Crazy bad behaviour in a cigar shop!!

[Arnie]

OK, I've been in the restaurant business for 35 years now, and I've witnessed some ridiculous, silly and stupid things that people will do.

But I want to hear stories from you cigar shop owners and employees who have seen some outrageous behaviour on the part of your patrons. Obviously don't name names, but do tell........ there has to be some good stories out there!!!

So tell your story and give me your pet peeve!!!!!

[slyder]

dont have any from a cigar shop but the hotel i work at in the mornings has a bar/sand volley ball set up and a drunk dude bought like 45 sticks of alligator jerky one night and proceded to eat it all!! He was hungry and i guess the kitchen was already shut down for the night.

[Nickerson]

My local shop is pretty good. The only annoying thing is they card you EVERY time you visit. Doesn't bother me as much as it does for some of the veteran smokers who have been going there for years.

I'd be like "Dude... seriously... I'm a 60 year old man, I've been coming to this particular shop for 30 years, I just saw you yesturday and you carded me as well.... Its safe to say, I'm over 18 and you know this". Ofc that's not me, but would be funny to see someone say that.

I understand asking people around my age, 21 or so. I've seen some kids 16-17 grow some scruffy beards and look 20+ so anything close I'd card. But for people that are clearly older than 18, and people who you see on a semi-daily basis, a bit overkill.

Originally Posted by slyder

dont have any from a cigar shop but the hotel i work at in the mornings has a bar/sand volley ball set up and a drunk dude bought like 45 sticks of alligator jerky one night and proceded to eat it all!! He was hungry and i guess the kitchen was already shut down for the night.

Haha, Koby. That actually made me laugh out loud. I can just picture some guy drunk as hell chowing down on jerky like its going out of style. Gotta love drunk people.

[slyder]

the laws the law.......they card everybody here. If they dont card they are in trouble. Cops do stings here too. Send in people to see if they card or not. Sometimes they are underage some times they are 30....they still have to card.

[Arnie]

Originally Posted by Nickerson

My local shop is pretty good. The only annoying thing is they card you EVERY time you visit. Doesn't bother me as much as it does for some of the veteran smokers who have been going there for years.

I'd be like "Dude... seriously... I'm a 60 year old man, I've been coming to this particular shop for 30 years, I just saw you yesturday and you carded me as well.... Its safe to say, I'm over 18 and you know this". Ofc that's not me, but would be funny to see someone say that.

I understand asking people around my age, 21 or so. I've seen some kids 16-17 grow some scruffy beards and look 20+ so anything close I'd card. But for people that are clearly older than 18, and people who you see on a semi-daily basis, a bit overkill.





Haha, Koby. That actually made me laugh out loud. I can just picture some guy drunk as hell chowing down on jerky like its going out of style. Gotta love drunk people.

Cory,
I'm not picking on you, but I want this thread to be for the shop owners to tell their stories about their customers. There are a zillion threads complaining about the shops----prices too high, don't stock what they want, rude clerks, etc, etc. But just once I want to hear the other side.

For instance: once I saw a customer in my local shop's humidor put an uncellophaned cigar in his mouth and then replace it in the box. Yuck!! So I waited until he left and told the shop owner. He made one of those classic faces, an Oy Vey!!!! face if I ever saw one and tossed the smoke. He probably would have preferred that I had not seen the guy do that.
I know I have days when I think: this would be a great business if it weren't for the customers. Those days are rare, mostly we have GREAT guests. 99.9% in fact. But that 0.1% can really tug your chain!

[(909)]

Originally Posted by Arnie

OK, I've been in the restaurant business for 35 years now, and I've witnessed some ridiculous, silly and stupid things that people will do.

But I want to hear stories from you cigar shop owners and employees who have seen some outrageous behaviour on the part of your patrons. Obviously don't name names, but do tell........ there has to be some good stories out there!!!

So tell your story and give me your pet peeve!!!!!

I have a customer's perspective story. I go into this local cigar store a couple of times in my work clothes (I'm in sales) the guys super friendly, helps me out, makes recommendations etc. A couple of weeks later and I go in on the weekend in shorts, baseball cap, flipflops and a baggy t-shirt. The other store clerk follows me into the walk in humidor and pretends to be checking, counting, reorganizing and moving stock around. He asks me about 5 times if I need any help. I tell him "no just looking around" but he won't get out of the walk in which really isn't big enough for (1) guy looking and another guy doing whatever he was supposedly doing. I finally just left empty handed.

[DBCcigar]

I have too many stories to tell!

One is: "How many times will my lighter work after I re-fill it?"

My number one pet peeve is this: Don't go pulling cigars out of the cello smelling them! Would you like me to run my nose all over your candy bar before you eat it?!? Smelling a cigar does nothing! That shit burns me up!

[Nickerson]

Originally Posted by Arnie

Cory,
I'm not picking on you, but I want this thread to be for the shop owners to tell their stories about their customers. There are a zillion threads complaining about the shops----prices too high, don't stock what they want, rude clerks, etc, etc. But just once I want to hear the other side.

For instance: once I saw a customer in my local shop's humidor put an uncellophaned cigar in his mouth and then replace it in the box. Yuck!! So I waited until he left and told the shop owner. He made one of those classic faces, an Oy Vey!!!! face if I ever saw one and tossed the smoke. He probably would have preferred that I had not seen the guy do that.
I know I have days when I think: this would be a great business if it weren't for the customers. Those days are rare, mostly we have GREAT guests. 99.9% in fact. But that 0.1% can really tug your chain!

Ah I hear ya. Wasn't really a major complaint. Just kind of pointless in my opinion. Several guys there are good and only card you until they remember your face. One guy cards no matter what though haha.

Not sure how many shop owners we have here, though I'm sure a lot of these guys hang around their local shops and have seen some stuff.

I'm wanting to see if anyone have ever witnessed one of those anti-smoking activists pull any shenanigans in a store.

[madurolover]

Trying to steal cigars in the shop I was working in. Not happening!

There was an older guy came into the shop one morning. Well dressed and looking like he was headed to the golf course. Walks around about 10 - 15 minutes and then comes t the counter with 2 Fuente Curlyheads. I rang him up, took his cash and then asked him if he would mind putting the pocket full of high end cigars he had back on the shelf. He hemmed and hawed all the way up until the police arrived and led him away in cuffs.

[apevia]

Originally Posted by madurolover

Trying to steal cigars in the shop I was working in. Not happening!

There was an older guy came into the shop one morning. Well dressed and looking like he was headed to the golf course. Walks around about 10 - 15 minutes and then comes t the counter with 2 Fuente Curlyheads. I rang him up, took his cash and then asked him if he would mind putting the pocket full of high end cigars he had back on the shelf. He hemmed and hawed all the way up until the police arrived and led him away in cuffs.

Great! How are B&M's going to survive with theives...Arg

[Padron42]

Originally Posted by madurolover

Trying to steal cigars in the shop I was working in. Not happening!

There was an older guy came into the shop one morning. Well dressed and looking like he was headed to the golf course. Walks around about 10 - 15 minutes and then comes t the counter with 2 Fuente Curlyheads. I rang him up, took his cash and then asked him if he would mind putting the pocket full of high end cigars he had back on the shelf. He hemmed and hawed all the way up until the police arrived and led him away in cuffs.

I've often wondered about this (Not personally going to steal obviously but just wondering how it is prevented)....do most places have cameras that are well hidden in the humi or just clerks with good eyes, and do you know how often people happen to be able to steal succesfully? It seems like it would be easy to steal them but I would guess most places would have some sort of way of stopping it.

As far as bad behavior I witnessed a guy at my local B&M that walked in on a weekday evening and lit up a cigar he brough on his own. He walked on in the walk-in humi with a cigar and came out about five minutes and complained to the clerk about how rediculous their prices were and how he could get a 5 pack online for the price of 2 singles here, but kept on smoking in the lounge and then i assume he left without buying anything (I left before he finished his smoke but it sure didn't look like he planned on buying).

[AspiringGent]

There was an older gentleman in my local B&M once who not only smelled and felt the cigars he wanted to buy, but also tasted them. With his mouth. Ugh. Suffice it to say he only got through 2 cigars before the staff noticed, stepped in, and clarified the appropriate cigar buying etiquette.

[madurolover]

Originally Posted by Padron42

I've often wondered about this (Not personally going to steal obviously but just wondering how it is prevented)....do most places have cameras that are well hidden in the humi or just clerks with good eyes, and do you know how often people happen to be able to steal succesfully? It seems like it would be easy to steal them but I would guess most places would have some sort of way of stopping it.

The shop I worked in was very small and the whole store was humidified. The cigars were kept in open boxes on the shelves. A good bit of product got stolen when it was busy but it was easy to keep an eye on things with just a couple of people in there. This guy just really surprised me being the age he was and well dressed.

[TX_toker]

Originally Posted by (909)

I have a customer's perspective story. I go into this local cigar store a couple of times in my work clothes (I'm in sales) the guys super friendly, helps me out, makes recommendations etc. A couple of weeks later and I go in on the weekend in shorts, baseball cap, flipflops and a baggy t-shirt. The other store clerk follows me into the walk in humidor and pretends to be checking, counting, reorganizing and moving stock around. He asks me about 5 times if I need any help. I tell him "no just looking around" but he won't get out of the walk in which really isn't big enough for (1) guy looking and another guy doing whatever he was supposedly doing. I finally just left empty handed.

I usually dress casually, shorts, sandals and a tee shirt and I get that a lot. When I go to the B&M, It's usually just to buy a couple new sticks to try. So I may walk around for a few minutes, switching back and forth, looking for some appealing cigars. Seems like they always "check on me" three times in that few minutes. I'm still kinda new to the area, so maybe after a few visits they'll loosen up on me. Or maybe I'm just paranoid

[Neighbor]

Originally Posted by AspiringGent

There was an older gentleman in my local B&M once who not only smelled and felt the cigars he wanted to buy, but also tasted them. With his mouth. Ugh. Suffice it to say he only got through 2 cigars before the staff noticed, stepped in, and clarified the appropriate cigar buying etiquette.

My Soul ! What was he thinking ?