The Value of Brick and Mortar Tobacconists...?

[murf]

I have a few near me. Only been to 2 of them. 1 of them only has bulk or sutliff to offer. The other has bulk, sutliff, ashton, CAO, and dunhill. Maybe more, I've only been in there twice. I like to go in once in awhile, buy a few tins. and now that I'm putting my major TAD on hold for awhile, I guess I'll have to satisfy my hankering once in a while with a few tins :puffpipe:
Been thinking about when I can go next...

 

[undecagon]

I go to Iwan Ries often enough. The price difference between IR or SP.com can be around 33% sometimes though. I'm halfway through my Master's and a musician at that, so I really can't afford that extra cash, even though I'd love to. But I get my cleaners from them, always, make use of their lounge, and still pick up a pipe and a few tins each year.

 

[quincy]

I have really strong feelings about this, so excuse me. I am SUPER blessed and lucky to live in NE Ohio where I have a great B&M in Cleveland and a REALLY, REALLY Great B&M in Erie. The taxes are much lower in both PA and OH compared to NY and FLA where they are through the roof for example. However, that shouldn't really affect pipes. I buy pipes from Jerry the Wizard in Erie. I love him. He used to yell at me and kick me out of his store when I was underage and sneaking in and on my 18th birthday, he celebrated with me. If I'm out and about at another B&M and see a blend I want and I know Jerry has it, I hold off until I can get to him and buy a blend he doesn't carry (yes, I have his huge selection memorized). The guy means that much to me. But I'm REALLY lucky! Because of taxes and me not place huge $100+ orders, his prices are fairly competitive with online retailers once I add in S&H. And Jerry has been known to cut me a slight deal if his prices are waay higher than online. I hate having him do it, though, so I've stopped telling him. I don't mind paying an extra few dollars a tin. I look at it as a service charge for his knowledge and recommendations. Jerry knows my tastes and knows my preferences and my pipes. I walk in and he makes me feel like I'm his best friend. I love the guy. I really do. And I want to take my son to buy his first pipe from Jerry. So, I pay a little more. I want Jerry around. But if Jerry doesn't have the blend I want? Like Hearth and Home? I buy online. If Jerry can't get ahold of that one pipe I really want? I go online. Then I take it to Jerry to show off and we both feel super great about it. So, yeah... I love my B&M. I'll support it as long as I can. And I wish everyone could be as fortunate as I am. It's too bad that my situation is the exception rather than the rule now...

 

[delkhouri]

I love my B&M. I'll support it as long as I can

That is awesome

 

[chrisschneck]

I work at a b&m so I'm biased here. But hell yes support your local store!

 

[jdto]

I enjoy my rare visits to my b&m, but the pricing up here in Canada is such that it's not economically viable to avoid online ordering.

 

[effektor]

Every one I stopped in at has been cigars and cigarettes only. If I knew of one nearby that had any sort of pipe section I would check it out. Near west suburbs of Detroit if anyone has any suggestions.

 

[rmason]

I love my B&M they are some of the nicest people I have ever meet, and they are also a wealth of information for me and have helped me grow as a pipe smoker. While mine does not carry many tins they do have a large selection of bulks, overall I plan to support them until I drop dead and then maybe some time after that.

 

[redbeard]

My local B&M has great bulk tobacco they blend at decent prices. However their tins of tobacco are almost doubled in price so no use wasting the money there. But my LBF needs to be ordered online :D

 

[gnatjulio]

They are very nice and very helpful people at the B&Ms by my limited experience. And it's awesome to be able to physically hold/see the product in your hand. The $$ is what limits me.

I spent $9.98 on a 1.5 oz pouch of Five Brothers in Albany that I could've bought for $2.83 online. I can't do that very often. Thankfully I was able to get them to match their own online price on the last pipe that I bought from them (first one I bought from them I got burned for like $60 bucks) a while back, so I'd have no problem in the future buying a pipe from them.

 

[dannybeans]

I have an okay B&M in my hometown that meets my (limited and undemanding) needs. They're one of those places that mostly caters to cigarette and cigar smokers, but compared to some of the places I've heard others describe here, they have a surprisingly large selection of pipe tobaccos. Nothing fancy, but at least a lot of the old reliables like Prince Albert and Captain Black. And if I feel like a splurge, there's a very good one about 30 miles away - Riegel's in Fort Wayne.

 

[simnettpratt]

I'm ten miles from an awesome B&M. But, here's my problem:
4oz delicious B&M blend: $20.00 with tax

8oz Altadis Blue Note or Fox & Hound from smokingpipes: $19.60 with shipping
I'd love to support him, but I just can't spend double

 

[alex87]

I have such a dilemma here. Being up in Canada I have to swallow the ridiculous tax hit when buying from the B&M. Prime example, yesterday, bought a pack of pipe cleaners, Brigham filters, and a tin each of EMP and SG Groussemoor. Came to &70~...at almost $30 a tin I can only indulge so often. I have on the other hand said to myself that I will buy my pipes from there.
But the one factor that I cannot step away from is the incredible service that I get when I do go to the B&M. The quality recommendations and the knowledge is priceless in my opinion. Another example is when my wife went in to find an anniversary gift for me, and she came home praising the staff for being so helpful. She wasn't in there buying hundreds of dollars worth of pipes and tobacco, but they were helpful and friendly all the same.
So even though you will pay more (lots more in my case) for tobacco; pipes and knowledge and experience are what B&M's are all about these days. Save a bunch buying baccy online sure, but support them as much as possible because before we know it they will be gone...and that is a sad day. Hundreds of years of a business and profession out the window.

 

[bigmick]

I'm in Columbus Ohio. Smokers Haven gets 90% of my pipe and pipe tobacco money. I have trouble getting $100 or $200 together for a big online order and I'm still testing and tasting tobaccos to find the one or ones I want to spend big bucks with. Premal, Bill and Ben have treated me much more like a friend than a customer. Yeah they are a bit more expensive than online, but not as much as some local shops. One is 50% higher and blames it on taxes, when no one else in town is charging taxes that high. Whatever. I'll continue to support Premal with as much of my budget as I can. Right up until he goes out of business or I quit pipes.

TinderBox in Easton gets the other 10%. Mostly because Smokers Haven runs out of Virginia tobaccos pretty quick.

 

[eazy]

The B&M's around me are nice but costly, I bought a tin of Frog Morton Cellar for 37 dollars and that put an end to my local shopping. For 100 dollars you can't get much locally but on-line its completely different.
I go with online shopping and even if I pay duties it is still cheaper.

 

[judcole]

Near west suburbs of Detroit if anyone has any suggestions.

Nobody close that I know of. There's still Maison Edwards in AA, and Hill & Hill, my guy, in GPF. Then there's Paul's in Flint, and Campbell's in E. Lansing. Churchill's of Birmingham is still there, but not sure what their selection is. Paul's probably has the greatest selection of tins. All these guys are real tobacconists with their own lines of bulks, not just re-labelled Lane's.
I support Hill & Hill as much as I can - I've got 3 of his bulks in my rotation, 2 of which are definitely full-time. Also my first choice for supplies.

 

[cavendish36]

I buy the majority of my tobacco online, but all of my pipes in my local B&M. Why? So I can handle/feel the pipe I buy before purchasing.

 

[effektor]

Thanks, Jud. I'll keep them in mind for a ride the next nice day I'm off.

 

[05venturer]

the only thing I have within an hour of my home is a "Tobacco Shop" that basically sells a few pouches of super valu and some codger blends at triple the online price. They are pretty much a RYO and left handed smoke shop. :roll: