stirring the pot local B&M vs big internet

Your differentiation between smoke shop and b&m is sort of muddled. By your logic most shops out there would fall under both categories depending on what brand you are referring to. Padron, Ashton, Fuente, etc...all require a certain intial box purchase followed up with a certain number of facings to become an authorized dealer. This binds you to their recommended MSRP and allows you to obtain alloted cigars In fact most cigar companies do. Unless you have a warehouse you can't really hope to become authorize for all non cuban cigars out there.

Just my .02, its not as black and white as you are making it out to be. I will say that I have noticed... and this is totally anecdotal. I have run across a few reps, Torano's come to mind, that carry cello wrapped sample packs for giving out at shops. To me these ALWAYS smoke better than the boxed counterparts....

not sure if its in my head. Maybe I'm just stoked to be smoking a free cigar. Maybe there is something to that.

[Starscream]

Originally Posted by pmp

Your differentiation between smoke shop and b&m is sort of muddled. By your logic most shops out there would fall under both categories depending on what brand you are referring to. Padron, Ashton, Fuente, etc...all require a certain intial box purchase followed up with a certain number of facings to become an authorized dealer. This binds you to their recommended MSRP and allows you to obtain alloted cigars In fact most cigar companies do. Unless you have a warehouse you can't really hope to become authorize for all non cuban cigars out there.

Just my .02, its not as black and white as you are making it out to be. I will say that I have noticed... and this is totally anecdotal. I have run across a few reps, Torano's come to mind, that carry cello wrapped sample packs for giving out at shops. To me these ALWAYS smoke better than the boxed counterparts....

not sure if its in my head. Maybe I'm just stoked to be smoking a free cigar. Maybe there is something to that.

I'm not organizing this trial, but let's just say that CI, JR, and Holts are the internet retailers (even if they do have B&Ms). All of the mom and pop B&Ms, and even places like the Tinderbox we will consider B&Ms (for this test purpose only, if it even is a test). I know that leaves out a lot of other places, but those are the two extremes.

Originally Posted by pmp

Just my .02, its not as black and white as you are making it out to be. I will say that I have noticed... and this is totally anecdotal. I have run across a few reps, Torano's come to mind, that carry cello wrapped sample packs for giving out at shops. To me these ALWAYS smoke better than the boxed counterparts....

not sure if its in my head. Maybe I'm just stoked to be smoking a free cigar. Maybe there is something to that.

Interesting observation. Maybe a Good B&M Owner knows how to get more of these Sticks!! Who knows?!

Originally Posted by Legend

Interesting observation. Maybe a Good B&M Owner knows how to get more of these Sticks!! Who knows?!

From what I have heard, and I'm sure this differs from company to company but I don't think the reps are supposed to leave those with the shop. That said I have yet to leave a smoker where the rep didn't give a good portion of the remaining samples to the shop.

I'm sure we have some reps that frequent here. Maybe they could chime in.