration of the vape shops here out west. What I always do whenever I look for a new vape shop is go to Yelp. Never fails me. I also leave reviews based on my experience with the shop. I think you should share your experience with the vape shops you mentioned.
I feel you, especially with the uppity type of vape shop. I hate walking into a nice, well stocked vape store and having the staff of the shop feel like they are looking down on you or don't want anything to do with you. There are a lot of shops that give that nasty vibe.
I feel you, especially with the uppity type of vape shop. I hate walking into a nice, well stocked vape store and having the staff of the shop feel like they are looking down on you or don't want anything to do with you. There are a lot of shops that give that nasty vibe.
There are tons of vape shops around me. I've been to many and every one has been filled with great, helpful, staff.
I suppose this is because there are so many and competition is fierce. I will say, given my situation, any shop with less than stellar service will never see me again....
I suppose this is because there are so many and competition is fierce. I will say, given my situation, any shop with less than stellar service will never see me again....
It's so funny - reading the OP that could've been me! I've been vaping only for less than a week - I ordered a setup online, then realized there were 3 shops within 30 minutes of home. Since I like to shop local (and I had no idea what I was doing lol) I went to each of them.
#1 was furthest away, but by far my best experience. The staff was very friendly and knowledgable, and I walked out with an eGo C Twist battery and charger, a cheap CE4 clearomizer, a bottle of fabulousness (a locally made brand, which is fantastic!), and a very basic knowledge of what to do.
Went to the other 2 the next day and while they weren't horrible, I wasn't as impressed. #2 had nice stuff, but I wasn't really digging any of their flavors (I had read about mixing flavors, but I had to ask because they didn't mention it - weird, right?!) and from some signage they had I can tell I don't agree with the owners...politically, shall we say?) Ended up with a better clearomizer (iClear 16) and the juices for my mix.
#3 was a cute shop with a really nice selection of juice, but all of the sample clearos were sticky - ew! Got another iClear and a bottle of juice there too.
I definitely learned something from each of the shops (iClear > cheap CE4) but I'd probably only go back to the second 2 if I needed equipment quickly, not for juice. Nothing too special that I couldn't find online for cheaper.
#1 was furthest away, but by far my best experience. The staff was very friendly and knowledgable, and I walked out with an eGo C Twist battery and charger, a cheap CE4 clearomizer, a bottle of fabulousness (a locally made brand, which is fantastic!), and a very basic knowledge of what to do.
Went to the other 2 the next day and while they weren't horrible, I wasn't as impressed. #2 had nice stuff, but I wasn't really digging any of their flavors (I had read about mixing flavors, but I had to ask because they didn't mention it - weird, right?!) and from some signage they had I can tell I don't agree with the owners...politically, shall we say?) Ended up with a better clearomizer (iClear 16) and the juices for my mix.
#3 was a cute shop with a really nice selection of juice, but all of the sample clearos were sticky - ew! Got another iClear and a bottle of juice there too.
I definitely learned something from each of the shops (iClear > cheap CE4) but I'd probably only go back to the second 2 if I needed equipment quickly, not for juice. Nothing too special that I couldn't find online for cheaper.
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Update: it's almost funny. Just followed my adult son into a head shop. Amazing service. Small but very good selection on vape equipment. Only cheapo juices. But still. Well priced and good batteries and other equipment.
Wow... I feel so blessed to have at least 20 shops within 5 miles of my house.
I've tried most of them and like you said, some of the shops are so fixated on mechanical mods, or their own crappy house-blended ejuices.
Some stores are so stuck up / run by wannabe alpha males it's like you're dealing with high school kids.
I still haven't found my dream store as far as service goes, so I go for the services/inventory.
I've tried most of them and like you said, some of the shops are so fixated on mechanical mods, or their own crappy house-blended ejuices.
Some stores are so stuck up / run by wannabe alpha males it's like you're dealing with high school kids.
I still haven't found my dream store as far as service goes, so I go for the services/inventory.
It comes down the the different types of people in this world. Unfortunately people know vaping is the new hottest thing so they want to get on that train asap. turns out 75% of the time those people are greedy jerks. finding a "home" b&m is a great experience once u find one. i have found the same exact RBA for $30 cheaper at LITTERALLY the store across the street, it was the same exact RBA. Shady people can own businesses too (and A LOT of them do)
That sounds good. I have been to one, the one that has TV commercials... Was not that impressed. They were nice enough. Could be cleaner. And they were obsessed with clouds. I am not a cloud chaser. Anyway, with work, kids, etc its hard to get three hours to drive up there, shop and be back in time. Thank you, I do want to know if there are more.
I don't venture very far from my small town, and we have one B&M here. I'm brand new to this, so I'm kind of excited about seeing other stores someday. I live in CT, and occasionally get out to Cape Cod, so hopefully there will be some around there when I get up there. P-town is pretty hip, so I bet there is at least one there to check out. I spent $100 at the B&M in my town the other day, and knew going in that it was gonna be a LOT more expensive than what I could find online, but told myself I was paying for the experience, so it was fun.
Our local B&M is a 5 minute walk from the house. The owners mix their own juices and they have a decent variety of hardware. They love it when I show up with my dog too. The next closest shop is well over an hour away, so I got lucky.
I know which one you are talking about. The times I have been there 90% of people that were shopping weren't cloud chasers and Troy, the owner, was very helpful. He is a great guy. He isn't a cloud chaser and really does want to help people. If you are in town again ask for him. He is almost always in the Little Rock location.
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