When I was in Panama city Beach the vape shops where kind crappy. You know the type, limited inventory with ridiculous markup. Now, when I moved to Anchorage, it was like night and day. I believe there are over 22 stores here. While a few are not so good most of the shops are what I would call advanced shops with friendly and knowledgeable staff. Just in the few weeks here my vaping knowledge has increased drastically just from trying to visit each shop. The best part is they all seem to know each other and actually team up together pretty often to throw nice little events. Combine all that with the 10% + military discount I get at all these locations I have no need to even consider online shopping. As a matter of fact the only thing I have purchased online was dust covers for micro USB ports on my dna and MVP.
This Is Why I Don't Support B&M Stores
- Thread starter Whitechapel
- Start date
- th_trl_thread_readers 0
- Status
yep.. the Tampa Bay area is loading up.. seems a new vape shop on every corner! lol. of course that wont last. I have tried to stop into most of em, if nothing else to say hi, good luck.. see what they have...
many craptastic ones, Lizard Juice is one of the crappier ones, but must have 20 stores. they market only to the new and inexperienced. they just recently released their new uber tank.. a re branded pro tank 3 and marketed as the best of the best...
A few top ones though..... Steam Train in Pinellas Park, Sky Castle IV on 4th st, Vape N Joe's on East Bay. good knowledgeable people, good stuff, reasonable pricing.
many craptastic ones, Lizard Juice is one of the crappier ones, but must have 20 stores. they market only to the new and inexperienced. they just recently released their new uber tank.. a re branded pro tank 3 and marketed as the best of the best...
A few top ones though..... Steam Train in Pinellas Park, Sky Castle IV on 4th st, Vape N Joe's on East Bay. good knowledgeable people, good stuff, reasonable pricing.
I agree with you on this smgrundy. I think it could be a turn off to new ppl trying to ditch cigs and then walk into a vapor cloud room.
It's nice to support local business. Equally nice when local business supports the clientele that pays them.
I have had the worst b& m experiences with all but 1 vape shop. I live in south fl where shops are plentiful and it's a disgusting experience.
I have had a very successful career buying failing business and rebuilding them and then flipping them. If vaping was a more reliable industry I would consider it again.
Sent from my iPhone
Last edited:
Stormy's is the only place I have ever seen anyone vaping since I started. (saw one person a couple months before I started) Oops, sorry, I saw people at the place in the mall in Warner Robins. (boy is that a terribly tiny, unfriendly store) I never see vapers "in the wild" in Macon nor Warner Robins.
I've not seen a lot of vapers when I'm out and not standing in a vape store. The ones I've met were people who saw me "stealth" vaping and came over to talk. I don't think many vapers flaunt it. There was a guy vaping an MVP in Walmart the other day. I ran into a guy at Mrs Winner's chicken place the other day and we talked across the table while we ate. 19% still smoke and I don't see many of them either.
There are Vuze displays everywhere, so I know they are selling. It's vape shops that are few and far between. Stormy's has sold a lot of hardware and juice, so I know the ranks are growing. They must be too stealthy for us.
I like my local B&M. Everybody there vapes and knows about gear. They know how I vape and will tell me not to buy something they have because I will not like it.
When I was new, 2 days, I came in and said I wanted a hammer. They tried in the worst way to sell me an MPV but, as we all know, it is better to look good than feel good and I thought the hammer looked good. I now know I would have been happier with the MPV, I still like mine.
When I wanted to start building they suggested what I should get and built my first coil for me. Free. I rebuilt it and they were happy to look at it before I used it.
I am retired and most days go for a walk and if I pass I stop in, sit at the bar, have a vape and shoot the s..t. A lovely place to visit. Wonderful vape meets with pizza and stuff.
When I want something I try them first. Occasionally, now, they say "you don't want that". Sometimes they don't have it and say "get it on the web". If they have it I buy it from them.
They sell juice, they make it in the back, and the guy who designs the flavors will talk with me about the juice I make. He will tell me things about his flavors. They will make a special order for no additional cost, right now. I now vape some of my juice, a cherry I love that tastes like cough syrup, and some of theirs, a new Trix flavor that makes me swear I am eating cereal.
Its not just that they are a good vape shop they are a good business.
When I was new, 2 days, I came in and said I wanted a hammer. They tried in the worst way to sell me an MPV but, as we all know, it is better to look good than feel good and I thought the hammer looked good. I now know I would have been happier with the MPV, I still like mine.
When I wanted to start building they suggested what I should get and built my first coil for me. Free. I rebuilt it and they were happy to look at it before I used it.
I am retired and most days go for a walk and if I pass I stop in, sit at the bar, have a vape and shoot the s..t. A lovely place to visit. Wonderful vape meets with pizza and stuff.
When I want something I try them first. Occasionally, now, they say "you don't want that". Sometimes they don't have it and say "get it on the web". If they have it I buy it from them.
They sell juice, they make it in the back, and the guy who designs the flavors will talk with me about the juice I make. He will tell me things about his flavors. They will make a special order for no additional cost, right now. I now vape some of my juice, a cherry I love that tastes like cough syrup, and some of theirs, a new Trix flavor that makes me swear I am eating cereal.
Its not just that they are a good vape shop they are a good business.
I have only found one shop I really like so far. The people know what they are talking about, the prices on mods and tanks are very fair compared to the other shops around here I ave been to. They carry premium E-liquids and have a nice bar to try different flavors at. Cincy Vapors in Fairfield, Ohio. They have another location which I have not been to, and their website is horrible, but the Fairfield location is great. I don't know his name, but I have been lucky enough to get helped by the really big, funny guy that works mostly in the mod area. If you are in the Cincinnati area, I highly suggest them for a store. But I still do most of my vape shopping online.
I think this is what we have when it comes to vape shops. They are run by 2 main kind of people mostly.
1. People who are just trying to make an extra buck. They see vaping is becoming a big thing and want to cash in on it. Usually they are not vapors themselves so they don't really understand what is good and what isn't. Some of these jack up the price and some don't. We got a gas station here, a small one, that doesn't have much. Most vaping supplies they got are crap. Though they do get their juices from a decent supplier. Their prices are a few bucks higher then I can get online but I understand though they need to make a profit too. Unfortunately the guy who owns and runs it doesn't know a thing about them. Another one I went into in Indianapolis called Pimp Light's Smoke Shop, had barely anything at all. The guy who runs the shop is a pretty nice guy. But almost all his stuff is overpriced. Barely any vaping stuff, what few he has is jacked up really high in price. He has a good assortment of ....s but those are overpriced too. He also sells t-shirts and other things in there. I could hardly say it qualify as a smoke shop. I get he is trying to make money but he charges too much.
2. Then we get the kind of shop that is run by vapors for vapors. Yes they are trying to make money, but not all of them jack up the price. There is one in Indianapolis called Pure Vape Indy that I am looking into right now. They have a website and sell stuff from there as well. I haven't been in the shop yet but from what I gather they have a vape bar and the prices on their site are actually pretty good. I hope I can get to the actual store sometime and check it out. They are moving into a new store sat. Well sat is their grand opening of it. Apparently they are having a contest to see who can vape the biggest clouds. With different categories for different types of vaporizers. They are considering providing the juice for it too for free. Zero nicotine of course for that. I read about that on their facebook page. From everything I have seen so far this is the kind of vape shop we all are looking for and need. A place that seems to actually care about it's customers. If I lived in Indianapolis chances are I'd be a regular there. Sadly this seems to not be a very common kind of place.
1. People who are just trying to make an extra buck. They see vaping is becoming a big thing and want to cash in on it. Usually they are not vapors themselves so they don't really understand what is good and what isn't. Some of these jack up the price and some don't. We got a gas station here, a small one, that doesn't have much. Most vaping supplies they got are crap. Though they do get their juices from a decent supplier. Their prices are a few bucks higher then I can get online but I understand though they need to make a profit too. Unfortunately the guy who owns and runs it doesn't know a thing about them. Another one I went into in Indianapolis called Pimp Light's Smoke Shop, had barely anything at all. The guy who runs the shop is a pretty nice guy. But almost all his stuff is overpriced. Barely any vaping stuff, what few he has is jacked up really high in price. He has a good assortment of ....s but those are overpriced too. He also sells t-shirts and other things in there. I could hardly say it qualify as a smoke shop. I get he is trying to make money but he charges too much.
2. Then we get the kind of shop that is run by vapors for vapors. Yes they are trying to make money, but not all of them jack up the price. There is one in Indianapolis called Pure Vape Indy that I am looking into right now. They have a website and sell stuff from there as well. I haven't been in the shop yet but from what I gather they have a vape bar and the prices on their site are actually pretty good. I hope I can get to the actual store sometime and check it out. They are moving into a new store sat. Well sat is their grand opening of it. Apparently they are having a contest to see who can vape the biggest clouds. With different categories for different types of vaporizers. They are considering providing the juice for it too for free. Zero nicotine of course for that. I read about that on their facebook page. From everything I have seen so far this is the kind of vape shop we all are looking for and need. A place that seems to actually care about it's customers. If I lived in Indianapolis chances are I'd be a regular there. Sadly this seems to not be a very common kind of place.
Wow, mixed experiences here!
I've been to 4 vape shops in my city and all are great. All have a different perk;
One for my all-day juice, expert hardware advice and all the popular stuff, plus they have 3 locations (I've been to 2 of them)
One has the biggest juice line, including some gourmet stuff and Vintage
One is almost walking distance from home, best support for rebuilders, concentrate on clones but mostly Hcigar and they're still expanding on their juice line but they steep them ahead of time!
All have hardware prices comparable to what I'd have to pay to ship across the border, standard juice prices and great service.
I've also been to one vape shop in Texas and no complaints. I didn't pay attention to mod prices, they didn't jump over the counter to greet me, but they were very friendly and had a great and even too extensive line of made-on-the-spot juices. I limited myself because I didn't want to spend too much and still had to fit those bottles in my liquids bag.
On the other hand, my first vape experience with online vendors 3 years ago was a terrible setup for me (eGo-T, still the best at the time) and juices that never got me off the nails. To each their own, I guess...
I've been to 4 vape shops in my city and all are great. All have a different perk;
One for my all-day juice, expert hardware advice and all the popular stuff, plus they have 3 locations (I've been to 2 of them)
One has the biggest juice line, including some gourmet stuff and Vintage
One is almost walking distance from home, best support for rebuilders, concentrate on clones but mostly Hcigar and they're still expanding on their juice line but they steep them ahead of time!
All have hardware prices comparable to what I'd have to pay to ship across the border, standard juice prices and great service.
I've also been to one vape shop in Texas and no complaints. I didn't pay attention to mod prices, they didn't jump over the counter to greet me, but they were very friendly and had a great and even too extensive line of made-on-the-spot juices. I limited myself because I didn't want to spend too much and still had to fit those bottles in my liquids bag.
On the other hand, my first vape experience with online vendors 3 years ago was a terrible setup for me (eGo-T, still the best at the time) and juices that never got me off the nails. To each their own, I guess...
When I started vaping a few years ago, I'd make sure to stop at every vape shop I could find (there weren't many back then) and buy some juice or something just to support them. It was a cool new community of people who didn't have all the answers and admitted it. The last 6 months or so there's vape shops popping up everywhere and most of the people in them are just terrible. Here's the stereotype: the owner's a late twenties hipster (you can always spot the owner- he's the guy in the stupid hat; sometimes he hides behind facial hair, but the hat is a dead giveaway) that doesn't know much about the products he sells. The staff is in their early twenties and even more clueless than the owner. If you ask a question they get condescending because they don't have an answer. Lately I started thinking that the ignorance is a tactic to keep their customers ignorant. The worst part is they push $150 mech clone kits on everyone that walks in the door because they have a good margin and burn through juice 4 times faster than an eGo/IVOD setup, which is what a newb needs to start with to get off cigs, not a pipe bomb. They won't take the liability of wrapping your first coil because you could blow your face off with it, but there's always someone "just hanging out" in the lounge area that'll show you how to build a 0.2 ohm parrallel dual coil juice burner- and that's the juice vendor. They aren't all that bad, you just have to weed through the upstarts to find a good shop. When you do, support that guy.
^Hahaha, that sounds like a chain of vape shops in my area.
Aside from bad examples, I find it strange so many users on here have had bad experiences on B&M shops, I've only had a handful of bad ones, but each shop has their own "identity" and "clientele", or at least in where I am located in California it seems that way. And that's not saying that they won't help you or be kind to you if you don't "fit-in" with their shops (just, you'll feel like an outsider, either like a bad ... or an outcast). I love B&Ms for that reason, but yes, some B&Ms can be HUGE MARKUP fanatics, just gotta weed-through them.
Aside from bad examples, I find it strange so many users on here have had bad experiences on B&M shops, I've only had a handful of bad ones, but each shop has their own "identity" and "clientele", or at least in where I am located in California it seems that way. And that's not saying that they won't help you or be kind to you if you don't "fit-in" with their shops (just, you'll feel like an outsider, either like a bad ... or an outcast). I love B&Ms for that reason, but yes, some B&Ms can be HUGE MARKUP fanatics, just gotta weed-through them.
I love my B&M's. They are so helpful and informative. Expensive though, yes. I buy all my gear online and then bring it to them to teach me. I had so many questions about building coils and I just needed someone to show me so that I could ask questions as he taught me how to build.
It cost me $5 for a build, but I gained so much knowledge and he had answers to all my questions. The B&M offers so many services though. They have the cases of tanks and batteries, and then another counter for Customer Service and Repairs. Then at the back of the store is the Taste Testing. They'll just hand you a box of tanks and a disposable drip tip cover and let you sit in their sitting area to test flavors. If you want more flavors, you return the box and they'll hand you another with different flavors.
I love this B&M so much.Haha.
I had so many questions about building coils and I just needed someone to show me so that I could ask questions as he taught me how to build. It cost me $5 for a build, but I gained so much knowledge and he had answers to all my questions. The B&M offers so many services though. They have the cases of tanks and batteries, and then another counter for Customer Service and Repairs. Then at the back of the store is the Taste Testing. They'll just hand you a box of tanks and a disposable drip tip cover and let you sit in their sitting area to test flavors. If you want more flavors, you return the box and they'll hand you another with different flavors.
I love this B&M so much.Haha.
I like how my go-to B&M sells hard to find (as well as readily available) mods @ pretty much the going rate prices. Even with a little bit of markup, I understand that they are a business and have more cost to run than your typical online shop. I feel that the prices I have paid for my mods (and attys) I have purchased there are very fair even for a B&M.
There are however quite a few bad-seed shops around here I have had the displeasure of walking into just to check out. Handful of mediocre shops as well. Only the previously mentioned one and maybe one or two others are on it's level.
There are however quite a few bad-seed shops around here I have had the displeasure of walking into just to check out. Handful of mediocre shops as well. Only the previously mentioned one and maybe one or two others are on it's level.
I can tell you that I went to 4 different shops in Florida when i was there and not ONE knew sweet F All about vaping. These guys sold just starter kits for the most part, but the scary part was they had VV/VW devices but knew nothing about them. They have never even seen a mechanical or an rba/rta etc. They were blown away by my gear, and I was just carrying around a kraken on a nemesis at the time. Nothing super fancy, but they were stunned...not just by the clouds I blew but the fact that I could actually rebuild my own gear.
The concern is always the same, newbies go to these idiots for advice, and in the end get bad advice or are misled...along with having their wallets emptied buying crap.
I went to a shop in Montreal when I was there called Vaporus....absolutely terrible service. I wanted to buy an RSST...all I asked was that they show me how to make a coil. They refused saying they didnt' have time to teach me. Now we all know that building an RSST takes all of about 30 seconds....but they had no interest in teaching me anything. They were selling some clone mechanicals for $60-$100.00
Needless to say, I walked away from that shop without buying anything from them.
The concern is always the same, newbies go to these idiots for advice, and in the end get bad advice or are misled...along with having their wallets emptied buying crap.
I went to a shop in Montreal when I was there called Vaporus....absolutely terrible service. I wanted to buy an RSST...all I asked was that they show me how to make a coil. They refused saying they didnt' have time to teach me. Now we all know that building an RSST takes all of about 30 seconds....but they had no interest in teaching me anything. They were selling some clone mechanicals for $60-$100.00
Needless to say, I walked away from that shop without buying anything from them.
Last edited:
Eh... buyer beware I suppose. When I first started vaping, I jumped into mechs pretty quickly and overpaid horribly for some authentics at a B&M. I can't really be mad at anyone but myself.
I also don't really feel it's anyones job to warn newbies away unless they ask (or if there are serious safety issues). They will learn that they should have done their research first, too.
B&M's have a huge overhead, and they're trying to make money and not just break even. I buy most of my stuff online, but sometimes I'll buy from my B&M's. I don't really care about the prices - it's still cheaper than smoking.
I also don't really feel it's anyones job to warn newbies away unless they ask (or if there are serious safety issues). They will learn that they should have done their research first, too.
B&M's have a huge overhead, and they're trying to make money and not just break even. I buy most of my stuff online, but sometimes I'll buy from my B&M's. I don't really care about the prices - it's still cheaper than smoking.
I'm a little surprised you had a bad enough experience at Vaporus to put them down. If you went there during rush hours (late afternoons or weekend after 11 a.m.) I can understand they had no time to teach rebuilding. They wouldn't just build a coil for you: they would go into the details of wire gauge, coil size and number of wraps. Vaporus has THE prime location in town for this type of business and can't always spare the time.
I've always had good to great service there, but the way to go to get lessons or extensive expertise there is definitely to go before noon or on a slow day. I have seen the whole place overtaken by people waiting in line, yet they seem to always take the time to give a proper basic introduction to starter kits and to their juices for newbies. They do get a lot more newbies than more advanced vapors, as most shops still do, and they do make their own juices. Can't blame them for focusing first on new clientele. I wouldn't believe they gave you attitude, but I do know they are not very apologetic about not having a lot of time on their hands; they really don't, trust me. There's a good reason they have an express line for returning vapors who know exactly what they want.
They sell pretty much everything popular from Provaris to MVP's, eGo's to mech clones, authentic black Russian 91% to cloned RDA's BTW. They only sell clones and mechs to people who know what they are doing as far as I can tell. I never got BS from them and even was told about the shortcomings of clones they sell. they also have 2 more locations that I know of.
Experience can differ, but it's definitely one of my favorite shops in town, despite the fact that sometimes I can spend a hour or two talking about mods and RBA's and the next time I have to scratch the idea off and just place a quick order at the express line after spending an hour in traffic to get there (not counting the fact that I put more than 2 loonies in the meter because I was expecting to be there for a while...)
If you come to Montreal again, just PM me and I'll tell you what I know about the shops I have been to.
well, this was a while ago...so maybe things have gotten better. All I can tell you is the experience I had when I was there.
They have been there for a while (oldest shop in town). Perhaps the staff has changed since or just plain learned over time. (To all): Just be aware they can get extremely busy if you plan on going there. I can only talk about my own experience as well
When a B&M puts $1ml juice in a clearomizer, I kinda question the decision making process a little.
To me it's kinda like having Gordon Ramsay cook your dinner and serve it to you on a paper plate with a plastic spork.
Seems a bit counter intuitive to me, but I suppose it is what it is.
I'm not fond of the back room mystery labs, especially if I can't see what's going on.
I will admit I tend to support my local B&M more based on the fact that I like the employees than any other reason, I buy batteries, wire, mesh, etc. Mostly just batteries because my local shop seems to have a very restricted selection of rebuilding supplies that I need. For example 325 mesh, nope, 30awg kanthal, nope, VTC-4s, yep I'll take 4.
Maurice
To me it's kinda like having Gordon Ramsay cook your dinner and serve it to you on a paper plate with a plastic spork.
Seems a bit counter intuitive to me, but I suppose it is what it is.
I'm not fond of the back room mystery labs, especially if I can't see what's going on.
I will admit I tend to support my local B&M more based on the fact that I like the employees than any other reason, I buy batteries, wire, mesh, etc. Mostly just batteries because my local shop seems to have a very restricted selection of rebuilding supplies that I need. For example 325 mesh, nope, 30awg kanthal, nope, VTC-4s, yep I'll take 4.
Maurice
I was talking to a guy that works at the local store here and he was saying the profit margins are just ridiculous. The owner doesn't even work there or rarely come around. He has a bunch of younger dudes working there that all have their mech mods with dual coil builds filling the store with vapor etc lol.
The place is a gold mine. Everytime I'm in there, or even drive by, the place is packed. I applaud them for it, even though there's a few things I'm not a fan of.
The place is a gold mine. Everytime I'm in there, or even drive by, the place is packed. I applaud them for it, even though there's a few things I'm not a fan of.
- Status
Similar threads
