St Bruno Now Available

[sablebrush52]

There is nothing quite like St. Bruno, and I mean that as a compliment. If there is resistance to the price, it might come down. But I'm buying a few pouches and tins to have on hand. Still cheaper than getting it from overseas. It cracks me up that it's an OTC blend, and a very popular one at that. But then again, Germain's Rich Dark Flake is a bulk tobacco, and it's nearly identical to the Stonehaven that some will sell a kidney to get.

 

[sablebrush52]

One more thought. Why assume that MacBaren set the price? P&C is perfectly capable of pricing tobaccos for the maximum that they think the market will bear, as they have done with Balkan Sobranie

 

[mcitinner1]

It's been many months since I got into my jar of St Bruno Flake...time to check it out again?

 

[cosmicfolklore]

One more thought. Why assume that MacBaren set the price?

Because there was an announcement that MacBarens was increasing their prices, and The Briary announced that they could no longer buy more MacBarens products because of it. But sure, maybe the retailers are lying. Maybe it's a plot? It could be the middleman, but didn't prices go up overseas too?
I don't disparage a company for having to raise prices. Times are tough. But, it doesn't make it attractive to try blends by them that I might not be sure about. But, yeh, I'll buy the things that I really really want.

 

[ericusrex]

I'm with Scarface. BOYCOTT!

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Yeh, I don't think a boycott of our small, minuscule cross section of pipe smokers here on this forum will have much of an impact. Even if retailers, who have become as marginal as our cross section of forum members, get involved with a boycott, I think that so many people buy online, that MacB will do well without our support.
And, while I still say that if you order large enough quantities of plugs from overseas the cost is still just a tad shy of half what this new plug will retail for (I got plugs of Salty Dog for $9 a pouch). And, Canadians and Australians... They could always move, ha ha JK. :wink: The price is not out of the "I gotta try it range," but it is nowhere near the "I'm gonna stock up" range.
Yeh, when I find myself in the middle of a group of "pipe tobacco is too expensive" crowd, I have to back peddle. Because pipe tobacco is still the least expensive form of smoking, unless you want dime-store cigars or giant vats of Bugler. Even the most expensive blends are typically priced for the working man.

 

[cigrmaster]

Boycott Mac Baren....grow up. This is purely about supply and demand. If St Bruno is a hit, supply will go down and they set a correct price. If it is not, supply will go up and then maybe the retailers will have to put it on sale to move it. Mac Baren has raised prices because people are still willing to pay them. If you don't like the price of something don't buy it. Saying fuck Mac baren when the retailer and wholesalers are invloved in pricing really makes no sense. I was just at a site where they are selling tins of Samuel Gawith blends for 16 a tin. I can but these same tins at smokingpipes for 9.33 for singles and if I bought 25 tins, it goes down to 8.40 a tin. Obviously sp is discounting where the other tobacconist is not. So do I blame SG for the 16.00 tin price where it is the retailer who is charging a high price?
When St Bruno is available from every retailer, I would be willing to bet that 16.00 price tag goes down. PC has the exclusive for a while so they are going to get their price for the time being. I plan on waiting to buy in quantity if I like the stuff.

 

[derfargin]

But the thing is Australia & Canada have high prices because of taxes don't they? Macbaren is raising their prices out of greed and they are one of the biggest tobacco companies in the world aren't they?

I don't care if it's taxes, or profit margin. All I care about is what's my total out of pocket cost.
You guys go ahead with your boycott.(good luck with that) You should know MacBaren did a price increase about a year ago, long before St. Bruno was coming to America, and there was the standard complaining about price increasing but bitching about parting with money is the norm everywhere.
You know who else did a price increase recently? C&D/Pease/Capt.Earl did. There was a basic minimum MSRP that the blends should be set at, and that minimum was more than what the price had been.
Everybody increases prices, it's just what happens in a capitalistic society. Some do it due to take advantage of what the market will bear. P&C does it with Esoterica and Balkan Sobranie blends. I don't care for those blends so it really doesn't matter to me, besides, I would just go elsewhere to find them as there are many options for us living here in the US.
Again, the price at P&C for St. Bruno is still less than buying it overseas, and I'll be happy to throw in a few pouches on my regular order.
Also, let put this into perspective. The hobby itself is a money pit, we spend money on an product that we intentionally set on fire. Some spend lots of money on elaborate designer decorative mini-fireplaces to burn said tobacco. Perhaps you should take up stamp collecting, or how about learning playing card tricks?

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Yep, the retailer's hands are tied to get a flogging from the big online companies. The Briary dropped Greg Pease's blends, C&D, Mac Barens, and a few more that I can't remember because I don't ever see them except online any more. This was a top down decision.
But, for what it's worth, even though I think that a boycott is silly also. The reprimands are starting to sound a little like a rich bloke telling the poor bloke to shut up and stop complaining. I don;t think anyone has overstepped their words on the anti Mac Baren side that deserved such. Not like it gets when Dunhill or artisan pipemakers gets brought up. Times are tough, so we have to vent a little. The rich boys could have a tad bit of heart.

 

[philobeddoe]

I really don't understand where all of the vitriol is coming from. We (Americans) are now being given the opportunity to purchase a tobacco that has been unavailable in the U.S. for many years. Those of us who enjoy the blend have had to purchase our pouches from Great Britain and have been paying a premium for it, to cover the extra shipping and taxes. Now it comes to our shores and most of the members on this thread are whining like little kids. If you don't like the price, then don't buy the damn tobacco! St. Bruno is currently considered a premium tobacco HERE in America, due to its previous scarcity; it is only an OTC in Europe. If sales are robust and it becomes a staple for many smokers, then you will see prices come down, as different retailers compete for our business. Right now, St. Bruno is novel and thus it's priced accordingly!

 

[cigrmaster]

cosmic, this isn't about rich guys or poor guys when we are talking about pennies ber bowl. A 16 dollar tin at 4 grams a bowl is 1.28. A 12 dollar tin at 4 grams a bowl is .96 cents per bowl. We are talking about .32 cents per bowl difference. How can .32 cents alter anyone's life style? If you smoke one bowl a day that .32 cents is 2.24 a week. If you buy a cup of coffee a week it is more than 2.24 in most cases.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Yeh, you already did that math, and I did mine. Didn't sell me on it the first time, it ain't going to sell me on it now. And, apparently my math had no affect on you either. :: The power of math is fading... Ha ha.
But, If one thinks about what my other posts said. I am not a boycotter. I only said that price would prevent me from buying huge lots of MacBaren products. I will probably buy one tin of the St Bruno.
But, we can all get a much better deal by buying a huge shipment like MLC set up, similar to how you were talking about in that power buy thread. I got pouches 50gram plugs of Salty dog at $9 a pop, which is almost half of what Mac Barens is charging (and way lower than what the US online retailers are selling it for) , so the whole buying overseas argument is moot on me.
But, all in all, I was just commenting on the tone, verses the substance of the posts. If I were struggling. I'd probably be pissed at the assumptions made. [

 

[ericusrex]

You guys are funny.
'Boycotting Mac Baren is silly' and 'if you don't like the price, then don't buy it'. Not buying it IS boycotting it. And I've been boycotting Mac B products since their extremely steep price hike a while back. The funny thing is, some of their blends are still very reasonably priced. But the newer, 'hotter' blends jumped up in price substantially.
The retailers aren't to blame for the higher pricing of Mac B blends. Mac B (or the US distributor of Mac B) are the ones to blame. The wholesale price to retailers was raised and the retailers had to raise their prices accordingly. Until Mac B rescinds their price hike I don't see much movement in the price of any of their blends at the retail level.
As for the SG comparison, each state has their own level of tobacco taxation that must be added to the retail price. Gouging aside (which does occur, no doubt), this taxation is usually the reason for the great discrepancy in retail pricing.

 

[danhester]

It seems every time I've read a thread that involves anyone complaining about price, there's a backlash with people complaining about the price complainers and appealing to the gods of capitalism. It's funny.
Of course, everyone is right. For the folks paying to import it from overseas, the price is probably a better deal. But for me... I know what other flakes cost. Haha. I don't see what could be so special about this to justify the premium. It's a free country, though, and to each their own. Nobody has to justify their buying decisions to anyone else, and there's no need to be defensive.

 

[derfargin]

I don't see what could be so special about this to justify the premium.

The price point is the same as what Capstan costs @ P&C. Why isn't that one controversial?

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Ever notice that no one ever talks about capstan? I've only ever bought one tin of it ever.

 

[username]

A bit pricey for my tastes but like others have said still cheaper then importing from England. I will probably pick up a couple tins for a treat as I like it but can't afford to cellar it right now.

 

[danhester]

The price point is the same as what Capstan costs @ P&C. Why isn't that one controversial?

Neither the Capstan nor the St. Bruno is controversial to me. I just can't imagine why they should cost 50-60% more than other flakes/tinned tobaccos. Obviously, they can sell it for whatever they want, but for this consumer, I just look at the fact that I can purchase virtually EVERY OTHER tobacco in the world for less. So sure, I'd be curious to try it. I'm sure it's good, even. Just not likely that I'll be lining up to buy it.

 

[mothernaturewilleatusallforbreakfast]

I think I'll pass and stick with Jockey Club. I can enjoy a floral snuff every now and again, but don't even like an essence of it in my pipe tobacco.

 

[deathmetal]

Obviously, they can sell it for whatever they want, but for this consumer, I just look at the fact that I can purchase virtually EVERY OTHER tobacco in the world for less.

This is the challenge they face: preach to the choir (sell to existing fans) or expand the franchise (convert new fans).