Cigar Social Network

Brick and Mortar vs. Online cigar dealers

I believe the camaraderie of hanging out at your local brick and mortar, sampling their supply and sharing new and old favorites is irreplaceable. But I also believe the prices and availabilities in inventory offered by the online retailers is unbeatable. I am in a real conundrum. Here are two seemingly opposing ideas, one threatening to end the life of the other. Between their huge overhead, and often small market, B&M's in small cities like mine (Montgomery, AL) are inevitably threatened by the low prices and huge inventories of the web guys. But then I think, well, a large part of the B&M's business is the occasional smoker who just wants to drop in and pick up a couple sticks here and there and wants the convenience of not having to wait on shipping. But then again, those guys aren't buying enough cigars to keep a shop in business. It's the big purchasers, the every day smokers who have humis at home that are purchasing the bulk of cigars. Makes me think of the 90-10 rule. 90 percent of the cigars are smoked by 10% of the smokers. But those guys buy enough to be able to really benefit from buying online, potentially hurting the B&M's. I have consciously tried to find a good balance of buying a decent number of my cigars from my local shops to support them, while keeping my humi stocked with sticks from the online guys like Cigars International. I can more readily afford large numbers of smokes that I like and get to try things my local guys don't carry, all the while, supporting my friends at the B&M's. I know there are guys who think anything other than buying local is a sin punishable only by exile from the local shop. And there are guys who refuse to pay the higher prices the shops are forced to pay because of local taxes, higher overhead, etc. Any thoughts on this topic? Fire Away

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Permalink Reply by Billy on July 14, 2010 at 10:20pm

I usually buy a lot of single sticks and samplers from my local B&M but for box purchases I will typically go to an online shop (or a B&M that will ship/sell to you without the same tax as the local guys) - here in MN the tax is pretty steep. For example (on the high end) - an 80yr Padron costs about $45 in MN but $35 elsewhere. IMHO a good balance between the two is good for everyone.

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Permalink Reply by Jake "HorsePower" Pugh on July 14, 2010 at 10:21pm

Great stuff guys. This is one of my favorite topics, too, Kraken. Mainly because I fell in love with cigars through my local shop. I started smoking with a friend who knew just enough to be dangerous when we were both about 18. I kinda got away from it for a couple years shortly after I went away to college and he and I no longer hung out a lot. Plus money was pretty tight. A few years ago I had to do a marketing project on a local business and chose my local cigar shop in hopes of learning more about the business. Mark at F&M really gave some great info and reignited my passion for cigars. I have learned a lot from him and the other guys around town that enjoy cigars as much as they do busting each others balls at the B&M. But at 23, just out of college, a new homeowner, and newlywed, the funds aren't there for me to be able to drop 100 bucks on a box every couple weeks or pay $8 bucks a pop for my sticks. So for now, I'm joining Jimbob in the balancing act.

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Permalink Reply by The Ace of Spades on July 15, 2010 at 2:31pm

I too love hanging at shop bs ing with who ever is in...but its to expensive to buy from B&M all the time so split about 6 0/40

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Permalink Reply by ryoga81 on July 15, 2010 at 3:00pm

I do the same thing, Jake. I spend about 70% of my budget online and try to stop in my b&m to see what's new and to try new things, since most online shops don't sell singles (or if they do, they're at retail which, why wait for shipping when I can drive 4 miles and have basically the same selection). I also buy a lot of bundles online but try to buy my boxes of premiums at the b&ms around here.

My mantra : When I need to stock up, I go to the interwebz, when I want to relax and try something new (or an old favorite that I'm jonesin' for), I hit up the b&m.