The Mentality (And Economics) of the Tobacco Shop Owner.

[smokedragon]

Hey there folks. It has been a while since I was on the forums. Wife and I just moved into our first house, so I've been busy. I'm in a new area, and I am again burdened by the search for a local pipe shop. I lived in Tallahassee before this, and even though it is a decent sized place, all the tobacco shops baring one or two catered to glass-pipe-using college students or cigars.
Now that I'm in my new area (decidedly rural), I'm finding that every "tobacco" place caters only to cigarettes and cigars. I'm not sure if it's just because Florida is a heavy tourist-dependent state so they like to cater to cigars more or what. Someone educate me on why it is so rare to find anything. I know pipe smokers are a minority, but maybe having pipes in a shop could show other smokers the economical advantage of pipes and boom the business a little.
Well, now that I'm rambling,at least I can take some solace in the fact that there is still the Internet and that I am now only an hour away from Edward's in Tampa.

 

[cigrmaster]

When the Florida legislature enacted a 85% wholesale tax on pipe tobacco, they basically put every pipe tobacco store out of business. No one will pay 23 for a tin when they can pay 10.00 on line. The only places that have any pipe tobacco are cigar stores that keep small amounts of pipe tobacco around for the foreign tourists who are used to paying stupid prices. My local guy Benningtons used to carry a large selection of pipe tobacco, now he carries maybe 10% of what he used to. I have spoken to the owners about this issue and they said it is a shame what the state did to them, especially when you take into account they did not tax cigars. This tax was bought and paid for by big tobacco who wanted to rid themselves of the RYO industry here. They paid the politicians and this is the result. We have nothing but whores in our government who are up for grabs to the highest bidder.
Edited for content. L.

 

[smokedragon]

I hear you rothnh. I've been doing most of my buying online. Sometimes I just want the atmosphere of the shop or the feel of a good pipe in the hand before I buy it. My wife has listened to this rant from me too much I think. Though she, at least, is supportive of my tobacco stockpiling.

 

[allan]

"It is what it is. I'm in the camp of those who are convinced that it won't be long before online vendors will be required by law to charge all applicable taxes due based on the customer's billing/mailing address -- or, such as in Washington state, ban out of state tobacco shipments completely."
100 per cent agree with Roth. Bill approached in the senate, although I understand stalled there. Just a matter of time.
Congress realizes that billions in tax revenue is lost through the interstate trade. "Tobacco is never going to be cheaper than it is right now" is a refrain that I've heard before.

 

[zonomo]

Simple Economics 101. Supply and Demand. If there was a larger demand, then suppliers would respond accordingly. I used to be a small business owner (Kickboxing Studio). There were certain things we didnt carry because there was little/no demand for them. And when a shop owner purchases the tobacco and pipes, it ties up valuable cash that could be working for him in other ways.

 

[delkhouri]

In my experience tobacco shops make so much more off of Cigars so they migrate to where the money is. An example of this I have found is The Briary in Birmingham, Alabama. I Spent most of an afternoon in their shop a few months ago. They have hundreds if not thousands of pipes and a very well stocked pipe tobacco selection. They are known for this and that is what their business is about. But during the afternoon i was there, they probably did a few hundred dollars in cigars and almost nothing in pipes. They say the cigars are probably 70% of their daily business and the selling of cigars allows them to be in the pipe business. So unless the shop wants to be a pip shop that sells cigars to help business most shops will just stick to the money maker that is cigars.

 

[mso489]

I am spoiled by having two pipe/cigar shops in town, within easy driving distance, and a huge discount

humidor and pipe place about an hour away. But even my pipe/cigar shops are up against it. The

independent shop still clings to the right to have a smoking area and offers a good selection of pipes

and tobaccos. The chain has a good selection too, but is in a non-smoking mall, so nothing is smoked

there. So far, happily, the glass pipe drug gear is consigned to "smoker" shops that otherwise sell

mostly cigarettes. I think the pipe shops are sustained by this being a campus area, with business from

both faculty and students. I feel guilt when I buy online, and sometimes pay a little more to buy from

the retail shops, but they do hang on by a thread. Good lifestyle, not big money.

 

[zonomo]

This is one of the reason why when you visit a place like Edwards in Denver, you feel like you have visited Paradise.

 

[brian64]

Simple Economics 101. Supply and Demand.

True to a degree...but as Harris explained so well above, when you have situations such as with the RYO issue and the government/corporate collusion involved, you cannot attribute everything to simple market forces. Everything is manipulated to one degree or another. Imo, we have not had much of an actual free market in anything in this country for a very long time now.

 

[flyguy]

I would love to buy from my local B&M but it is not economically feasible. I am relying totally on Pipes and Cigars and 4Noggins for my stockpiling needs. The first one of these two that sells me some Stonehaven will have a loyal customer for life!

 

[zack24]

So are you an hour North of Tampa near Ocala or South near Sarasota? (or God Forbid- an hour East in the middle of the dismal swamp) If you're South, you need to come spend some time in Sarasota...

 

[Perique]

Harris nailed it.

 

[crazypipe]

I do all my shopping for pipes and baccy on line ,unless i'am at a pipe show. ::

 

[smokedragon]

I'm getting the jist here. I buy all my tobacco online, but I really hate not being able to hold the pipe im buying in person.