Advice for B&M customers anyone?
 

Seems like threads trashing B&M owners are common, but far fewer are ones that point out the rather boorish and tacky behavior of the customers.

I've seen what appear to be adults throwing temper tantrums over prices, selection (what do you mean you don't carry the one stick that I, someone from out of town who will never be here again, want to smoke RIGHT NOW!), lack of proper attention, etc. etc.

So here's a good place to comment on those experiences that make us cringe and make us all look bad.

So, what have you seen in a B&M that gives us poor customers a bad rep?

Re: Advice for B&M customers anyone?
 

Let's start by theft. Disgusting.

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Not cleaning up after your group when you leave.

Re: Advice for B&M customers anyone?
 

Acting like 6 year old kids fighting over the last stick of gum when it comes to that last elusive, limited stick. :td

Rubbing their noses all over the sticks they are looking at and then putting them back down. :td

Re: Advice for B&M customers anyone?
 

Puffing on a cigar while shopping...really

Re: Advice for B&M customers anyone?
 

Lighting up a stick you brought in without buying any -- and without first asking if it is OK to light a stick you brought in...

Rudeness...

Complaining about prices...

Re: Advice for B&M customers anyone?
 

Hey buddy! "Got any Macanudos"?:sl

Re: Advice for B&M customers anyone?
 

I have never worked in a shop, but I would like to think it isn't a huge problem. It comes up a lot, so it must be.

Re: Advice for B&M customers anyone?
 

Theft is #1. That's why you are watched closely if you are not known. Customers thinking they know everything, being loud and obnoxious, complaining about prices. The ones that come in asking if we carry Cuban cigars. The customers that come in and want a suggestion for something new but almost always goes another way as they physically turn their nose up at my suggestion. Customers that think a smaller ring gauge cigars are feminine.

The one that ranks up there with theft with me is when customers come in and say, 'I smoked this one cigar last week in Indiana and the band was red. Do you have it?' and expect me to know what it was! WTF? :sh

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Walking into the shop while on the phone and just loud like you were at home.

Asking for discounts.

Putting things on hold.

Asking why their prices are more expensive, to the owners.

My good friend owns a shop here in Sacramento, and these are the common things that come up.

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I did this one friday night, hope I wasn't a prick . went to look at a stick I have been thinking of trying found a hole in it took it to the shop employee that I go to and get my hobby info from and asked if it was a beetle hole and then after yes put it back then went back grabbed it and gave it to him to see it get tossed. Then went back to the box and looked for more hole in sticks and brought 1 more to him. Was it wrong, I thought I was helping them out, but feel I mighta been rude.
As a new hobbyist asking the 2 knowledgeable employees question after question on the hobby sticks etc.

Re: Advice for B&M customers anyone?
 

No, you are not wrong and it was not rude imo. As long as you didn't pitch a fit about it. :D I would want somebody to spot that asap if I have not.

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I have to agree with this one!!!!

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I would think that if I were a B&M owner I'd be happy that something like that was brought to my attention as it might've prevented more cigars from being damaged.

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Showing up for poker night and NEVER buying a cigar from the owner.

The shop I go to is fine with you smoking outside cigars but at least buy something. If you don't want his selection buy a lighter or a cutter.

Also, if a shop owner charges a dollar for a drink on the honor system remember to pay your dollar.

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Distracting the Atladis Rep while him and the shop owner are talking business because your so damn loveable people just start talking to you and continue chatting with him while owner is trying to get out of there to go bowling or poker night when you guys can talk after they're done. <--- felt guilty on this one.

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One thing that gets me is when someone just walks up and grabs and uses my cutter or lighter without even asking.

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Absolutely, always. :tu

Only time I ever haven't is if the shop charges a cover to smoke in their joint.

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Holy sh!t, Greg. I guess that is why I will never work in retail. People that stupid are intolerable.

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That's called getting "Perdomo'd" because Nick does that alot! :r

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You don't realize that more than working behind the counter.

Oh yeah, forgot this one. Guy comes back into the store with a half-smoked cigar and says, "I don't like this, can I get a refund?'.

I had flashes of Drew. :r

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Going to a B&M, smoking your own cigars and not buying anything from the store.
That just plain stinks.

Re: Advice for B&M customers anyone?
 

Saw a variation of this happen at a local B&M last year. The counter guy was way fast on his feet. I think his reply was something like, "No, those are only available in Washington". (our version of Indiana)

Re: Advice for B&M customers anyone?
 

Criticizing an owner's choice of cigars to stock is in bad form. Making suggestions of brands you enjoy in a non-snobbish way is much better.


MCS

Re: Advice for B&M customers anyone?
 

I wish there was a decent b&m around here. Only one mostly sells pot pipes. You can smoke inside, but it's not a place to go and enjoy a smoke. No couches/chairs/music/TV.
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Re: Advice for B&M customers anyone?
 

Customers judging customers.

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http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/a...og3/guilty.jpg

Guilty!!

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I didn't know Pnoon was a judge. :r

I try not to judge other people. Sometimes it's REALLY hard, but too each his own.

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haha Icehog, I spit a little beer out scrolling down to that picture.

I am guilty as well Bill, but it drives me nuts going into a shop and having 11 old guys look at me (not knowing who works there) and peg me for a certain cigar smoker(blunts), or a total noob....then when names like Pete Johnson come up....they have no idea what I am talking about as they puff on their Maxim de Paris'. LOL

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That happens to me a lot, being younger then most there. Also have an embarassing story being the customer that I want to forgot, though they did not make as much a big deal out of it as I did :hn

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No one has mentioned the often overlooked one ... If you plan to carry a backpack into the walkin, don't be surprised if you are watched very closely.

Re: Advice for B&M customers anyone?
 

My short answer is "Customers who think they own the shop." That ranges from the snobbish ones with bad form, to the polite ones who stay in the shop all day without spending a dollar taking up space for paying customers.

Customers who can't aim in the bathroom (daily problem). Sit down if you can't ****ing piss straight! Didn't you learn that as a kid?

Customers who bring business into the shop. Guys, this isn't the office. Don't talk loudly on your cell phone or have a business meeting at the shop because you want to show everyone how important you are. If you have a call, step outside to the covered area to take it. If you want to bring your laptop or paperwork, that's fine as long as you keep it to yourself and are quiet. Please don't occupy the whole table with your work, as others may want to play cards or sit and talk.

Shop seating is for any customers, but it is limited. If you aren't smoking a cigar and it's busy, please leave or get up and let the smoking customers have a place to sit. Also, unfortunately, you do not own that particular chair or place on the couch. Don't harass other customers if they sit there.

Guns. They're OK to have on you, not OK to display or wave around. We have some customers who, believe it or not, are afraid of, or offended by, firearms. We would prefer to keep the shop friendly so the lady out shopping can stop by for a smoke or to pick up a few.

Kids. This is a strictly 18+ establishment. Please don't come here for a period of time with your children, and please don't ask if it is OK for you to buy your 14 year old grandson a cigar because he wants one and cannot legally buy one. If you're doing a quick stop for some smokes to take with you, we understand that you may bring the kids in for a moment and thus we try to maintain a "family friendly" atmosphere, and will make every attempt to expedite the process of getting you checked out quickly. However, we don't want to hear your kids whining about "it stinks" or "can we leave yet?" in the shop. They aren't supposed to be in here, we try to facilitate you by allowing you to bring them in for a quick moment, but please don't abuse it and irritate us.

We are a retail shop as well as a lounge. This means we like to have the place look presentable for the people who come to shop here, especially during the holiday season. Please be considerate with your dress, language, and attitude while others are in the shop.

As far as TV remotes and channels: There is but one TV, and you will all share it. If someone objects to your choice of programming, please find something you can all agree on or allow them to have a turn. You don't own the remote, and there is no need to turn the volume way up to drown out other people's voices.

If you don't like someone, the shop is not the place to grind an axe or be obnoxious. Take it home.

We, as the shop, DO NOT owe you anything, regardless of how good of a customer you think you are. We make every effort to please our customers within reasonable expectations, but that does not mean you are entitled to any of the following: discounts, holds, deals, preferential treatment (even if you owned the shop at one time or another), free lockers/cokes/cigars/samples, or anything else that isn't already provided. We go so far as to offer drive-up service if you call an order in ahead, and we will happily bend over backwards to make you happy....don't abuse it and don't irritate the employees/shop/owner.

Speaking of, the owner/manager/or employee is not there to be your lackey. Ask a favor of us nicely and we may be willing to do something for you. Make demands or order us around, and don't be surprised if we're "busy." You can get up to get your own cigars from the humidor, or your own coke or cup of coffee or whatever.

If we want to give you a discount to show our appreciation of your business, we will. It can't always happen, especially on rare/HTF sticks, or on new sticks, or on cigars we already discount. Padron 3000, sure. Padron 80th? No dice.

The counter is not your desk. Please stay out from behind it, and do not congregate around it.

Matches and bags are for people who buy cigars. Believe it or not, these cost money, and if you buy high quality matches like we did, they can cost as much as 25 cents per box. That means each person gets forty cents or more of matches and bags free. That means the shop loses between $40-80 a day as a service to customers. Please don't abuse this generosity. Please don't ask for matches just to sit on the couch and use one match from the box. We have lighters everywhere, and we have matches sitting around the tables. Please don't waste our money by being too lazy to get up and use what we provide. And I don't care how bad you are at smoking, you don't need 4 boxes of matches for one cigar. The only time you get 4 boxes is when you buy a box or more of cigars.


Arrrgh, I could keep on going and going and going....

Re: Advice for B&M customers anyone?
 

Yeah I use to work at a hotel. They did a wine tasting, was sh!t wine. Like $10 a bottle and all the old douchebags got really dressed up in their suits and puffed on their crappy noname cigars that they only "smoked" an inch off of and put them down. (we're talking 60X6's here too)

I hate people that try to fit in or act like something they are not. So annoying, I was just thinking wow you look like an idiot puffing on that dogrocket in your tux.

Re: Advice for B&M customers anyone?
 

Except that without customers, there wouldn't be a shop. ;)

Just curious, do you own the shop or work there?

I think he might have been talking about the people who drop in once in a blue moon, spend $10 and expect to be treated like royalty... :2
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Re: Advice for B&M customers anyone?
 

i asked this at the counter over a extremely over priced box of viaje HBs when i was doing the group buy. But mine was called for. Boxes were going for 270 they wanted 410 after giving me a 10% military discount. I asked why they were pricing things so much higher then MSRP. He looked at me as said "he wasnt". I just walked out...

I currently buy alot and have been talking to mark at tower cigar for my future viaje buys. That local shop could have my business and alot of money from it, but his price gouging means i will never shop there again.

Re: Advice for B&M customers anyone?
 

You might be right, Jeff, considering the post as a whole, I am not sure.

Re: Advice for B&M customers anyone?
 

When I worked in a shop we had a couple guys who would come in and pinch half the box before selecting one. Look, these weren't 2000 CC Punch Churchills, they all smoke fine buddy!

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http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...an-1659361.jpg
I love the guys who have to marinate the stock in their nose juice

Re: Advice for B&M customers anyone?
 

I know that I am a young guy working in a B&M, I have worked in the same shop for 3 years now and it drives me crazy when new customers say something about me being young and knowing what I am talking about.

Its also terrible when a customer goes through a box of cigars searching for one, which is fine, and leaves loose sticks on the shelf or in randomly placed boxes.

Hate, HATE it when some one punches a cigar too hard and splits the cap, or cuts an inch off of the cigar and complains that the wrapper is coming off or the cap is busted. Its your own fault!

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Silound:

I read your entire post and it sounds more than reasonable to me. Of course, you are expecting people to be courteous and considerate of others, that might be a stretch. I've never worked in a cigar shop but I have worked in retail for a number of years. People can be rude.

Something else comes to mind when shopping in a B&M. Don't come in empty handed. I bring my own Butane lighter and my own cutter. Whenever I go in there and want to smoke a cigar, I buy at least one or more of what they have in stock. The last time I went to a well stocked B&M (back home during the holidays) I was like a kid in a candy store. Me and my nephew were cruising the inventory and an employee came over and asked if he could be of assistance. I said yes and started asking him about different smokes he had in stock. Then he asked me what i usually smoked (what cigars I have appreciated) and then he made a few suggestions, like "Well, if you like that then you might also like this". Very cool. I took him up on several of his suggestions and ended up getting some great cigars that I didn't know anything about before I walked in the store. I spent about $65.00. My nephew bought some accessories too. Then we retired to the TV room and smoked a cigar. It was a very nice experience. We didn't get in the way and didn't annoy anyone. Both me and my nephew joined their "club" card membership and got on their email list.

I wish that store was closer to where i live.

As far as a cigar store employee being "young", if someone is working in a cigar store, then I have to assume he knows something about cigars. At my age (63) EVERYONE in the store is younger than me. I'm not reluctant to ask their opinion or a question. Sometimes they provide information on specials or box prices, shipping charges if I want to order when I get back home, etc. I try to be friendly and courteous. I don't walk on water but I try not to upset the apple cart, which is their place of business.



Cheers,


Mike T.

Re: Advice for B&M customers anyone?
 

It really frosts me when approaching a cigar store when there are cigar butts littered up and down the block near the store. Show some respect for the shop's owner and his neighbors.

Also, don't park in another business's lot unless you have permission. A shop near me is in a historical neighborhood, lots of old homes and businesses. Next door is an insurance guy with three spots for customers. He's had to put up hundreds of dollars in signs to protect his little lot from inconsiderate B&M customers. The signs really detract from the historical beauty of the neighborhood. What gets me is that there are dozens of metered parking spots surrounding the place. Pay the quarter people!:mad:

Re: Advice for B&M customers anyone?
 

It can happen in minutes. Looks like they start with Padron Anny's. This couple is slick. When an employee comes in, the man distracts him while his wife stuffs her pocketbook.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNVL1nNaEgw

Re: Advice for B&M customers anyone?
 

That is just sickening... :fl

Re: Advice for B&M customers anyone?
 

Worked there for three years before I graduated.

Unfortunately, I feel that a cigar shop is no different than any other business, which means that while I'd make every effort to make a customer happy if they want something reasonable, but I'm not going to make sacrifices to store policy, or give you special treatment over other customers, or let you get away with anything that other people can't, or give them steep discounts. Wal-Mart doesn't give you a %25 discount because you bought some high dollar item that sells real well, even if you badger them about it incessantly like a spoiled child.

Some people simply feel entitled just because they spend some money there. Again, it's the whole "spend a little, expect to be treated like royalty" attitude.

Really, there's no pleasing some people, but some people want too much. If it's not a one time thing, or if it could set a dangerous trend for the shop, it's not something to just agree to lightly. You can't let one guy start making a scene about a discount and get away with it, or you run the risk of others seeing it happen and trying to imitate it, which leads to either a loss for the shop, or multiple pissed off customers instead of just one (because eventually you have to put a stop to it).

It is very much a balancing act to keep people pleased without it being of detriment to the shop. :(

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"spend a little, expect to be treated like royalty" attitude"

Yep, that's a problem. If you buy one cigar, sit and smoke it and mind your business. Don't make a nuisance of yourself. Be thoughtful of other people that are in the store. Just because you spent 6 or 7 bucks on a smoke doesn't mean you own the place.:2


Mike T.

Re: Advice for B&M customers anyone?
 

My stomach hurts after watching that!:pu

I hope they got busted big time!!!:fl

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They need to post their picture on the front door of every business within 3 miles of that B&M. The picture should have a headline "Thieves"

Re: Advice for B&M customers anyone?
 

Well... my list of particulars could go on for quite a while... so I will try to keep it to a minimum.

1) Don't be an @$$hole. The Golden Rule applies... even in cigar stores.

2) Don't be a cheap @$$. I realize that everyone has different levels of income and budgets for cigars, but picking up a $25 bundle of cigars and hounding the employee/owner about the price/discount... see rule #1.

3) Look up the definition of the word "Patronage". Strive to be a true Patron of the store.

4) Cigar Accesories should be brought with you or purchased at the store if possible. I would happily loan you a cutter to use... provided you're not the type who feels the need to coat the entire cap/cigar with saliva before using said cutter.

5) If you bring Booze, you be generous enough to bring enough to share with the employee/owner if they so choose to provide a haven for you to enjoy it. If it's a place that serves booze, you should not BYOB.

6) Thou Shalt not ash on my floor/couch/tv stand/coffe table/toilet seat/etc. and not make an effort to clean it up. Accidents happen, of course, but most stores I have been in... anywhere you stand or sit there is an ashtray within arms reach.

7) The remote control privelages can be taken away at the owner's discretion. Do not hound me to watch another episode of Modern Marvels if you've been there watching it for 4 hours already. The Kardashians should never be on in a cigar store. Period.

8) If free beverages are an offer the store makes... be considerate. I don't think you really need 6 Moutain Dews in a row anyway.

9) Thou Shalt not steal. Ever. Or I'll club your knees in with an axe handle.

And Finally

10) Always enjoy yourself and what you're smoking, but not at someone else's expense.

Re: Advice for B&M customers anyone?
 

May I add that "some" of us would rather buy cigars while at the local B&M, bring them home and put in our humidor for awhile before smoking. So, if we want to smoke one of our own cigars that was not purchased at the local B&M, be sure to ask the owner if you can smoke your own while in the store PROVIDED you buy something (preferably cigars) while you are there. If the owner says NO, follow the rules. If he allows you to smoke one of your own on his premises, keep quiet about it. Once you take the label off, roll it up and put it in a waste basket, no one will know what you're smoking unless you tell them.

How do those of you that work/own a B&M feel about that?


Cheers,


Mike T.