Are OTC blends really OTC?

[grimpuffer]

I agree with this. I live a city of almost 300,000 people, and nobody carries pipe tobacco expect for one B&M and JRs inside and outside the city. It's been that way for years. And this is North Carolina.

I was wondering when things had changed.

My new job landing me near two really nice tobacco shops. I went to both on my lunch break and it’s 99% cigars, and maybe 5 jars of their “house” blends. This is in Georgia.

I asked the one owner about tinned pipe tobacco and he kind of chuckled and said, “No one carries the tins anymore. It’s too expensive for us to buy and it just sits on the shelves. All our pipe smokers buy online anyway.”

This coming from a guy who was selling most cigars at double what you can get online. His Oliva Serie V were $18 a stick.

 

[sobranie759]

In the sixties I purchased Balkan Sobranie in a cutter top tin from a drug store.
You have to keep in mind that many of the "over the counter" blends were made by giant companies that also sold bulk tobaccos to many pipes shops across the country. It was always easier to market a tobacco with a wide distribution network like drug or convenience stores. Just look at " Captain Black" a Lane product. I would think it is one of the largest sold pipe tobaccos in the US, if not the largest. Lane also produced "Crown Achievement" which back in time was considered the most expensive tobacco available, or so they claimed.
"Over the Counter" in some states has a new meaning " the other weed".
My Dad and his pipe smoking friends all purchased " Over the counter " blends. As a kid if I remember correctly mixture 79 was very popular. In addition the price was always right. This was the blend of Hugh Heffner !

 

[Architeuthis]

Was hoping to find a cheaper alternative to my favorite all day blend, GH American Delite. Looks like I'm going to have to eat the shipping charges which to say for a ½ lb of half and half is still cheaper than the GH blend.

If you can spring for it, most online retailers offer free shipping on orders at around the $100 mark.

 

[JimInks]

I was wondering when things had changed.

My new job landing me near two really nice tobacco shops. I went to both on my lunch break and it’s 99% cigars, and maybe 5 jars of their “house” blends. This is in Georgia.

I asked the one owner about tinned pipe tobacco and he kind of chuckled and said, “No one carries the tins anymore. It’s too expensive for us to buy and it just sits on the shelves. All our pipe smokers buy online anyway.”

This coming from a guy who was selling most cigars at double what you can get online. His Oliva Serie V were $18 a stick.

It's been this way here for at least twenty years. CVS was the exception until they decided not to carry tobacco products. Walgreen's held out for a few months and gave into the "craze". Last time I saw pipe tobacco in a Wal-Mart or 7/11-type stores was the 1990s.

 

[That Guy]

Never had a problem when I was in Mississippi or Alabama. Just only in Florida.

 

[cigrmaster]

Go to smokingpipes.com and get what ever you want shipped to you with no taxes.

 

[anotherbob]

I was wondering when things had changed.

My new job landing me near two really nice tobacco shops. I went to both on my lunch break and it’s 99% cigars, and maybe 5 jars of their “house” blends. This is in Georgia.

I asked the one owner about tinned pipe tobacco and he kind of chuckled and said, “No one carries the tins anymore. It’s too expensive for us to buy and it just sits on the shelves. All our pipe smokers buy online anyway.”

This coming from a guy who was selling most cigars at double what you can get online. His Oliva Serie V were $18 a stick.

There have always been "status" smokers. Where part of their goal is showing off their money. I wonder if that is one of the reasons cigars have more of a brick and mortar thing.

 

[anotherbob]

It's been this way here for at least twenty years. CVS was the exception until they decided not to carry tobacco products. Walgreen's held out for a few months and gave into the "craze". Last time I saw pipe tobacco in a Wal-Mart or 7/11-type stores was the 1990s.

reminds me of when the grocery store i worked at stopped selling tobacco.0publicly they stated it was because they care about peoples health, t0he internal memos said it was 100% profit motivated and they were lossing money and shelf space on tobacco.

 

[anotherbob]

In the sixties I purchased Balkan Sobranie in a cutter top tin from a drug store.
You have to keep in mind that many of the "over the counter" blends were made by giant companies that also sold bulk tobaccos to many pipes shops across the country. It was always easier to market a tobacco with a wide distribution network like drug or convenience stores. Just look at " Captain Black" a Lane product. I would think it is one of the largest sold pipe tobaccos in the US, if not the largest. Lane also produced "Crown Achievement" which back in time was considered the most expensive tobacco available, or so they claimed.
"Over the Counter" in some states has a new meaning " the other weed".
My Dad and his pipe smoking friends all purchased " Over the counter " blends. As a kid if I remember correctly mixture 79 was very popular. In addition the price was always right. This was the blend of Hugh Heffner !

I think it was sail yellow he smoked which sounds more his speed.

 

[Optimistic Pessimist]

I was wanting to ask the same thing for the Raleigh, NC area. Hoping to find a local place to get pouches of SWRA, HnH, CH, PrinceA, and Grangers, but so far nothing but Cap Black.

Luckily there is Pipes By George's B&M for bulk and tins. I don't mind ordering online, just like to shop local as much as possible.

 

[sablebrush52]

"

Are OTC blends really OTC?"​

Not anymore.

 

[bullet08]

Local Walgreen has RYO and CB White. That's it. But they got shitload of flavored "cigars".

 

[FLman]

I’m out side of tampa,and the only place I know of that has any of the otc blends is tobacco depot.But that’s the one in my town not sure about the others.

 

[jpmcwjr]

"Are OTC blends really OTC?"​

Not anymore.

Kinda like OTC stocks don't get passed over or under the counter. All bits and bytes.....

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Rural stores here, still carry pipe tobaccos. Just cause you can't find them in a big city, doesn't mean that you can't find them in the other 98% of the country. But, we also still have a larger percentage of people smoking pipes down here.

 

[kola]

Those days are gone. I last some some real OTC's (CH, PA, H&H, etc) in grocery stores up until the early 2000's..then they slowly disappeared.

 

[skydog]

Rural stores here, still carry pipe tobaccos. Just cause you can't find them in a big city, doesn't mean that you can't find them in the other 98% of the country. But, we also still have a larger percentage of people smoking pipes down here.

Agreed, in my small town in NC both the Food Lion and the Ingles carries all the OTC blends you could want as well as twists and snuff. The locally owned drug stores still carry them as well even though the chain drug store in town stopped carrying tobacco.

 

[OverMountain]

Grocery stores are a better bet.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Grocery stores are a better bet.

Depends on where you live. At least the chain grocery stores here don't carry any tobacco products.


Where do you live?

 

[Optimistic Pessimist]

Took a trip out to the JR Cigar in Selma, NC since I'd never been before. They do have the 14 oz. cans of Prince Albert, Granger, Carter Hall, & Half & Half (only one they had 1.5 oz pouch for). I'm not willing to get a can until I've had a chance to try them, but good to know somewhere not too far away to buy them.