What would you want to see in a Vape Store?

[thecowboysheart]

Me and a friend of mine are getting ready to open a vape store In Missouri. I am new to Vaping but have many years in retail and business, he has been vaping for about 3 years and know quite a bit about the industry. My question to all of you is! What kind of equipment would you want to see in a Vaping Store? What kind of mods, coils, tanks, batteries, accessories etc.

Thank You Guys for your advice and input.

 

[stevegmu]

Authentic mods and sales ladies, rather than obese guys in black t-shirts..,

 

[martnargh]

All the new shit... good batteries... all different size wire at a good price, none of that 10 bucks for 30 feet shit... i wouldnt bother with premium juices... would be cooler to promote diy and sell flavors, maybe have some good house juices at reasonable prices... and what stevegmu said pretty girls never hurt in business.

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[Bucky205]

The money is in the juice. If you can find someone to make you good house juices that you can sell at a good price and maintain good margins it's huge. House juice goes out the door three times faster than premium, at a much better margin.

 

[OBDave]

I'd rather have a fat guy in a t-shirt who knew what he was talking about and could effectively help customers ranging from beginner to expert than some female hired more for her body than her capabilities. Early on, though, it appears I'm in the minority there...

 

[thecowboysheart]

Authentic mods and sales ladies, rather than obese guys in black t-shirts..,

Well to start its just gonna be me and my biker buddy but I agree I plan on hiring some sexy tattooed vaper chicks bring in the guys......... And Im planning on DIY juice plus some from other places just to get started. I also plan on under cutting most of the top store in my area. Im getting tired of getting ass raped just to buy mods and tanks and juice....... And as far as the newer stuff that why Im turning to you guys to find out what you would want if you were to walk in to my store.

 

[OBDave]

The money is in the juice. If you can find someone to make you good house juices that you can sell at a good price and maintain good margins it's huge. House juice goes out the door three times faster than premium, at a much better margin.

This too - margin on hardware is going to be far less than 100% if you're going to be priced at any kind of reasonable point, but you should get a 200% return on branded liquid and 300%-plus on house blends.

 

[stevegmu]

The guys in black t shirts two sizes too small are the ones pushing unsafe $25 setups on new vapers. Attractive ladies can get a cheap vaper to spend money on a good setup...
I'm getting a kiosk at a mall in Prague where I'll have model quality ladies sell vastly overpriced disposable cigalikes to young male vapers...

 

[thecowboysheart]

When I talk about the hotties they will be more for hostesses but now saying if they know there shit then they will be in all aspects of it.

 

[thecowboysheart]

The guys in black t shirts two sizes too small are the ones pushing unsafe $25 setups on new vapers. Attractive ladies can get a cheap vaper to spend money on a good setup...

I agree, I have also met the ones that only want to help the women or the people they know and just try to shove you out the door.

 

[thecowboysheart]

Keep the thoughts coming.

 

[Huckleberried]

Thread moved to Shop Talk.

 

[thecowboysheart]

Thread moved to Shop Talk.

Sorry I guess I over looked the shop talk thread... TY

 

[RatRacer]

The money is in the juice. If you can find someone to make you good house juices that you can sell at a good price and maintain good margins it's huge. House juice goes out the door three times faster than premium, at a much better margin.

This.
The gear is an occasional purchase, but good juice keeps em coming back.

 

[martnargh]

Sex sells... if you have pretty girls, dudes will want to hang out there and spend money..
That mixed with solid service and competitive pricing, cant fail.
Also the shops around here usually have builders that will build for people. I think they charge but im not sure, though i seen if you buy a setup from them like an atty or mod or something they will build for free... ive even seen lines of like 2 or 3 waiting for a build... maybe not a money maker but to some it would be a cool feature..


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[thecowboysheart]

I plan on DIY stuff and also planning on doing giveaways of juices that people can evaluate that way I know what people in my area like and dislike and what I know is going to sell and whats not gonna sell.

 

[thecowboysheart]

Sex sells... if you have pretty girls, dudes will want to hang out there and spend money..
That mixed with solid service and competitive pricing, cant fail.
Also the shops around here usually have builders that will build for people. I think they charge but im not sure, though i seen if you buy a setup from them like an atty or mod or something they will build for free... ive even seen lines of like 2 or 3 waiting for a build... maybe not a money maker but to some it would be a cool feature..


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Me and Mike are both working on our builds that way we can teach everyone how to build the right way.

 

[martnargh]

Also cloud comps i enjoy...some people talk shit about them but they always have a good turnup around here... i mostly enjoy them cause its like a vape meet.

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[thecowboysheart]

I also want to carry DIY stuff the normal guy to get in to do stuff himself.

 

[thecowboysheart]

What kind of equipment do you guys think I should start off with, I mean like Kanger, Sigelei etc.

 

[martnargh]

Thats subjective i think... you probably want a variety... some mechs, some rdas, dna200 mods, other high power mods like hexohm or sigelei, smok, etc probably going to want stuff for the mtl vapers too like protanks or something i dont know what mtl vapers are into nowadays.. get a lot of different subtanks i always see dudes with subohm tanks.

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[OBDave]

Kanger is a good starting point and sells - I've never had a bad Sigelei, though people who got the 75 watt version thought it sucked.

More important than what you get, is get a good variety of it, strive to sell mostly authentic unless you've personally tested and done your own QC on clones and LABEL CLONES AS SUCH. About as clearly as I just did in all caps - or just avoid them altogether. And never buy too much of any item - fads change week-to-week in the vape world and you'd probably be better off losing a sale or two due to limited stock (or offering a discount to pre-order customers willing to wait) than being stuck with 100 of last week's hot mod that you can only sell 15 of before marking them down to nothing...

 

[stevegmu]

I would stay away from mechs for liability issues...

 

[Bucky205]

Hardware is tough, like @OBDave said you have to stay under 100% margin, just to be competitive. To get an idea of your competition go look at VapeNW.com. Your going to have to buy it, add your margin, and stay competitive with that type pricing. You need a variety of different type devices for your customers to choose from for sure. DIY supplies are tough, because everyone likes different things. Your inventory expense with DIY is tough, you could spend a lot trying to stock every possible flavor concentrate. Then you have to try to stay reasonably priced, while competing with the online vendors. Take a look through the VU DIY section. See how often you see threads about going down to their local store and picking up mixing supplies, It doesn't happen very much. MOQ will hand you your ass in this business with preferences constantly changing.

 

[thecowboysheart]

I would stay away from mechs for liability issues...

I strongly agree!

 

[thecowboysheart]

Hardware is tough, like @OBDave said you have to stay under 100% margin, just to be competitive. To get an idea of your competition go look at VapeNW.com. Your going to have to buy it, add your margin, and stay competitive with that type pricing. You need a variety of different type devices for your customers to choose from for sure. DIY supplies are tough, because everyone likes different things. Your inventory expense with DIY is tough, you could spend a lot trying to stock every possible flavor concentrate. Then you have to try to stay reasonably priced, while competing with the online vendors. Take a look through the VU DIY section. See how often you see threads about going down to their local store and picking up mixing supplies, It doesn't happen very much. MOQ will hand you your ass in this business with preferences constantly changing.

Im talking more along the lines of DIY coils and stuff.

 

[stevegmu]

The problem with selling DIY stuff is they buy once, then come back in 3 months...

 

[thecowboysheart]

OK

The problem with selling DIY stuff is they buy once, then come back in 3 months...

I see your point there, lol That's why Im turning to you guys my new friends lol

 

[Bucky205]

Im talking more along the lines of DIY coils and stuff.

We don't even charge our regular customers for rebuilding coils. It's definitely a loss leader for us. A 100' of Kanthal A1 is under $5, generic organic bulk cotton is cheap. We do sell rebuilding supplies, but there is not a lot of money in it. A year ago I would have said there was money to be made manufacturing juice, now it seems like everyone is making and selling juice. I bet we get over 100 samples a week. from people trying to promote their juice. We received some a couple of months ago that had a miniature drum set as part of the promo display, it had to be expensive. And their juice was not very good. My suggestion, would be find a shop in your local area that allows vapers to hang out. You can gain a lot of insight into your local demand, just from spending time there. If you find out if there is a demand in some area of the industry that interest you, that looks profitable, build you a business plan.

 

[thecowboysheart]

Thanks guys so far you have given me a lot of insight, I don't think Im gonna get rich by any means but at the same time I think that there is a demand because the closest vape shop is about 20 miles away and there are a lot of people in the area that has to drive that just to get here stuff. Keep the comments coming!

 

[RenoMama]

There are quite a few shops where I'm from. One of my favorites has a juice bar. It's nice to be able to try juices before buying.

 

[thecowboysheart]

There are quite a few shops where I'm from. One of my favorites has a juice bar. It's nice to be able to try juices before buying.

I agree whole heartedly! Yeah already planning on juice bar with real Atty's, I don't buy juice unless im able to try it..

 

[f1r3b1rd]

If you have a modder local I would consider selling a few of his mods as a exclusive line. Maybe, some forced patina'd mechmods, out of the price reach of a new vapor; and, with a 510 connection. Not a lot, more of a decorative, conversation piece that happens to have a price tag on it.
Most importantly a good knowledgable staff. Go with the mindset of setting someone up to start at minimum profit; while, helping them will earn you a client, and long term profit.
My favorite vapeshop, has a builders corner. We bring our own supplies, but he has the tools and everything setup. There's a kurig and a fridge that we use. We just hangout and build, vape, and make ourselves at home. For,him it's an investment; because, overtime we became like volunteers. When a noob comes in and starts getting away from the beginner stuff, he just points them to us.


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[Bucky205]

If you have a modder local I would consider selling a few of his mods as a exclusive line. Maybe, some forced patina'd mechmods, out of the price reach of a new vapor; and, with a 510 connection. Not a lot, more of a decorative, conversation piece that happens to have a price tag on it.
Most importantly a good knowledgable staff. Go with the mindset of setting someone up to start at minimum profit; while, helping them will earn you a client, and long term profit.
My favorite vapeshop, has a builders corner. We bring our own supplies, but he has the tools and everything setup. There's a kurig and a fridge that we use. We just hangout and build, vape, and make ourselves at home. For,him it's an investment; because, overtime we became like volunteers. When a noob comes in and starts getting away from the beginner stuff, he just points them to us.


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Wev'e talked a bout a Keurig here, then just do $1 a cup for whatever they selected. It wouldn't be a money maker, but I think the customers would like It, and it would be a great pallet cleanser when tasting flavors. We already have, sodas and energy drinks, I think a Keurig would be a nice addition.

 

[f1r3b1rd]

Wev'e talked a bout a Keurig here, then just do $1 a cup for whatever they selected. It wouldn't be a money maker, but I think the customers would like It, and it would be a great pallet cleanser when tasting flavors. We already have, sodas and energy drinks, I think a Keurig would be a nice addition.

They have cup o soup too! He doesn't charge us outright; But, you know how it is. We take care of each other and make sure what we use is taken care of (a lot of us were friends for years). I think he charges regular customers a buck. Those pods can add up.


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[nabibrian]

What would be nice to see in a store is a build workstation where people can come in and make builds on their own with help from staff who can walk them through some of the issues they may be having, this would possibly help with learning safety etc.
Some people don't have a clue what they are doing and hopefully the staff at a shop do.

 

[centella4u]

Personally, there's this shop I used to frequent as the lady was (and still is) hot as hell. But in the end, she didn't (and still doesn't) know jacksh**t. And she was ignorant and stubborn as **** too. So I stopped being their customer. Another place offer to do your coils while you can sample loads and loads of the e liquid they carry plus are eager to help answering any question you may have. If you want something that they don't have, they will call around and place the order for you. Now that's my ideal vape shop.


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[ej1024]

Authentic mods and sales ladies, rather than obese guys in black t-shirts..,

LOL u fucking shit


Vape On

 

[VaporCarp]

Scantily clad women with tats and a stripper pole. They must be hawt and be able to use said pole.


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[stevegmu]

Scantily clad women with tats and a stripper pole. They must be hawt and be able to use said pole.


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That's all that really matters. Mods and e-liquid will fly off the shelves, at any price...