B & M Tobacco Prices on Tins Non-Competitive

Yeah, I don't buy tins from a B&M unless I gotta have it right then. The only way I can justify it. I only go to the B&M to window shop or sample some bulk blends (and then purchase a couple ounces for the trouble). The markup sucks. I paid $18 for a tin of Nightcap last year ... about $9 on P&C.

I usually order on-line. Today I walked into my B&M bought a bag of Penzance and a bag of Stonehaven--$78.12 out the door. I didn't think that was too bad for a pound of primo, hard to get tobacco. I say Long Live The B&M's!!

It's a tough call. Like many here, I love the idea of a good B&M (but don't have any near me) and if one were around I'd probably pay a bit more to give them my business and keep them going. I often shop local, even when I know I could save a couple of dollars by going to the big box or buying on line. But, when it is nearly twice as much, it is hard to justify.

Since my B&M is also a smoking lounge, I'll buy a tin every so often in order to "pay the rent" on my chair (don't want the cigar guys to think I'm a total cheapskate)... but it's not the place to stock up, that's for sure.

I don't have a problem with B&Ms being higher by several dollars, my problem is when they are double or more. When I started smoking I could get Rattray tins online for $10-16 and at a B&M for $14-18. Now I can get them online for $15-17 but the last tins I saw in a B&M were priced at $30, with the same shop pricing Sutliff at $15. That's the difference between shearing a sheep and skinning it.

I usually order on-line. Today I walked into my B&M bought a bag of Penzance and a bag of Stonehaven--$78.12 out the door. I didn't think that was too bad for a pound of primo, hard to get tobacco. I say Long Live The B&M's!!

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That is a damn good price for a B&M for those tobacco's. One of the popular E-tailers was selling the new Balkan Sobranie for 34$ a tin or around there recently, and not by consignment either. Businesses cost money to rent, there's employees, rent, alot of stuff e-tailers don't have to put up with. Markup for businesses is usually 400% for retail. This is why they're all going to cigars, or you should be glad that they have or B&M's would be a thing of the past. As you can just walk in and buy a cigar, whereas you aren't going to order one cigar online. Plus the smoking lounges are a big draw for the business men after work. My main local B&M has business men smoking top end cubans every day after work, that's like 30-40$ a day for one cigar. Plus if you're buying a pipe it's nice to be able to inspect it in a way you just can't inspect it online. But you can shop online for anything and find it alot cheaper usually, but it's the being able to buy something and have it immediately which will always appeal to people. This is also why you see so many shops turning into head shops with a small selection of otc's and a few cobs and maybe basket pipes if you're lucky. In the end a business is about turning a profit.

My B&M charges $39.80 for an 8 ounce bag of Stonehaven or other Esoterica, most tins are in the $15 range for 50g. 100g tins of McClelland and Rattray's are in the $25 range. Like others, most of their business is in cigars. In addition to the overhead, they just cannot sell in volume like the etailers do. One of the reasons we get good prices online is due to the volume of tobacco they sell. You just do not have that kind of activity in a B&M so the business model dictates a higher price. When I worked there years ago we tried that model (high volume, lower prices) but it was just not sustainable.
In Ohio, there is a 17% tobacco tax (that they are trying to jack up to 40% after promising to not raise it if they paid $1000/yr for their tobacco license. Plus, they want to double that a year later). Ohio also wants to know who you ship the tobacco too and if you do not charge the OTP, then Ohio expects you to report the name/address of the buyer. There definitely is not a 400% mark up on pipe tobacco, the margins are actually much smaller than that on tins. I still purchase a tin or two when I am there plus a couple cigars. They also have a nice lounge if you are so inclined.