Brick and Mortar vs the Internet
I’m not going to lie to you, there are a million reasons why internet is sometimes a viable option, be it you’re not close to a shop, getting hard to find brands that aren’t stocked locally and of course, price. Here in California, with the rampant taxes and add ons to already overused State coffers…ok, not going to get political…down boy…good dog.
As I was saying…price. When I look at the prices in other states, there is a pretty high markup in the Golden State but as they say in the Mob, “…it’s the cost of doing business,”. There are some great deals online but I will always be a champion for anyone with the guts to risk capital to establishes a storefront, dumping a significant investment into a stocked humidor and even better a lounge to smoke your purchase. We have said time again on the podcast about our loyalty to brick and mortars. It is cornerstone of this community. Sure you can grab your cigars from the store and smoke wherever, gather a group of friends and smoke together, but one of the things I truly enjoy is that I run into new people within the lounge, people from different backgrounds I would not encounter in my normal day to day. You can sit down and conversate with everyone from multi-millionaires, celebrities to people trying to put their lives back together; the spectrum my friend is wide. I have developed and nurtured many of friendships just sitting down and having a smoke in the lounge. More than once I’ve gone to my local lounge after a particularly brutal day and walked out with a new perspective if not a smile on my face or stomach hurting from laughing so hard. Another reason to support the brick and mortar would be to expand your knowledge base. The retailer, or tobacconist can be helpful in expanding your palette. There are some exceptions to the rule but the good news is that they are easy to spot. For instance, if you were to go into a shop and ask for a “good” cigar and the next thing the person does is steer you in the direction of some $25 plus cigar…RUN! That would be a salesman. The tobacconist will ask you questions, such as “Is this your first cigar or are you experience smoker?” “What kind of smoker are you, occasional of often?” “What do you normally smoke?” Those are the questions of the true tobacconist. One of the other great things about the local shop is that you can get the opportunity to meet representatives from the industry. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Rocky and Nish Patel at our cigar shop more than once.
I’m not buying cigars from a retailer to necessarily get a “deal”, but to keep the lights on. Is this to say I will never go online? No. There are some things that your retailer just can’t carry, there are just too many cigars out there for a retailer to have everything to cater to every single taste. The short trip to grandma’s house is that if you’re fortunate enough to have a local shop/lounge nearby, drop in buy a stick, sit back and relax. You never know who you’ll run into. Believe me, it’s worth it.
