Review of "El Humidor" (San antonio, Texas)

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spartan

Lifer
Aug 14, 2011
2,963
7
This last Saturday I ventured to a local tobacco shop, El Humidor. They have some cool stuff in their store like chess tables, chess sets, big screen TVs with a leather couch and lazy-boys around to sit in and enjoy a smoke, friendly atmosphere.
They have a nice selection of pipes. Crap selection of tins. And a fair amount of bulk blends.
I bought some bulk toby from em at $4-something an oz, 2 oz minimum which i'm ok with...sorta, not really. And I picked up a cob for one of my friends and finally my FIRST ever tin of toby.
The tin of EMP cost me $19.95....from an online retailer it's $12. Me no like paying that much for 1.75 oz of backy so I will now pass on business with El Humidor for a good while because I feel i got shafted. Is this an acceptable price for a tin of EMP?
Customer service was average, although the guy that was helping me out didn't know jack about jack. He said he just picked up the pipe himself (a downright lie) the only thing this guy had ever done was smell all of the bulk blends and maybe smell a few of them being smoked in the store.
Just overall a good store for the pipe smoker with munnies to burn. Not for me.

 

rigmedic1

Lifer
May 29, 2011
3,896
75
A new store opened in Mandeville, same exact thing. They are nice enough, but they cater to the luxury side of the market, so their markup is a little higher. It is what it is. Nice place to visit, wouldn't wanna live there.

 

admin

Smoking a Pipe Right Now
Staff member
Nov 16, 2008
8,764
4,932
St. Petersburg, FL
pipesmagazine.com
Spartan, the state excise tax on tobacco in Texas is $1.16 per oz, plus there is the 6.25% sales tax. That's not the retailer's fault.
It's a very challenging job being a brick & mortar tobacco retailer, and I try to support them whenever I can.
Granted, not all tobacconists are created equal. Some have employees that are nothing more than a cashier punching a time clock. I have had many experiences where the people working in a store are completely uneducated, and provide bad information and advice.
However, there are still stores that have knowledgeable, helpful staff that actually cares and knows about the products.
A while back I did a review of Balkan Sasieni. I bought the tin at a local store here in Florida. The excise tax here is 85% of the wholesale price. The tin retailed for $18. It can be bought online for $9.
balkan-sasieni-tin-description-350.jpg


 

spartan

Lifer
Aug 14, 2011
2,963
7
Thanks for the info Kevin. That's going to make it really hard for me to support my local places as far as buying tins go. But their prices on bulk backy is very reasonable and I will continue to get plenty of that from them. But tins will have to be online only. :crying:

 

tslex

Lifer
Jun 23, 2011
1,482
13
Tin tobacco in shops seems always to be in the $16-20 range.
I won't pay that, since I can get a wider selection for less online, even with shipping.
That said, I try to buy SOME tobacco -- usually a house blend -- from every place I manage to visit, if only to support the business.

 

fred

Lifer
Mar 21, 2010
1,509
4
Kevin is correct... In Texas, you pay more in taxes than for the Pipe tobacco. It's a situation that is sadly no limited to just this one state. It makes the job of the local B&M a difficult one, as they cannot compete with on-line shopping, where you can get what you want as a retail customer for less than they have to pay for wholesale for the same product. If you enjoy going to the local B&M, then support them with your business, or they will not survive.

 
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