New outlook on online tobacco shopping

I’ve kinda been a staunch in-person purchaser of tobaccos. I have never even been on SmokingPipes over the last 10 years of enjoying this hobby. I travel for a living, and part of the TAD thrill is hunting around at different B&Ms for new blends and tins that I haven’t seen or picked up elsewhere.

Today, I found a store with a small selection of pipe tobaccos, and decided to pick up a couple tins. None of the tins had a price sticker, which isn’t uncommon. I figured the price would be close to what I’ve paid for other tins from the same maker. I understand that markups are part of the territory for maintaining a storefront. I understand that taxes are out of the hands of the stores.

The store I went to recently got a new point of sale system and one of the tins I was purchasing wasn’t showing up, so the cashier called whomever is responsible to get it added to their inventory management system. The call was on speaker phone. I listened to the entire conversation of the acquisition price and the sale price which was a 5.4x markup. I smiled and paid (plus a ghastly local tobacco tax. When I got to my hotel room, I was curious about SmokingPipe’s markups and selection.

Not only was I blown away by the variety offered on SP, the markup was incredibly low! Bonus: only my home state’s relatively low local tobacco tax applies!

So anyway, I bought more tobacco than I meant to. Now I just have to be patient for my order to get processed and shipped behind those of y’all panic buying Sutliff and Mac Baren tobaccos.