WHY we should encourage the local vape shops!

[The Torch]

A search had turned nothing on this subject. I hope this is the appropriate place for this.

I personally prefer to pay 10-20$ extra or more to encourage the local vape shop for these reasons:

- I've seen too many people enter there and buy a starter kit when they had barely any idea (or none at all) what vaping was. Actually 80-90% of the people I saw there were starters on that very day. These shops are an emissary that is really needed at this point.

-The shops located at the other end of the country can't do squat about your local anti-vaping laws. The local shop will try and fight for your rights. The more jobs are concerned, the less likely they are to lose those jobs. Also, the more local vapers there are, the more likely you can win against local legislation.

-The local shop is an excellent resource to help you out if you are having problems when you start, not to mention people who don't even suspect there are vaping forums. Those are the people who really need help getting started, but they are far more likely to quit if they can't get local help.

-If you can't get juices or supplies from across the country, guess who could be your savior???

-Save 10-20$ but pay 7-15$ on shipping = wait a week to save 5-8$? How much do (did) you spend in smokes a week may I ask?????????????????

ENCOURAGE YOUR LOCAL VAPE SHOPS, DAMMIT! We need more of those and they won't open more if they don't have a reason to!!!

Of course, I still check online how much I can save. You know what? if I ain't saving 50$ on an order (still less than a week's worth of death sticks) I'm picking up my gear NOW. I'm not saying don't buy online; I wouldn't stop myself from owning a mod I'm drooling over or some tasty juice I want because I can't get it locally, but the little difference in price you pay at your shop is a HUGE investment in our most visible embassies. After all, if there is no market for local vape shops, it makes it unbelievably tough to prove there are enough vapers around to give us a fighting chance.

Of course, if you're getting screwed sideways by snobs who think you're a little stain on the sidewalk, you're excused from attending that shop. I seriously doubt that is a very common experience, however.

Excuse the ranting tone, but it has to be said as we can only win through solidarity, not dispersity.

Can anyone else think of good reasons to buy local?

 

[Mazinny]

i support my local vape shop, buying juice, but as far as gear goes, i just can't get myself paying double what i pay online. might be cheaper in montreal, but prices for mods and clearos are ridiculous in NYC !

 

[Laylel]

Just a question - any vape store... no thank you.
Looks to me like post (OP) of vape store with marketing research and fish for good add, sorry if i'm not right.

When i come localy i come for an advise, not for there's stuff. First and last IHMO, it's knowledgeable stuff.
I'm done with one store - reasons.
Damped there $600 for useless gear and nasty juice (after warning - i'm new and need help) - so i found lately - i got most overpriced crap and non popular juices.
NO knowledge about ANYthing, when i did research and come there to find out what they thing about that or that, i only see huge round eyes - they didn't even know what i was talking about.
They refused to support local juice maker because his juice was top sell and they didn't make much from it, but gladly push to all customers badly overprices USA product, happily commenting how hard to get it over the board that's why price is so high.

I do buy from other guys, they know everything what i need or at list have there's opinion about it and i gladly pay for there's overpriced stuff - as pay for there's time.

For me - employees are the keys. Great service is the key. IHMO. If ppl will like place, stuff, well time spend time they will buy here there and will keep store in mind for emergency.

 

[Bigd432]

I'm more than happy to pay a little extra in a B&M as long as I feel they are worthy of my money. There's one shop near me I've gone to before and didn't buy anything. I was just shootin the crap with the manager. Just talking about vaping. I'll be more than happy to buy a mod from them one day.

 

[chawk]

What local shop?? Closest to me is 45 minutes. It just opened. Next closest? 1 1/2 hours. We plan on making a trip there but seriously.. we wouldn't be vaping if it weren't for online stores... its not like we knew where to look here!! We knew nothing. But I get what you're saying.

 

[Zealous]

I share your sentiments OP. I don't need gear any longer but I have been buying most of my eliquid from my local vendor rather than ordering online. I can get a much better price online for eliquid but I would like to keep my money in the community & my local vape shop makes decent eliquid in the pg/vg ratio that works for me so I'll support them.

There are still a few eliquids I buy online though since they are specialty eliquids that I can't get anywhere else.

 

[lilpeach]

I agree with supporting the local guys if they are in it for the right reasons. I know they are trying to make money and I will pay more for convenience which I don't mind. But.... They MUST be in it because they love vaping too. We have 2 shops here. My husband (noob at the time) goes into the first one on a whim. He tells them I have a lavatube. they've never heard of it. The people were not very informative when he tried to ask questions, besides being hell bent on selling him the most expensive thing there, along with a bunch of stuff he didn't need to get him started. I truly believe they were trying to take advantage of him because he was clueless. He walked out to his car and called me. They want how much for that mod??? (btw not a $10-20 mark up, but a $60 mark up. Twice the price of buying it online.) He left empty handed, and never went back.

After getting his mod online, he goes to shop #2. These people I absolutely love. You can tell as soon as you start to talk with them that they know vaping. They really are knowledgeable about all aspects and if they can't help you they will direct you somewhere that can. They are super friendly people. Their prices are fair, mark up is around 10-20 bucks depending on mod. The ejuice prices are reasonable. They sell 3 "name" brands and their own in house brand. We were there for hours one day trying all the ejuices and I found one that is an adv for me, so I buy that one strictly from them unless they run out, which has only happened once. We also buy all our replaceable items from them like coils and such. When my hubby goes to visit this shop he always buys something, even if he just went to chat lol.

I will 100% support shops that are in for the love of vaping.

 

[MalkinMania71]

I do support the local shops. When I go in I plan on buying something. Went to a local one the other day and was looking at the mvp for $65. I knew I could get it online for about $20 cheaper. I passed on it this time, but when I want to move up, I will probably pay the extra. Mainly because the owner will help me with immediate questions I have and if it breaks or I have issues, he will be there for me.

 

[The Torch]

Just a question - any vape store... no thank you.
Looks to me like post (OP) of vape store with marketing research and fish for good add, sorry if i'm not right.
[...]

Nope, I don't work for or own a vape shop. Obivously you don't have a good vape shop in your area and I wouldn't nudge anyone to encourage the wrong type of supplier. Still, if you ever come across another shop you can still find out if they're any better and encourage them if that's the case.

What local shop?? Closest to me is 45 minutes. It just opened. Next closest? 1 1/2 hours. We plan on making a trip there but seriously.. we wouldn't be vaping if it weren't for online stores... its not like we knew where to look here!! We knew nothing. But I get what you're saying.

45 minutes is pretty local considering the number of them out there (same distance I have to go BTW). Some people have to travel to the next city. Of course, online stores are needed too (else we couldn't get the higher end crazy stuff ).

[...]
There are still a few eliquids I buy online though since they are specialty eliquids that I can't get anywhere else.

[...]
I will 100% support shops that are in for the love of vaping.

I'm right there with you guys. Don't ignore what you like best and support the RIGHT guys. The guys at the shop here all vape (although I have only been to one of their locations). Seeing most of them carry some mod in their pocket and use it put me at ease right away.

 

[The Torch]

I'm more than happy to pay a little extra in a B&M as long as I feel they are worthy of my money. There's one shop near me I've gone to before and didn't buy anything. I was just shootin the crap with the manager. Just talking about vaping. I'll be more than happy to buy a mod from them one day.

I spent over and hour mostly talking too last time. Also, there's nothing like handling the stuff before buying. Got me thinking for a couple of days and now I'm sure of what I need. I'm saving money by not ordering some mod I now can tell I won't be able to stand using thanks to them, so I'll buy the one I want from them.

I do support the local shops. When I go in I plan on buying something. Went to a local one the other day and was looking at the mvp for $65. I knew I could get it online for about $20 cheaper. I passed on it this time, but when I want to move up, I will probably pay the extra. Mainly because the owner will help me with immediate questions I have and if it breaks or I have issues, he will be there for me.

That's exactly what I mean

 

[ConradM]

I try too if they're fair. But I was recently searching for a black copper stingray clone and one shop had them for $79.99. So I ordered one off of ebay for $42.88. That just to big of a markup.

 

[DoMortas]

There is only one vape shop near me and its an hour away.. All he sells are your basic ego starter kits and juice (which is awful) so all of my purchases are online, it's not even worth the drive.

 

[potholerepairman]

Have visited 20 plus local shops, great people mostly motivated by love and $(so am I).Almost always buy something, the juice from brickster's has became better thru the years, when I smoked it was only one love, with juice , monagamy is dead , I love a certain tang( non drying) that makes most brickster's not able to bring the joy.Its getting better for me and will soon change like some hardware allready has, would love nothing else than to be complete with a shop down the street.It will happen , I hope soon.

 

[zahzoo]

Supporting local shops is ok... but that's dependent on your location and the quality of each individual shop if you have more than one to choose from within a reasonable drive.

I live in a small town about 40-50 miles from larger cities... In the last year the larger cities have had about 4 shops open. One stellar, 2 good and one ok... selection is very good and pricing has been driven down as competition rose.

We did get something local a couple of months ago where a pawn shop added a counter and offered their own home-made juice. Their price mark-ups are 200-400% higher than most on-line deals. Their juice is mediocre and priced at $9.95 per 15ml bottle. I tried 1 of their "premium" flavors... but wasn't impressed. I won't spend another dime in that place.

Since I started vaping before any B&M shops existed in my state... I've become very resourceful on finding on-line deals. I can beat any retail shop even with shipping included hands down. It has forced me to shop mostly direct from China and deal with long shipping times... But I just can't bring myself to pay $49.95 + tax and the gas to drive myself... when I can get the same exact product for $17 shipped in 3 weeks and I don't even have to leave my office...

 

[Astron]

It makes me feel really lucky that the vape shops near me have all been really informed, enthusiastic, and polite.

I got my starter kits, MVP, and SVD in-store. Yes, I paid the markup but I also know I took up a good bit of their time discussing the products. (I know I'm not necessarily expected to pay for good service, as their business is to inform and sell. This is just my opinion that I paid for the service and information) I also was happy to support the business as I want them all to stay in business as I see them as a real community resource.

OTOH, once I got to a point I could self-teach and had done enough research to confidently buy online, I did. I wasn't going to pay $80 for something I could get for $40. Do I still go to the shops to buy odds and ends, buy a juice about once or twice a week? Shoot the breeze? Bring them new vapers, if I can? Absolutely.

So I TOTALLY understand the importance of shopping at a (worthy) B&M, even if there might be a better deal online. For those of us who have the luxury of a good vape store nearby, definitely, I'd hope they are supporting those stores in some capacity. But for the individual who is trying to stay off cigarettes, the end-goal is to have a sustainable method that doesn't break the budget.

 

[ENAUD]

My local B&M got me set up and running, answered tons of questions ,and sold me lots of stuff. I feel a debt of gratitude for them, but then, that is the business they are in. I was lucky to have been introduced to them from an acquaintance. Progressing into DIY and using mostly re-buildables, there really isn't any reason for me to go into B&M's anymore. I will and do refer anyone interested in vaping their way though.

 

[Kimberultra2]

My local shop is very close but are really limited in inventory. They have mostly EGO related stuff. Which is great but you cant walk in there and spend under 100 dollars for a typical EGO/Protank setup with a bottle of juice and charger and all that. You can go to any online store and get the same setup for 45 bucks online. I dont have the money to spend that much at a local store.

The other unfortunate thing is as far as advanced PV they have next to nothing. They have an MVP 2 for 160+ dollars. The juice they carry is from JVapes and its good juice, but they are limited to only 50/50 and they run out of 12 mg and 6mg quite often. 10.99 for a 15 ml bottle of juice is way to much for me.

 

[Astron]

My local shop is very close but are really limited in inventory. They have mostly EGO related stuff. Which is great but you cant walk in there and spend under 100 dollars for a typical EGO/Protank setup with a bottle of juice and charger and all that. You can go to any online store and get the same setup for 45 bucks online. I dont have the money to spend that much at a local store.

The other unfortunate thing is as far as advanced PV they have next to nothing. They have an MVP 2 for 160+ dollars. The juice they carry is from JVapes and its good juice, but they are limited to only 50/50 and they run out of 12 mg and 6mg quite often. 10.99 for a 15 ml bottle of juice is way to much for me.

What the deuce is that MVP made out of?? Is it gold-plated or something? Now THAT seems like a blatant rip-off to me and I'd be skeptical of the rest of their practices.

 

[Mitchdisaster]

What local shop?? Closest to me is 45 minutes. It just opened. Next closest? 1 1/2 hours. We plan on making a trip there but seriously.. we wouldn't be vaping if it weren't for online stores... its not like we knew where to look here!! We knew nothing. But I get what you're saying.

If one opened up down here i'd gladly support it, i really don't feel like driving all the way to baltimore, ellicott city or (ugh) cumberland

 

[HauntedMyst]

Now I don't want to go off on a rant here but we NEED to encourage more people to open internet vape businesses! They can offer great products at great prices with great service! I'll gladly spend the extra money I save when I shop there....on what ever else I want. Help your friends who want to learn to vape and point them to the right places so they don't have to visit a local vape shop and they won't feel like their wallets were the new guy in the prison shower! Support them and they will grow and create jobs! And if they are local, they will pay taxes and defend our rights (Although if you want your rights defended then defend your own rights)! By encouraging people to not open vape shops, we encourage them to open other retail businesses much more suited to the B&M consumer market, like gun shops, bike shops, restaurants, clothing stores and donut stores! That way they will be there when you have a donut emergency!