Please don't tell me how and what to sell in my shop...

[zenhashi]

E-cigs are trending up now as a way to stop smoking...or at least stop smoking "conventional" smokes. :P

I've been thinking quitting myself, just one poison (nicotine) is better than nicotine + a gazillion of other nasty stuffs.

Over here stores aren't allowed to sell nicotine products by mail (or technically, it's illegal to have a third party deliver nicotine products), but it IS legal to order them from countries in the ETA (=EU) region..

So you can imagine how many order from the UK e-cigs and liquids

Back on topic, I might suggest something if I really like the store and think it'd fit in their "style". But e-smokes to a cigar and tobacco shop?

Also, I might suggest something, but I don't get pushy about it

[Rapscallion]

Quoth earl colby pottinger

I have been approached a number of times to start up businesses that will make LOTS OF MONEY, but I always noticed that they expect ME to put up the bulk of the start-up money, set-up work (website) or to do most of the day to day operations of the business while they collect from the profits. No Thanks.

I've had several customers tell me we'd sell "so much more" if we did something they particularly needed, whether this be completely gluten-free premises, completely nut free premises, completely allergen of the month free premises, everything certified kosher or pak, or made producers only produce biodynamic. Whenever I pointed out to them that we were rarely asked for such, this was automatically a cue for then to give a prepared speech.

They don't seem aware that cutting out so much of our range for their potential needs, or going through the swathes of paperwork required, is not and never will be profitable. It would require a price rise of the like they'd never seen before. I usually mention to them that if it's such a good idea, why don't they do it? By the way, nobody else offers that, so it must be a desperately needed niche...

Rapscallion

[EricKei]

Raps - In that case, I would just cut them off and begin with an estimate of the price increases ... After all, if they want you to reformat your entire business to suit them, they'd damn well be ready to foot the cost for all of the customers who don't particularly want the stuff they're looking for, and who would then take their business elsewhere.

I can see it now....

SC: Yes, you people would do SO much better if you carry X, Y, and especially organic Z from that little farm up the road...

Raps: Sure thing, ma'am...Let's see...Given the increased cost and lowered availability of getting your items due to the facts that almost nobody makes them and the ones that do are tiny, the extremely limited market for these products, and the business we will lose by diverting a chunk of our operations over to the new format...Let's see. I will need to get five million in cash from you up front to cover conversion costs alone (we'll get to the serious costs later), and we will have to implement a one thousand percent markup on all of the items you requested. Oh yes, and the minimum order size just went up because of this; now the minimum is one entire 18-wheeler trailer full of goods per order, payable 100% in advance, and we'll have to eliminate giving you refunds for any reason. And, of course, the fees to refrigerate any food items you order, as these companies often do not use preservatives...Now, all we need to do is get that startup cash from you and we'll be happy to begin ^_^

[earl colby pottinger]

There are also those who think a Ma & Pop shop can't really be that big, the computer store I worked at made $10-35,000,000 a year in sales depending on the local governments buying patterns for the year.

People were always suggesting million dollars business ideas to my boss because they assumed the small store front meant small sales (a lot of our sales were direct shipments from source to client).

Of-course they wanted him to risk the locking in his government contracts for a business one tenth the size of what he was already getting.

Was not going to happen.

[blas]

I didn't like e-ciggs. I wasted $40 on a kit that had a carton's worth of refills and whatnot. I barely finished one tube or whatever. It wasn't the fancy kind or the kinds that are supposed to be like Marlboro or Camel or whatever, but it tasted horrid. Worse than a real cigarette.