Quote:
Originally Posted by Shaneg
That kind of thievery is terrible. If I were a manufacturer I would make up a special for display only batch that was just there to show off the wrapper and the box- filler would be paper. Go ahead and steal that smoke.
Aside- halfwheel really does do a good job reporting on things- I should read that more often
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This is what we do. All of our boxes on display are real boxes, and the top row of cigars are real, but they are glued to a piece of cedar and placed in the box with an empty space below it. What you get is a box that looks full, but the cigars are glued and have been that way for years. Our display cases where new product is shown are all locked, and only two keys exist for the entire booth. Sample cigars are in rooms with lockers where each rep has their own samples. Those too are locked.
A "top notch security firm" is going a bit far. These shows have thousands and thousands of people walking in and out of hundreds, if not thousands of manufacturers booths. The best way to deter theft is to stop it from happening from the get go with locking everything up. I've worked trade shows with distributors that if it wasn't bolted to the ground, people were trying to lift it. It got to the point where these smaller distributor shows have on the clock police officers there to arrest people for stealing. Last year my booth was next to a major Vapor manufacturer. The guy asked if I could watch his booth while he ran to the bathroom. In the time he was at the bathroom, no less than 4-5 people tried to steal something from his table. One guy even tried for a full plastic display full of $100 vape pens and liquids. Unreal.....
There are only a handful of bad apples, but they do exist, anywhere you go. You just have to do what you can within your means to make sure it doesn't happen to you.