the guy at work got really childish when i asked him about his mall ecig

[Mac]

I'd give you my but the mall guy took it.

What you say is true enough, but it’s sad that the majority of mall vendors are snake oil salesmen that know little about the product, will flat out lie and triple the price on their outdated equipment.

It's unfortunate. The overhead to be in a mall is insane. So the price cannot be reasonable by comparison to internet only vendors. But that doesn't justify having inferior products, being dishonest about how they work and having no knowledge of said products. It is all too common and I find it deplorable.

I could never figure out that business model. Seeing that people that switch from analogs to vaping will undoubtedly continue getting their supplies from somewhere, why not sell quality products at reasonable prices instead of finding a mark and gouging him for a one shot sale?

A reasonable price won't keep you in business in a mall. Even with a brick and mortar you have got to be doing web business or $40 starter kits won't cover your payroll and rent. Forget profit. With that said selling inferior products, not servicing them, and not understanding them is incredibly short sighted. The ONLY way to justify that high mall price is to back it with a killer warranty. (That you actually honor) and by teaching the end users not just how to use the products but give them an understanding of what they are ingesting, what the laws are and how to vape responsibly. When you do all this you are now doing more then selling a product. You are providing a value added service. THAT does have a dollar value. There are some people who simply cannot figure this out on their own. There are people (I know it's hard to believe) who hate computers and won't use the internet. Also taste is extremely subjective and it is nice to be able to walk into a store and puff on something before you buy it. The best hardware in the world will not make that bacon flavored e-liquid taste good..

You have got to understand that most of these mall guys are not enthusiasts like us. They are often foreigners who are looking to make a buck. It's e-cigs this year, sunglasses next year and weight loss supplements the year after. They change products like we change shoes.

 

[Scaralouche]

how did i start the conversation??? lol. i simply said "your girlfriend told me that you bought an ecig".

maybe its that part right there. hes obviously insecure, and maybe you talking to his girlfriend without him around is more powder in the keg.

as to your bit about age equaling wisdom, i will quote Indiana Jones: "It's not the years, it's the mileage". you have to go out and experience life to know what it is about. simply aging does not guarantee anything.

 

[lam7]

he told me that his mall unit was better then my provari....... lol, i thought that was funny
he also told me he didnt want something that looked like a dildo and didnt want to carry around a bottle that looked like it had "pee" in it. well screw him, if i doesnt want any information he is on his own to waste money on expensive and inferior products. according to him, everything sold online is junk and his mall unit is the "best". well i am done with this guy. he can have his crappy mall unit with their expensive properitary prefilled cartomizers, becuase if he cannot get past the fact that a good ecig is NOT a cigarette then he will not be succesful. maybe the only reason why he bought this unit is to appease his girlfriend who hates cigarettes, will not allot him to smoke in the house or near the baby; ect. this girl really hates his smoking.

My guess is he hasn't thought twice about this topic since you've had the conversation. You're still obviously bothered by it. Who do you think won the day?

 

[thinkingaboutit]

A reasonable price won't keep you in business in a mall. Even with a brick and mortar you have got to be doing web business or $40 starter kits won't cover your payroll and rent. Forget profit..

It's not different from selling phone cases for $20 that are $1.49 on Amazon.

I doubt an e-cig place could survive in ANY mall with enough traffic to justify it. I'm truly surprised B&M tobacco shops in strip malls make it. What would be great is to see gas station e-cigs get better. How awesome would be be if they carried a volt? Cartos, batteries, maybe even real juice or a 510 to 808 adapter for when you are "stuck"? I know personally I would rather overpay for a filled carto or charged battery than buy a regular pack.

 

[Mac]

It's not different from selling phone cases for $20 that are $1.49 on Amazon.

I doubt an e-cig place could survive in ANY mall with enough traffic to justify it. I'm truly surprised B&M tobacco shops in strip malls make it. What would be great is to see gas station e-cigs get better. How awesome would be be if they carried a volt? Cartos, batteries, maybe even real juice or a 510 to 808 adapter for when you are "stuck"? I know personally I would rather overpay for a filled carto or charged battery than buy a regular pack.

I disagree. You do not need someone to teach you how to use and maintenance a cell phone case. Choosing the wrong cell phone case will not result in you going back to using a more dangerous method of communication. Cell providers would be a better comparison. (Yes their margins are insane as well. EVERYTHING in malls is overpriced. Some folks like to buy things in person and are willing to pay more. Others simply do not like using the internet for purchases. It's more common then you might think.)

As to the bolded part? That is pretty much what I have been up to for the last 3 years and it has been pretty darned successful so far.

 

[thinkingaboutit]

I disagree. You do not need someone to teach you how to use and maintenance a cell phone case.

As to the bolded part? That is pretty much what I have been up to for the last 3 years and it has been pretty darned successful so far.

You think mall e-cig places are teaching properly? Or you are saying they should? I wish they sold quality things, and taught properly...but reality is they don't and won't.

To the bolded part...what are you doing? I wouldn't mind helping if I knew what to do.

 

[Mac]

You think mall e-cig places are teaching properly? Or you are saying they should? I wish they sold quality things, and taught properly...but reality is they don't and won't.

To the bolded part...what are you doing? I wouldn't mind helping if I knew what to do.

Some are. (I am one of them) The ones who aren't won't last. Sadly, people like me are a minority in the retail end of the industry. But that IS changing. I won't name names. But I know of at least one forum supplier who opened a brick and mortar in NC. I have heard tell of a few other savvy vendors posting up selling e-cigs the right way (for a retail setting). This is still a fairly young tech. Give it some time. You might be surprised by what type of retail outlets become available

 

[thinkingaboutit]

Some are. (I am one of them) The ones who aren't won't last. Sadly, people like me are a minority in the retail end of the industry. But that IS changing. I won't name names. But I know of at least one forum supplier who opened a brick and mortar in NC. I have heard tell of a few other savvy vendors posting up selling e-cigs the right way (for a retail setting). This is still a fairly young tech. Give it some time. You might be surprised by what type of retail outlets become available

You are? That is fantastic! By virtue of the fact that you are here and long term I trust that means there is at least one good vendor in a mall

Curious, do you get people interested in anything that doesn't look traditional? And also, I truly wish you the best of luck!

 

[Jixchel]

Perhaps he took offense to the question. If I had an e cig I had bought and someone who had already been telling his wife it was a bad call while I was out of town (judging from your previous post about the guy) and then that same person came up to me with "So, how is that mall ecig workin out for ya?" after going through the grief of a funeral I might get more than a little defensive myself. There may have been a precieved tone to your voice or a million other things he could have been thinking. Considering how angry you sound now, and how offended you seem to be by his taking a defensive stance I would say the entire situation could have been avoided by waiting until he asked for advice instead of offering unsolicited advice.

 

[Surf Monkey]

When I was ready to quit I went straight to the mall, wanted it now and wanted it to look like a analog and yes I paid to much.

That's exactly what happened to me as well. I saw some at the mall, heard some people on a radio show I used to listen to talking about them a week or so later and then just jumped in my car, headed back to the mall and bought one of the Smoking Everywhere kits. I haven't touched an analogue in the 3+ years since then. I found ECF about two weeks after buying the mall kit and within another 30 days I had tried a fairly wide variety of hardware setups. Eventually I settled on PureSmoker mods and I haven't looked back.

Either dude will evolve or he won't. No skin off your nose.

 

[Mac]

You are?

Indeed I am

That is fantastic! By virtue of the fact that you are here and long term I trust that means there is at least one good vendor in a mall

Everything I know I learned right here on ECF. I have a lot of love for this site and am completely addicted to the OUTSIDE sub-forum.

Curious, do you get people interested in anything that doesn't look traditional?

Yes. We sell more larger tank system type devices then mini's these days. Maybe 65% are large non traditional types.

And also, I truly wish you the best of luck!

Thanks again. I consider myself extremely lucky. I got a job vaping! How cool is that?

 

[ad356]

maybe its that part right there. hes obviously insecure, and maybe you talking to his girlfriend without him around is more powder in the keg.

as to your bit about age equaling wisdom, i will quote Indiana Jones: "It's not the years, it's the mileage". you have to go out and experience life to know what it is about. simply aging does not guarantee anything.

i am friends with his girlfriend. i have been married 7 years now and i have a one year old son with my wife, a house with my wife, ect. i have no interest in his girlfriend other then friendship and he knows this; i usually talk to him as much as i talk to her. their daughter is actually only a few days younger then my son, we actually had the 2 babies together for a "play-date". this guy is well aware that i am friends with his girlfriend and that i have no other interest in her. this couple actually bought a house 2-3 miles down the road from my house. if he felt threatened by me, he would have never bought a house so close to my house. i dont have any issues with him either; except for the fact that he is very bull-headed about PV's and doesnt know his head from a rock in the sand when it comes to PV's.

 

[Scaralouche]

alrighty then! i guess he could have just been having a bad day!

 

[ohai]

(...)The best hardware in the world will not make that bacon flavored e-liquid taste good..

Now you're just trying to break my heart.

 

[Butters78]

If he mentions the pee again, look him square in the eye and say "It's just not any pee, it's mine" then proceed to blow clouds in his direction

 

[Harplayr]

It's unfortunate. The overhead to be in a mall is insane. So the price cannot be reasonable by comparison to internet only vendors. But that doesn't justify having inferior products, being dishonest about how they work and having no knowledge of said products. It is all too common and I find it deplorable.

A reasonable price won't keep you in business in a mall. Even with a brick and mortar you have got to be doing web business or $40 starter kits won't cover your payroll and rent. Forget profit. With that said selling inferior products, not servicing them, and not understanding them is incredibly short sighted. The ONLY way to justify that high mall price is to back it with a killer warranty. (That you actually honor) and by teaching the end users not just how to use the products but give them an understanding of what they are ingesting, what the laws are and how to vape responsibly. When you do all this you are now doing more then selling a product. You are providing a value added service. THAT does have a dollar value. There are some people who simply cannot figure this out on their own. There are people (I know it's hard to believe) who hate computers and won't use the internet. Also taste is extremely subjective and it is nice to be able to walk into a store and puff on something before you buy it. The best hardware in the world will not make that bacon flavored e-liquid taste good..

You have got to understand that most of these mall guys are not enthusiasts like us. They are often foreigners who are looking to make a buck. It's e-cigs this year, sunglasses next year and weight loss supplements the year after. They change products like we change shoes.

From your previous post I assume you are a vendor in a mall.
I’m happy to “meet” one that gets it.

You are absolutely correct about the value added aspect of a good brick and mortar shop. I would gladly pay for that convenience just as I do for the vast majority of my other purchases. I don’t like ordering stuff sight unseen over the internet and waiting up to a week or so for delivery. Having a good supplier in town with quality products that I can touch, feel and maybe try out would be a huge benefit that would justify a markup over the internet sites.

I realize that at present the volume of such an enterprise may not be enough to sustain a vape specific store, but I wish the local wine shops or cigarette outlet shops would expand their inventory to include quality vaping products and have knowledgeable staff. That diversity of product selection may make more sense.

 

[Fraser Soderstrom]

Thank god my mall doesn't have the crap slinging kiosks. We have a dedicated quality tobacco and vape store. I started with an inferno graduated to a lavatube in a month and got a bombshell yesterday and this thing is the best yet. I quit ciggies but a good cigar is my tobacco weakness but that's a once in a blue moon thing for special occasions. They helped me out a lot and i never even had the look alike stage. Just let him try your quality gear and have him read the forum, support him in his switch and try to fix the damage they have done to a fellow vaper. Or just throw a 3ohm dual coil in a tank and crank it to 6 on the provari with some 100% VG. That should fix the problems, and if ya have a local vape store give him the name to talk to the pros and try the good equipment. Hopefully he will realize the folly of his ways.