Quote:
Originally Posted by Commander Quan
Perhaps a little off topic but...
Right now most of the shops that I visit where I live, in Ohio are changing the way they do business. I am seeing the opening of "private lounges" in shops that before the smoking ban passed had an area to smoke that was available for free. The membership fees vary but most have a monthly fee and a daily fee. The daily fee ranges from $5-$10. I have quit smoking there because of this extra expense and since I am not there as often I spend about 1/4 of the money that I used to on their cigars.
So what are my options? I either drive to the shop and pay $1-$2 or possibly more per cigar to support a local business that in my mind is charging people for a service that they offered for free 2 years ago
or
buy online and get an equal product for less?
I guess my loyalty to my local shops went away when they decide to try to make a quick buck off their regulars instead of using the smoking ban as an opportunity to welcome smokers and sell more product
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I can understand where you are coming from but at the same time you telling us of this trend may be a way for the B&Ms to make ends meet when smoking bans are put in place. Having a lounge may be the loop hole they need to keep it so their patrons can still smoke there or even may be a way to supplement lost revenue from the bans which may have caused business to drop. Most lounges but not all that I know of that are membership based will normally allow you to sit and enjoy your smokes there for free if you make purchases. I know of one that keeps their lounge behind closed doors and only allow paying members to enter. I can see your frustration since you used to be able to smoke there for free but can see both sides of the coin when you introduce public smoking bans especially if they are offering amenities that may not have been available prior to making it a full fledged lounge.