I went to a place recently that didn't know that Captain Black was pipe tobacco (even though they carried it). They had a tub of it in the section with roll your own stuff. Cigars, cigarrettes and chew are the only things most tobacco stores know any more. Few care about pipe tobacco. No money in it I suppose.
I've seen a local cigar shop try to expand out to pipes and tobaccos, and it is not pretty.
They get in about 12 different blends, and then guys come in and say, "awesome, your carrying pipe tobacco. But, you don't have such and such, can you get it for me?"
Then next week when the same guy comes in, "Oh yeh, I'm not paying $25 for a tin of what I specifically asked you to carry for me, you gouger."
The owner looked at me pleadingly, "how many blends do I have to carry to just sell one?"
I told him to tell pipesmokers to fuck off. They are mostly penny pinching rapscallions. Even as a pipesmoker, I wouldn't have the patience to deal with
mine our bullshit. Most pipesmokers think that the prices they see online are actual retail prices, so when they mark it up a tad to make a tiny profit, they are insulted by their idiotic customers.
Of all of the businesses in the world, I would never try to run a pipe shop. It's on the bottom of my list alongside human trafficking and feminine hygiene recyclers.
Don't get me wrong... I am thankful someone owns these shops. But, there's no way in hell
I would try to cater to us.
Cigar shoppers are a different story. They don't mind shelling out some greenbacks to get just one smoke.
