Why are B&M's outrageously expensive?

[WereBear]

Whenever it's reasonably priced I prefer to pay sales tax rather than shipping. It encourages local business and the taxes pay for city services. I'm also a wee bit of an impulsive shopper at times so I will pay a few extra dollars for the privilege. But if my local B&M wants $75 for a mod I can get online for $40 and the online vendor is offering free shipping... I buy a bottle of juice and go home and buy it online.

 

[Robert Cromwell]

Most online retailers in the vape industry are also B&M. Most of them have a retail location you can go and buy or pick up your order. So overhead is no difference. It is a matter of volume.
As with the majority of small businesses the vast majority of them will fail, same as with any other small specialty business. Most of the ones in my area do not even maintain a web site or email their customers alerting them to new products or specials. Very poor marketing and one reason they will fail.

 

[freeall]

What one person finds expensive, the next person will think is 'cheap' or reasonably priced. Not everyone is browsing the Internet looking for the cheapest deals on vape gear.

The cost of this stuff shouldn't even matter as much as it does to some people. Everyone wants the best stuff for the cheapest cost.

Stuff being expensive is subjective.

 

[Rabbit Slayer]

What one person finds expensive, the next person will think is 'cheap' or reasonably priced. Not everyone is browsing the Internet looking for the cheapest deals on vape gear.

The cost of this stuff shouldn't even matter as much as it does to some people. Everyone wants the best stuff for the cheapest cost.

Stuff being expensive is subjective.

Nothing suggestive about it, selling a $14 battery for $30+ is just preying on those that don't know any better

 

[jdawg111]

My local shop has 15 ml house juice for 9$ and have "happy hour" on weekdays and its 5$. They also have 30 ml for 15$ 8 or 9 at happy hour. They will build for you if you spend 10$ They have wifi and drinks and play whatever music you wanna hear. I got several free bottles of juice from sitting there helping them wick and build orchids for premium juice testers. They have little tanks for ego and styles like that and they have tester mech mods. If your battery dies they'll give you one to use while they charge yours. They are fun to hang out with and they know their stuff. Even if the juice is a dollar or two more Id rather pay it. Their mods may have a 10$ markup compared to online prices but if you buy it there they will stand by it and teach you all about even if you already know. I order online a lot of times but if they have it for s reasonable price and I don't have to wait for it, then it's worth it. However some shops are crazy overpriced and pressure you into buying more than you need or even want to try to make a buck. These places I do not give my business

 

[jdawg111]

BINGO! That's one reason why vape shops are so expensive. Greedy owners trying to make a quick buck in a growing market! A friend of mine walked into a local vape shop (before consulting me) and the owner took her to the cleaners. He sold her a beginner kit and a few bottles of juice for $75. When she told me she had purchased a vape set up and showed me what she had and told me what she paid, I wanted to go punch the shop owner in the face. I went online and priced out everything she got and found every bit of it for $45!

I live in a rural area of VA and the biggest town near me recently got 2 vape shops within the past year. I visited both, hung out for a bit, talked to the owners and clientele. First of all, you were a cast out if you were still using anything other than a mech mod and vaping high VG, basically cloud chasers. Most of the customers that came in and hung around were there to show off their mods and blow clouds trying to impress each other. One shop was strictly vaping and the other was a tobacco outlet that added a vape bar. Both places prices were outrageous and both places focused on selling high end mods with a few clones here and there. Neither catered to the "non mech mod" users. They had very little to offer someone like myself. Every time I would go to hang out and try to meet some like minded people, the owners or staff would take a big pull from their mech mod, blow a huge cloud of vapor my way and hint that my set up was outdated and try to sell me a mech mod. I politely declined until one clerk pretty much told me, in not so many words that I was not worth his time to talk to about vaping. So pretty much, that ran me off from the local shops, besides their high prices.

I'm not sure where you're from in Virginia but if you are near FarmVille or Lynchburg I strongly strongly suggest checking out vaperdemic! They don't care what you're vapin on as long as you aren't smoking they're glad to see anything. The staff uses mechs or sigeleis but knows everything about something as simple as an 650 mah pen style. Very helpful and affordable.

 

[freeall]

Nothing suggestive about it, selling a $14 battery for $30+ is just preying on those that don't know any better

Knowing better? What does that even mean. You make it sound like everyone is on the Internet. False.

So, since they don't know, or even care that they can get it online from China for half the price, makes it the B&Ms fault for charging more? lol

Why does 7-11 sell their milk for way more than the grocery store? I need milk and bread at 4am but the grocery stores closed. Ugh, you mean I gotta go to sev even though I know it's cheaper if I wait till the other place opens?

It's laughable. Real world vs Forum world.

 

[Rabbit Slayer]

Knowing better? What does that even mean. You make it sound like everyone is on the Internet. False.

So, since they don't know, or even care that they can get it online from China for half the price, makes it the B&Ms fault for charging more? lol

Why does 7-11 sell their milk for way more than the grocery store? I need milk and bread at 4am but the grocery stores closed. Ugh, you mean I gotta go to sev even though I know it's cheaper if I wait till the other place opens?

It's laughable. Real world vs Forum world.

No, but if you go into another store and they are selling the same items for half the cost are you going to continue to pay more at the first store or will you be shopping at the one that isn't ripping you off?

Vape shops are NOT convenient stores, they don't stock stuff you could just pick up anywhere else for cheaper they stock items only other vape shops stock.

Making a profit is fine, that's how places stay in business, but pawn shop like markups isn't a good business practice

 

[Jman8]

Why aren't entrepreneurs like OP of this thread opening up B&M vape shops that are getting ungodly wealthy from their lower prices and still excellent service / quality?

 

[freeall]

No, but if you go into another store and they are selling the same items for half the cost are you going to continue to pay more at the first store or will you be shopping at the one that isn't ripping you off?

Vape shops are NOT convenient stores, they don't stock stuff you could just pick up anywhere else for cheaper they stock items only other vape shops stock.

Making a profit is fine, that's how places stay in business, but pawn shop like markups isn't a good business practice

Again, it's all subjective.

There's people out there that will spend money regardless of price. There's also people that are trying to quit smoking with vaping as an alternative. Spending 80 bucks on a starter kit is the same as a carton of smokes. It's nothing.

This isn't just a cheap hobby or entertainment to some. People wanna get off smoking and better their health. If vaping can do that, then money is nothing.

Good health trumps money, all day.

 

[Robert Cromwell]

I'm not sure where you're from in Virginia but if you are near FarmVille or Lynchburg I strongly strongly suggest checking out vaperdemic! They don't care what you're vapin on as long as you aren't smoking they're glad to see anything. The staff uses mechs or sigeleis but knows everything about something as simple as an 650 mah pen style. Very helpful and affordable.

Thanks I go by Lynchburg a couple times a year will check them out. Have reltives in Appromatix.

 

[Rabbit Slayer]

Again, it's all subjective.

There's people out there that will spend money regardless of price. There's also people that are trying to quit smoking with vaping as an alternative. Spending 80 bucks on a starter kit is the same as a carton of smokes. It's nothing.

This isn't just a cheap hobby or entertainment to some. People wanna get off smoking and better their health. If vaping can do that, then money is nothing.

Good health trumps money, all day.

And new shops are popping up all over the place to try and cash in on those people....

Then you have the handful of shops that actually want to help people, those are the shops I will happily give my business to whenever I can.

 

[VHRB2014]

Sadly this currant administration has had its foot on ALL small business`s neck for 7 years.

 

[freeall]

And new shops are popping up all over the place to try and cash in on those people....

Then you have the handful of shops that actually want to help people, those are the shops I will happily give my business to whenever I can.

Even if their prices are more, right? You're willing to pay 5x more than the online world if their customer service is top notch at the B&M?

So what's more important, then? Good service, or good prices.

 

[Robert Cromwell]

Sadly this currant administration has had its foot on ALL small business`s neck for 7 years.

Congress makes the laws he just signs them or not. And No I am not a fan of the man at all nor do I like the congress either. I just do not see him to be all powerful like some seem to.
Congress can override him IF they choose to.

Our government chooses large businesses over the small ones. They also choose offshoring vs protecting jobs and businesses here. And will likely have loopholes for imported ejuice that domestically produced ejuice does not enjoy.

 

[Rabbit Slayer]

and ignored, don't even know why I bothered

 

[RedForeman]

No, but if you go into another store and they are selling the same items for half the cost are you going to continue to pay more at the first store or will you be shopping at the one that isn't ripping you off?

Vape shops are NOT convenient stores, they don't stock stuff you could just pick up anywhere else for cheaper they stock items only other vape shops stock.

Making a profit is fine, that's how places stay in business, but pawn shop like markups isn't a good business practice

Maybe it is, if your target market is people who do all their shopping at pawn shops. Seriously, this thread is ridiculous. This is the great thing about a free market - if you don't like the prices (or people, or product selection, or location) of a business, don't shop there. Nobody is holding a gun to your head forcing you to go in and buy stuff.

Like it or not, the market for vape gear is primarily current or former smokers. The fun fact about that group is that it includes people of all backgrounds and income levels, who somehow always find (or used to find) hundreds of dollars of disposable cash every month to purchase cigarettes. Another fun fact about that group is that they already have proven to be compulsive and prone to at least some bad decision making. It shouldn't come as a surprise that some retailers would strategize to exploit that market group for every dollar they can. Did you think it was an accident that the cigalike kits sold at convenience stores, even at Walmart, are only priced a dollar or two less than the real cigarettes on the shelf next to them? You might say they're taking advantage. On the other hand, so what? They were going to spend that money on tobacco anyway, so even at an inflated price, they are offering something good. Right next to the bad stuff where the impulsive buyer with $20 to spend on something to "smoke" will consider it.

The good news is that there are other retailers that offer a better value, if you're willing to do the due diligence and seek them out. A lot of people just don't, and there's a store for them.

 

[Thespis]

I buy juice from a local B&M, but only because I'm able to taste before I buy and they have an ongoing buy 2 get 1 free deal. 90ml for $20 isn't too bad and the juice is good. Otherwise, I'm buying online.

 

[vapeydave]

All about the juice bar. If I can sample 100 flavors for free, I saved a killing by not buying blind online. If I spend an extra $5-$10 on a tank, no worries. Premium juice online runs $.50/ml or more. Local blends are half that for me. I'm saving at my local b&m.

 

[IMFire3605]

What happened to the good ole addage "Buyer Beware"?? Most B&M merchants, not all but most, nowadays are getting into a perceived cash cow and get out business practice. A lot of these types know nil to nothing about the vape industry, and buy tons of cheap blister pack starter kits and other such garbage from 2nd, 3rd, even 4th hand wholesalers, because a lot of manufacturers prices are way high dealing with a little thing called an MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity) on every item, 10 of a certain item or more, to load a full store you are talking $5k or more before opening the door. Retailers with both a B&M and online storefront, make money via volume sold, and 9 times out of 10, the online storefront pays most of the overhead in sales, examples look at Madvapes, when I first got started they had 2 B&M storefronts, they now have several due in part to their online presence.

The moment a vendor can sell 20+ of an item in a single day, they can get product directly from the manufacturer buying in bulk going up six, seven, even eight pricing tiers to drop their costs per item way down. There are multiple variables that come into play with any type of store front, sell in bulk can lower prices, if volume of sales is low, prices will be high. Predatory, unsavory "Businessman" aka just a flat out crook, gets in, gouges his patrons, and abandons ship to the next venture. In my region, there are dozens of B&M store fronts, 75% are very high (2x to 3x over online), 25% are reasonable (50% to 25% over online), 50 bad/50 good type of customer service and other services they render, 90% of the ones I've seen open since vaping are still open and booming high prices or not. Several close to me, about six of the ten I patronize, the 2nd closest is my local go in, sit back, buy a bottle juice, maybe some other random supply, chill out, and socialize on a day off due to it is not the best shop price wise or inventory wise, their customer service, knowledge, and make me feel welcome and comfortable being their, my previous haunt shop before this one opened was 15 miles away compared to only 3.

Don't like the higher prices, keep it online for your purchases then.