@Zouave1864; @RockyMountainBriar; @PappyJoe; It is little wonder that B&M's are dying out. Online access to a wide variety of products is putting the hurt on a lot of retail businesses. Some call it progress. I think it is sad, but not much we can do.
@opipeman as much as I would like to buy from this guy, A: he is always out of stock now B: all the pipes in his showcase are covered in dust and all the stems are oxidized. C: the shop is in one of the worst parts of town. But I'm sure it's been for 50 years or more. Because of all of that, I'm not likely to try a fourth time.
@Zouave1864; Doesn't sound like the owner has helped the situation. I don't blame you. The only Pipe and Tobac Shop in my area is in a nice location. Has a really comfortable smoking lounge and a good selection of both pipes, tobacs, and cigars. I don't go there much due to the prices, which may be in part to the high tax leaved by the state. It's been in business now into it's second generation. Maybe I'm just a tight ass. Actually, there ain't no maybe on that count.
@Zouave1864 I know Exotic Passion was tough to get for awhile, but it has been in stock at SPC. I have not checked lately. I think the Orlik has been pretty sketchy availability, not sure about the Westminster.
I can see how it is tough for B&M’s. I know the two pipe shops here charge double tin price. I could make several single tin purchases and pay the shipping individually from SPC and still be less expensive than what the B&M’s sell tins for. I understand they have to pay the shipping and oay employees, etc., but in large lots, it seems they could sell tins for less than double and still make money? I’m not in retail, so I don’t know about that. I do know that I can buy $95 worth and get free shipping….so again, double+ retail pricing is just too high for the convenience, which, the B&M’s are out of the way. Instant gratification or maybe finding a “hard to find” or “special” blend “in stock” by accident on a visit js about the only upside.
@RockyMountainBriar I have been designing ads for grocery stores since the late 1990s. I used to get a copy of the advertising planner from one of the major grocery chains in the southeast and these planners showed the price the grocery stores had to pay for everything except fresh meat. It has given me an insight into what stores actually make . From what I understand. It is analogous to why Mom & Pop grocery stores are more expensive to shop in than Walmart or large chain grocery stores. Walmart buys in such large quantities to stock their warehouses that they can and do demand massive price breaks. This leads to the small, independent grocery stores basically paying wholesale prices which are close to the shelf prices at the big stores.
For the most part, the shelf price mark-up is usually around 10% or less of the store cost. That 10% pays all the overhead of the store and the profit is what is left after paying the lease, utilities, labor and maintenance.
B&M's have to pay a higher price for their stock than the online retailers. That means higher prices to the consumer to keep the B&M in business.
Edit: As I was typing the above, I received the ad planner I mentioned. In my defense, I haven't opened one of these in about five years since I no longer do advertising for the store group. The price margin for this group of stores is 17.9% to 30% above the unit price. For example: A the unit cost of a 45 oz. Jar of Prego Spaghetti Sauce is $2.72 per jar. The retail price for the ad period is $3.50 per jar. So those stores make a profit of 74 cents per jar.
@PappyJoe I understand markup, but I can get X tobacco for $Y per tin….without any discount or free shipping. If, my local B&M ordered from the exact same place as myself (I would assume they would get a slight price break), at the very least, they would get the free shipping offered on orders over $95. That would only be about 8-10 tins, not much for a B&M. Double-plus pricing seems excessive, but like I said, I don’t know wholesale/retail except that I know what I have to pay. The price that I would have to pay plus half again seems more in line to me? Just my $0.10….inflation, ya know. I still buy a tin or two at my local B&M to help support them, and our hobby, even though I could get the same tin for less than half the price shipped to my door.
I understand markup, but I can get X tobacco for $Y per tin….without any discount or free shipping. If, my local B&M ordered from the exact same place as myself (I would assume they would get a slight price break), at the very least, they would get the free shipping offered on orders over $95. That would only be about 8-10 tins, not much for a B&M. Double-plus pricing seems excessive, but like I said, I don’t know wholesale/retail except that I know what I have to pay.
Buying mail order usually means/meant avoiding your states loose tobacco excise tax.
I just got back from 4 days at the PCA trade show and I learned the PCA is actively trying to level the playing field 5 states a year. I know WI just passed the law so I understand online retailers will add the 71% of wholesale to your mail order.
I've been following the discussion about the ship knocking down the bridge in Baltimore on some other forums. It is amazing how many people believe you can control or steer a vessel that size when it loses its main propulsion. The media doesn't help matters by constantly saying the "ship lost power" without explaining that the ship lost power to its propulsion system. Electrical systems are generally powered by separate generators.
The Dali displaces 95,000 tons WHEN EMPTY. Loaded the displacement goes up to about 116,000 tons. Dropping anchor would not immediately stop that much weight. There are no brakes on ships. If it had been just a "steering casualty" the pilots could have ordered the engines "all back full" but chances are it would have not stopped in time and it would have hit something else. (Try backing up your car without your hands on the wheel.)
I finally got the old pendulum clock from my mom. My dad got this out of the train depot in Forsyth, Montana where he worked for many years. His father and twin brother also worked there. He had to get it repaired, as it wouldn’t keep time. I remember about when it went to the clock repair shop, I was 6-10 years old or so. The clock repair shop could never get it to run correctly. It runs slowly. The pendulum drop was shortened so much to get it to run faster that the pendulum does not center top-bottom in the window. I know it still loses time, I’ll have to see how much.
@Londy3; I strongly disagree that the United States government officials are pure evil. They are communists and it is time people started to realize it.
@RockyMountainBriar Regarding the clock, it sounds, by your description, that the issue was never the length of the pendulum but the strength / force of the main spring being insufficient.
Most springs will suffer some amount of hysteresis over time, but If the spring steel is not properly hardened and tempered correctly, they tend to fail / fade much sooner.
Spiral torsion springs are designed to last, though in this case it sound like it needs to be replaced. Just my 2 cents
@mapletop I would have thought the “clock repair tech?” would have replaced it, but maybe it was done on “the cheap” or maybe parts were not available? The clock was already ~50 years old when it was serviced (it never kept time even right after it was “fixed” back in the 70’s.
When I was a kid you could go to a store with just a dollar and come home with four comic books, three candy bars, two packs of trading cards, a bag of chips and a cold drink. Now they have cameras everywhere.
@motie2 When I was in junior high school we lived around the corner from a recycling yard. One of the things they would get for recycling was comic books that didn't sell at stores for some reason. The recycler would sell them to me and my friends for 5 cents a pound. The only thing was the front cover would be torn in half.
The best thing about this deal was the ability to walk along the side of the road and pick up cans and bottles and trade them for the comic books.
Oh, oh, it started snowing a few minutes ago….spring snow……BIG, Wet, snowflakes, lots of them, quickly. I assume they have stuck and covered my satellite dish’s……no TV for me🙁. I need to spray some Rainex winter wiper washer fluid on them😬
@RockyMountainBriar; I hope our snow fall is over. They are predicting tonight until Monday. I would assume the loss of TV was from cloud cover, but you may be right.
For the past three months a fiber optic company has been working through our subdivision doing installations. I made the switch earlier this week and will be disconnecting cable tv and cable internet next week.
Just for my edification, I ran a speed test using both the cable internet and the fiber optic internet. The fiber optic system is almost three times faster.
Only in California - or other socialist states - would this be considered. San Francisco wants to be able to sue grocery stores that close because they aren't in safe areas.
This country has gone down the shit shoot. I don't believe it's coming back any time soon either. Proof is the next generation, they are pretty horrible and bought into all the political bullshit. Very sad. Not my country anymore.
Like the shenanigans or not, this is still my country! I hope that people realize, before it’s too late, that things should be different. Getting free stuff, handouts, special treatment, etc. is great, but can only last so long. Contrary to some people’s beliefs, we still do not live in a utopia and somebody has to work to feed, cloth, and shelter. Sooner or later, those of us that work and pay our fair share of taxes are going to say F’ It and opt for the “free” government money too. Then where will we all be? Maybe this should go in the header topic….sorry.
April 18, 1943 Lieutenant Ross P. Bullard and Boatswain's Mate First Class C. S. "Mike" Hall boarded the U-175 at sea after their cutter, CGC Spencer, blasted the U-boat to the surface with depth charges when it attempted to attack the convoy Spencer was escorting. These Coast Guardsmen were part of a specially trained boarding party sent to board the submarine to seize any code and cipher related documents and equipment they could find. The damage to the U-boat was severe, however, and it sank after they had boarded it and climbed up the conning tower. Both men ended up in the sea as the U-boat slipped beneath the waves but were pulled from the water unharmed. They carry the distinction of being the first American servicemen to board an enemy warship underway at sea since the War of 1812. The Navy credited Spencer with the U-boat kill. The cutter rescued 19 of the U-boat's crew and a sister cutter, CGC Duane, rescued 22. One Spencer crewman, RM 3/c Julius Petrella, was killed by friendly fire during the battle.
CORRECTION: This actually happened on April 17, 1943.
Comments
It is little wonder that B&M's are dying out. Online access to a wide variety of products is putting the hurt on a lot of retail businesses. Some call it progress. I think it is sad, but not much we can do.
B: all the pipes in his showcase are covered in dust and all the stems are oxidized.
C: the shop is in one of the worst parts of town. But I'm sure it's been for 50 years or more.
Because of all of that, I'm not likely to try a fourth time.
Doesn't sound like the owner has helped the situation. I don't blame you. The only Pipe and Tobac Shop in my area is in a nice location. Has a really comfortable smoking lounge and a good selection of both pipes, tobacs, and cigars. I don't go there much due to the prices, which may be in part to the high tax leaved by the state. It's been in business now into it's second generation. Maybe I'm just a tight ass. Actually, there ain't no maybe on that count.
I know Exotic Passion was tough to get for awhile, but it has been in stock at SPC. I have not checked lately. I think the Orlik has been pretty sketchy availability, not sure about the Westminster.
I have been designing ads for grocery stores since the late 1990s. I used to get a copy of the advertising planner from one of the major grocery chains in the southeast and these planners showed the price the grocery stores had to pay for everything except fresh meat. It has given me an insight into what stores actually make
.
From what I understand. It is analogous to why Mom & Pop grocery stores are more expensive to shop in than Walmart or large chain grocery stores. Walmart buys in such large quantities to stock their warehouses that they can and do demand massive price breaks. This leads to the small, independent grocery stores basically paying wholesale prices which are close to the shelf prices at the big stores.
For the most part, the shelf price mark-up is usually around 10% or less of the store cost. That 10% pays all the overhead of the store and the profit is what is left after paying the lease, utilities, labor and maintenance.
B&M's have to pay a higher price for their stock than the online retailers. That means higher prices to the consumer to keep the B&M in business.
Edit:
As I was typing the above, I received the ad planner I mentioned. In my defense, I haven't opened one of these in about five years since I no longer do advertising for the store group.
The price margin for this group of stores is 17.9% to 30% above the unit price.
For example: A the unit cost of a 45 oz. Jar of Prego Spaghetti Sauce is $2.72 per jar. The retail price for the ad period is $3.50 per jar. So those stores make a profit of 74 cents per jar.
I understand markup, but I can get X tobacco for $Y per tin….without any discount or free shipping. If, my local B&M ordered from the exact same place as myself (I would assume they would get a slight price break), at the very least, they would get the free shipping offered on orders over $95. That would only be about 8-10 tins, not much for a B&M. Double-plus pricing seems excessive, but like I said, I don’t know wholesale/retail except that I know what I have to pay. The price that I would have to pay plus half again seems more in line to me? Just my $0.10….inflation, ya know.
I still buy a tin or two at my local B&M to help support them, and our hobby, even though I could get the same tin for less than half the price shipped to my door.
The Dali displaces 95,000 tons WHEN EMPTY. Loaded the displacement goes up to about 116,000 tons. Dropping anchor would not immediately stop that much weight. There are no brakes on ships. If it had been just a "steering casualty" the pilots could have ordered the engines "all back full" but chances are it would have not stopped in time and it would have hit something else. (Try backing up your car without your hands on the wheel.)
A store in England decided to market Cadbury Eggs as "Gesture Eggs".
https://www.audacy.com/wwl/news/local/store-selling-gesture-eggs-ahead-of-easter?fbclid=IwAR3SKBqFM1ctTqYXiYIz3YtG53OyMxoqK8c65aPdMRPAq2xfoETq2XJgIJc_aem_AbAoQ3EoqScPTlHVUsLb-TA6R3VXE97QaQpm4ToeGEt-A2g6lqlHwXvNNKvb2llVYK16u9bRElPS8lYCAu1QWQSp
I strongly disagree that the United States government officials are pure evil. They are communists and it is time people started to realize it.
I concur.
i also enjoyed, “….. easily enraged sheep.”
Nice turn of phrase.
I would have thought the “clock repair tech?” would have replaced it, but maybe it was done on “the cheap” or maybe parts were not available? The clock was already ~50 years old when it was serviced (it never kept time even right after it was “fixed” back in the 70’s.
When I was in junior high school we lived around the corner from a recycling yard. One of the things they would get for recycling was comic books that didn't sell at stores for some reason. The recycler would sell them to me and my friends for 5 cents a pound. The only thing was the front cover would be torn in half.
The best thing about this deal was the ability to walk along the side of the road and pick up cans and bottles and trade them for the comic books.
I assume they have stuck and covered my satellite dish’s……no TV for me🙁. I need to spray some Rainex winter wiper washer fluid on them😬
I hope our snow fall is over. They are predicting tonight until Monday. I would assume the loss of TV was from cloud cover, but you may be right.
Just for my edification, I ran a speed test using both the cable internet and the fiber optic internet. The fiber optic system is almost three times faster.
The total cost savings is almost $200 per month.
San Francisco wants to be able to sue grocery stores that close because they aren't in safe areas.
https://progressivegrocer.com/san-francisco-politicians-float-bill-enabling-shoppers-sue-grocers-close-stores
Maybe this should go in the header topic….sorry.
April 18, 1943 Lieutenant Ross P. Bullard and Boatswain's Mate First Class C. S. "Mike" Hall boarded the U-175 at sea after their cutter, CGC Spencer, blasted the U-boat to the surface with depth charges when it attempted to attack the convoy Spencer was escorting. These Coast Guardsmen were part of a specially trained boarding party sent to board the submarine to seize any code and cipher related documents and equipment they could find. The damage to the U-boat was severe, however, and it sank after they had boarded it and climbed up the conning tower. Both men ended up in the sea as the U-boat slipped beneath the waves but were pulled from the water unharmed. They carry the distinction of being the first American servicemen to board an enemy warship underway at sea since the War of 1812. The Navy credited Spencer with the U-boat kill. The cutter rescued 19 of the U-boat's crew and a sister cutter, CGC Duane, rescued 22. One Spencer crewman, RM 3/c Julius Petrella, was killed by friendly fire during the battle.
CORRECTION: This actually happened on April 17, 1943.