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Post by crapgame on Jul 29, 2016 22:13:01 GMT -5
I did it again, I have been hoping that the last few times I went to the "tobacco" shop in the mall near where i live that the bad experiences I have had were isolated incidents but alas that is not the case! First the pipes and have been replaced with water bongs..glass crack pipes..and all kinds of other items of questionable use.there were 8 Dr. Graybow pipes hanging on a wall all covered with dust and 4 Nording pipes in a case..THATS IT!!!!!!
The tobacco was WAY overpriced..$5.85 /oz for lane bulk tobacco!!! Capt. Black pouches near 10 bucks....100gr tins of Frog Morton and Bombay extra..24.85 a tin!!!
I decided to not make the trip a total waste and decided to try Capt Black dark because I have coupons for $6 off a pouch...and as I take out the coupons the bitch behind the counter starts to sigh very loudly and started tongue clicking as she watched me tear a coupon from the card I had...she sighs a few more times and LOUDLY proclaims.."I guess some people just don't know that THIS store doesn't accept or take any coupons so just put those away because you are wasting your time!"
Such a pity..the old owner sold me my first pipe and always had a new tobacco for me to try when new ones came in...I guess I am just missing the old shop owner and atmosphere his store had...Going to the shop when Dick owned it was like going to visit an old friend but now the shop is filled with young hoodlums lookin at crack pipes and buying tee shirts that have dope leafs on them and other crap like that...the place even has copper pot scrubbers for sale in the shop..thats what people use in crack pipes so the shop is targeting a different cliential....thats it for my rant..and people wonder why B&M shops are disappearing..
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Post by Deleted on Jul 29, 2016 22:36:25 GMT -5
I'm so sorry to hear this sir, what has happened to humanity? Ya take a once fine establishment that smelled of nothing but fine tobaccos and good will and turn into a den of low life drug addicts paraphernalia supply and who knows what. Then put little brainless brats that the parents didn't see fit to raise with any values, dignity or honor behind the counter to serve the public. In my opinion, these type establishments should be outlawed and burnt down cause they rate right up there with so the called Adult book stores and the like, just trash making any community into a slum. Gees! Ya got me ranting now.  They say ya can't turn back time and we all must accept change for change is good, show me were the GOOD is in this. Some politician or big corporate CEO must of thought that saying up. |
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Post by Motto on Jul 30, 2016 1:20:28 GMT -5
I know the feeling for years, I try & buy absolutely everything online, but I am tempted to town only to face the same 21st century customer service , and say never again...
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Post by papipeguy on Jul 30, 2016 7:07:35 GMT -5
It's easy to say that businesses are market driven but it saddens me when fine old shops stray from their original business plan. I guess they have to do it to survive but based on this story their time may be short.
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Post by simnettpratt on Jul 30, 2016 13:57:50 GMT -5
Wow, that's a shame. My awesome B&M has a sign by the door: No glass pipes or bongs here!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 30, 2016 14:10:04 GMT -5
Wow, that's a shame. My awesome B&M has a sign by the door: No glass pipes or bongs here! Good for them sir! Now that's the way things should be done. |
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Post by crapgame on Jul 30, 2016 15:17:55 GMT -5
Wow, that's a shame. My awesome B&M has a sign by the door: No glass pipes or bongs here! Good Job!! This place should have a sign welcoming dope smokers!! I always feel like I should at least buy a tin of tobacco from the shop to support the tobacco retailers and that the shop has some nostalgia and fond memories for me..but since the old owner sold the shop it has become worse and worse and the staff is more awful with each visit...there used to be a line out the door with people buying lottery tickets all day..everyone who worked at the mall bought tickets there..now nobody seems to be there..the chowder head that was pissy with me about coupons said to the older woman waiting to buy lottery tickets..and in a really nasty tone of voice.."I hope you have your cards filled out because we are too busy to sell tickets manually." now contrast that with the woman at rite aid a mile down road..I used my coupons there..she said those are great coupons..and if i get them often she will order any type of Captian black for me that I want just let her know what I want to have next time i get coupons...and is from a nationwide retailer! |
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Post by Motto on Jul 30, 2016 15:28:07 GMT -5
You do not blame us poor " grunts" if we loose a battle, the buck stops with the general, similarly, it is down to the "Boss" and Politicos putting the media marketplace in order, through legislation, if the crew are not ordered. if you sit back & read the news, the tea party & prohibition, the FDA party & prohibition, just pipedreaming folks.
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Post by simnettpratt on Jul 30, 2016 23:51:08 GMT -5
My B&M is so awesome I'll retell the best story for those who haven't heard it.
When the owner went down the street to get a haircut, he didn't close the shop, but left the dog in charge. When he got back he found cash with little notes on his desk: I bought 4oz of this and 2oz of that, here's the money. Folks made their own change from the change drawer and everything. He said the dog couldn't make the change because, while she could count, she couldn't read the bills!
What do you think would happen if your dope store at the mall tried that?
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Post by Deleted on Jul 31, 2016 13:52:08 GMT -5
My B&M is so awesome I'll retell the best story for those who haven't heard it. When the owner went down the street to get a haircut, he didn't close the shop, but left the dog in charge. When he got back he found cash with little notes on his desk: I bought 4oz of this and 2oz of that, here's the money. Folks made their own change from the change drawer and everything. He said the dog couldn't make the change because, while she could count, she couldn't read the bills! What do you think would happen if your dope store at the mall tried that? That's a GREAT story sir, puts back a little bit of faith in mankind in me, just a little bit. What do you think would happen if your dope store at the mall tried that?
A good thing!, robbed and ransacked so they'd have to close their doors.  |
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Post by peterd-Buffalo Spirit on Jul 31, 2016 21:07:38 GMT -5
...There is only one pipe shop in my area and much of what's been said applies to them as well...the last visit I made was 6-7 years ago. Poor customer service , little stock, and outrageous prices. Even some of the more established shops have surprised me in the lack of customer focus and don't get me started on the lack of knowledge most of their employees have.
Now, there are still a few who haven't changed their attitude or business plan and consistently do well in customer relations...but it is a shrinking business after all... however, as long as a shop is in business, they would be served better to remember a few simple "rules" in treating the customer as they would wish to be treated...
...just my $.02...
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Post by Motto on Jul 31, 2016 22:03:52 GMT -5
We cannot turn back the clock folks, maybe forming clubs with a friendly lounge & sharing mutual online supply of good tobacco's , even hiring a room , would be nice, just pipedreaming about the old days.
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charl
Junior Member
Posts: 490 
First Name: Charl
Favorite Pipe: Stannie/Svendborg
Favorite Tobacco: Old Gowrie
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Post by charl on Aug 12, 2016 6:25:27 GMT -5
That's a nice story about the dog, David. Not many places left in the world where you will be able to get away with that.
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Post by coalsmoke on Aug 12, 2016 11:01:42 GMT -5
It's a sad fact that tobacco shops, especially in malls, are targets for people who only want to own a retail operation...any retail operation regardless of what it is. The approach to customer service, then, is reduced to that of a convenience store because the owner is only in it for the money and not for the love of tobacco, pipes, and cigars. They could just as easily be selling gas, cigarettes, newspapers, and coffee for all they care. Because of the implosion of the pipe and pipe tobacco market and the explosion of the cigar market some years back, we have seen the shift away from pipe, tobacco, and cigar shops to shops selling mostly cigars. This isn't a blanket statement, but the observation of a trend. The pipe and pipe tobacco online business has stepped in and has filled the vacuum left by that trend. My closest shop sells mostly cigars with a selection of pipe cleaning accessories and a few jars of shop-blended pipe tobacco. If I want to buy from a better, nicer shop that also sells cigars along with a selection of good pipes and tins for fifteen bucks each, that's a forty minute drive...not economical for me. Hence the B&M has entered the digital age.
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Post by simnettpratt on Aug 13, 2016 13:40:42 GMT -5
I'm lucky to have one of the best local B&Ms, just ten miles from my house. He has hundreds of pipes, about seventy of his personal blends, and a full cigar inventory. He does another thing I like: everything is in whole dollars and includes the tax, ie no $59.95 plus 8.25%. If a pipe is marked $60, you give him $60 and it's yours. More people should do that. Plus, anyone who takes the dog to work can't be all bad.
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