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Local B&M rules out non-B&M smokes

modo22

modo22

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 9, 2009
Messages
6,456
So I got the monthly newsletter today from my local B&M that I have fallen in love with.  They have a great staff, a huge amount of cigars and drinks to offer, and are fairly priced.  But today in the newsletter it talked about an issue of a "1%" that is forcing a now unwritten rule of not smoking cigars in their shop if you did not purchase them there. 
 
I am not sure how I feel about that.  Or I am just not sure how I feel that a "rule" has to be made like that.  I have gone in many times, bought three smokes, smoked one, and returned home to put the others in my humi.  I have then gone back to finish those over a few times. But on a rare occasion have I ever gone in and smoked one that was not bought there.  But if I wanted to I would hope it would not be that big of an issue given the amount of support I have given and purchases I have made in the past.  A month or so ago I went in with a gift from my SS and enjoyed a nice smoke and conversation with the staff.  It did not see that big of a deal as they all knew I went in a few days earlier and bought about $30 with of smokes. 
 
Is this common else where?  I am sure some shops have to enforce this more, but I was taken back today as I did not expect to have to read that or now worry about enjoying a gifted cigar or HTF cigar in a nice controlled environment.  I am sure that is not the purpose or design of this "rule" but am interested to see what happens next time I come in and smoke with out buying first as it more than likely was one I just bought previously. 
 
Place near me just put that disclaimer in their newsletter, too. Looks like it is becoming more common.
 
Wouldn't be surprising if they enforced that rule "at their discretion". If you are a regular, they will probably look the other way. If it's someone they don't know, the rule gets enforced.
 
I had a situation at a shop that ended up going out of business (probably because the owner was a jerk). I would go to this place maybe once a month because it was near my lawyers office, so I would pop in when ever I was over there and see if they had anything good. They carried almost exclusively high end stuff and they were located in a very wealthy area. They had a small smoking lounge in the back that you could smoke in and there was a flyer that described the priveleges of being a member, which I never really paid any attention to. So to get back on topic, I went in there when I was on my way to a meeting with my lawyers, and it was Christmas time so I wanted to get a few boxes of of cigars for my lawyers, who are also avid smokers. I bought 2 boxes of Padron 1964 Imperials for the gifts and I bought about 10 cigars for myself, which consisted of 5 Opus Power Rangers and 5 Padron 1926 35's. Needless to say I spent around $1000 just that one trip. The very next day I had to drop something off at the law office so I figured I'd stop in and have a smoke. I pulled one of the Padrons that I had bought the day before(it may not have even been 24 hours ago) walked in, clipped it and lit up. The owner, who knows me and was the one who sold and rang me up the day before, came up to me and said I could only smoke in there if I bought a cigar. I said I did buy this here along with about a grands worth of other stuff, and he knows that when ever I'm in there I'm good for at least a hundred dollars. I have purchased a ton of accessories, including 2 S.T. DuPont lighters and a Prometheus Humidor, and we are not talking about purchases spread out over years, this was all with in a few months time. He said I'm sorry Jon it's store policy I can't have people bring in cigars and smoking them. He then said that if I really wanted to stay and smoke all I would have to do was join the cigar lounge club which was $50 a month. If I joined I would be allowed to smoke what ever I wanted, get a free 50 cent cutter with his logo on it, get a free cigar a month which I might add was the house blend cigar( I've had stale Backwoods that smoked better than that thing he was trying to pass off for a $10 cigar) and I would even be allowed to sit on the one couch in the "lounge". After a brief exchange of words he said that since I was a good customer he would give me access to the lounge for $15 for the day and I could smoke what ever I wanted. I told him that if I didn't give the boxes as gifts already I would return them and that I would not be returning there if it was the last shop on earth. The funny thing was, was that as I lit my cigar and he stopped me I was gonna grab another 5 over priced Opus's(he had a 5 per customer per day limit). Sorry this turned into a rant...and I remember the details very clearly because anytime this topic comes up I will go into this story.
Now the main shop I frequent which has a great assortment, great staff and the owner is just an all around great guy, doesn't care where you got your cigars he just likes having people hanging out smoking and having a good time. I obviously went on this rant with him after it happened, and asked him how he felt about the issue of bringing in one of your own smokes to his shop and smoking it with out purchasing anything. He said that the odds of someone buying all their cigars on line or at another shop and coming there just to smoke aren't very good. He said he just wants to get people in the store and eventually they will buy some stuff here and there.
Aside from the first part of my rant I wouldn't go to a shop, especially one that I don't frequent, and sit down and smoke a cigar I got somewhere else. IMO I feel that it kind of rude, but if you are a customer and buy cigars there regularly I don't think there is anything wrong with bringing in one from home and smoking.
 
A few bad apples ruin it for the rest. If it were my store, I'd address it with the people who are actually the problem, instead of a blanket statement.
 
Gavin said:
A few bad apples ruin it for the rest. If it were my store, I'd address it with the people who are actually the problem, instead of a blanket statement.
Click to expand...
 
I'd post a sign and state that it was my policy, and enforce as required.  
 
If you have a guy buying smokes on a regular basis, don't see what it matters what he smokes in the lounge.  If you have some jerk that just uses the lounge just to smoke his sticks and never buys anything....that's your problem, right there.
 
Surely this isn't intended for regular customers that show patronage respectively.
I couldn't even imagine going into a lounge I've never purchased from & smoke a stick from somewhere else... If your participating in their business growth & take your own in from time to time, they'd be fools to turn you away.
Sure the economy is getting bad, but turning a regular away for that is akin to shooting yourself in the foot cause you hurt your hand!!
I'd just clarify their intent with the owner or an employee & act accordingly...?
 
I'm not sure how I'd react if my local B&M did this. I go there once a week to drink beer, smoke cigars and play dominoes. I always buy something, but don't always smoke it. This week I bought a Padron 64 and smoked a My Cuban Wheel I had received. I showed it to the owner and we talked about it. I don't hesitate to bring my own, but I always spend $20-30 per trip. I also don't bring in cigars that they carry. If I want that brand, I'll buy it from them.
 
I contacted an employee to confirm I was reading it right. But more importantly I contacted the owner asking the same thing. They confirmed that it was not directed at regulars, but that lately some people have just been coming in and smoking stuff bought on the Internet and then bragging about it online?? Some people just make me scratch my head. We will see if there is a change in relaxation the next time I go. But James, I am with you, I liked bringing in odd ball, different smokes that they do not carry and would share discussion with staff....because if they have a smoke I want I would buy it from there and smoke it.

Edit to add, one statement that stood out was that this cigar shop has really had a education curve here. Not a lot of cigar goers around here that have experienced what luxury this shop offers, so the one thing the owners are also trying to do is just teach and educate what the dos and donts are to a certain level.
 
They don't have lockers? Or have private lounges? I almost only buy from my local, but I when I don't, or I buy boxes, I just stick them in my locker. Most of the establishments I have or had a locker at, don't give 1/4 damns what I smoke there, sans cigarettes.  
As of now, I probably have a few zubans, a couple bottles of booz, and a box or so of domestics I bought at the store.
 
Cigar shops, atleast in NY with our 75% tax, are getting harder and harder to keep open. And a lounge doesn't help that.
Ideally, a customer should walk in, drop a bunch of cash, then LEAVE. The store isn't making money if you have a shmo buying a $3 stick then taking up real estate in the lounge for 6hours. But thats also based on how busy your Local is.   
Basically, as much as people like to chill, that chilling isn't good for business. A lounge is like a double-edged sword, it attracts business, but once its there, doesn't process customers fast enough. 
Regulars are in a grey area, depending on the regular; they respect others in the establishment, spend heavily and regularly, participate in most events, etc. etc.
 
For the busier places, its like, 1. you're taking up space here, and 2. you Didn't Even Buy the stick from here?!
 
The place I go to is nice. They server beer, wine , their smokes are pricey but you can get your parking stamp worth 18$ Everyone buys some, and they don't mind if you smoke your own.
The Boston Cigar bars where given notice a couple years ago, I haven't heard anything since.
 
Honestly, I'm in the camp that thinks its rude to smoke somewhere without buying from the store. That being said, I don't always smoke what I bought and sometimes smoke something from home.
 
My local B&M has a sizable lounge.  Actually the lounge is probably almost 3x the size of the store.  It is a members only lounge though.  There are two membership levels.  Basic and Locker.  Guests are only allowed if accompanied by a member and even then there is a charge of $10 per guest.  While not sold there, it is stocked with beer, liquor, coffee, water, etc.  The best part is that the lounge can be accessed by members even after the shop is closed.  The policy here is that you can only smoke cigars that were purchased from the B&M whether or not you have a locker.  I find it rather odd since we pay annual dues, but it is what it is.  I suppose a lot of this is based on the honor system as aside from security cameras, there is no one to monitor what is smoked after regular business hours.  
 
I think like most others.  It costs the owner to provide a place for His Customers to enjoy a smoke.  Like bringing a family picnic to McDonalds, it's just wrong.  Buy a stick or two to enjoy with the locals, it will go a long way toward creating a good relationship with the guy that sells the cigars! ;)
 
My local B&M has had various problems over the years with its lounge---for awhile, it went members only; now it's open to anyone who buys there again.  At the old location, they used to have "Fiesta Fridays" with a couple coolers of free beer, but when they moved to the new spot they started getting weird hipster types in looking to suck down sixers of Coronas off a $3 stick purchase and had to put a stop to it.  They also had a weekly "Texas Hold'em" poker game going that they discontinued because those guys would take over the whole lounge, glom up all the good chairs, drive other customers off, and then hardly buy anything.  And then get in fights.  :rolleyes:
 
The new owner likes having folks hanging out, and we all like having a place to go have a smoke, and everyone keeps a personal bottle of bourbon or Scotch under the counter. So far it's working out pretty good.  :cool:
 
~Boar
 
So... If I purchased a box of cigars from a local B&M, would it be acceptable to take one of those cigars there to enjoy or is it better manners to just go there and purchase on there to enjoy. Curious to know what the proper etiquette would be.  Thanks
 
  Paul
 
Usually even if i purchase a box unless its there in my locker and not at home I still purchase a stick. Just my opinion. I know you didn't ask me :)
 
Unfortunately some store owners have little to no business sense.  There was a store near me that I would go to once in a while with a buddy.  While the lounge was small, it was decent.  Selection of cigars really sucked, so I would buy $12-$20 in cigars and smoke one of my ISOM's, Opus, or something I knew I would enjoy.  We'd also buy overpriced soft drinks.  After a few times of doing this, they told me I have to smoke what I purchase.  So I bought a $3 cigar, smoked it, and never went back.  
 
This particular "lounge" was full of pompous arrogant bastards, both clients and staff.  Needless to say, they're no longer in business.  
 
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