pipe elitism

Subject: pipe elitism Mon Apr 21, 2008 12:43 am

iI once experienced what i call pipe elitism. i was enquiring about a high grade pipe from a very reputable dealer about the possibility of getting a specific shape from a high grade Danish pipemaker and i was told that there was no way i would ever get one of these pipes, that i would have to be a collector! The person who i was talking to had the attitude of ' your to young to afford this pipe.' I dont understand this elitism in the world of pipes and tobaccos. ii would think that since i am younger, that would make this dealer MORE prone to help me in my collection goals, since statistically i will be collecting longer than someone of greater years. At the time this was quite disconcerting and it has made me determined to NEVER buy from this dealer ever again!! Its his loss cause i am doing quite well, thank you very much!! Nowadays i have found a few dealers very ready and willing to take time to help seperate me from my money in the fashion i like to, namely pipes and tobaccos. Laughing

are their any fellow pipesmokers out there who have experienced the same thing?

Subject: Re: pipe elitism Mon Apr 21, 2008 1:17 am

I can’t say that I have quite the same experience other than about half the time when I go into either my favorite tobacco shop and there is a new employee or at a new shop I either get the "I’m gonna follow you around and make sure you don’t steal something cause I know you can’t afford it" or I walk in the door and the first thing I hear is "we don’t sell blunts or cheap cigars" or some other older customer walks in and my money is no longer good enough for service. Granted this happens less and less as I get older but it still bugs me. I can’t understand how some shops plan to stay in business if they don’t reach out to younger folk.
In all fairness I have had some really good experiences and had bend over backward service.
BTW I am happy to say I have found none of this at BoB and it means a lot to me as a young inexperienced pipe smoker.
As a side note, I find this attitude of aloofness at gun shops as well. If there was ever a time when young folk needed firearm education its now, ok no more of this rubber room soap boxin. Wink

Dan

Guest

Regarding carvers selling to collectors, some of them have long lists of custom ordered pipes or a waiting list of whatever the carver makes. Does not hurt to contact the carver directly or through a shop in his own country.

Subject: Re: pipe elitism Mon Apr 21, 2008 8:07 am

this has never happened to me till recently, at a old boston pipe shop that shall remain nameless.. i was so aggravated by the way i was treated i spent a few hundred bucks just to prove something, which is stupid i know but i wasn't thinking clearly.. i have mostly a cigar background and you see alot of the elitist BS from the "cigar guys" not so much the vendors. all my limited experience with pipe and tobacco vendors and guys has been very positive except for the above mentioned 1 time.
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Nick

www.stjude.org/donate

Subject: Re: pipe elitism Mon Apr 21, 2008 8:54 am

This may or may not be right or wrong but I do think these shops and employee's name should be made public till the word gets back to the owners and see what they do about it.. That is only my opinion!!!

Subject: Re: pipe elitism Mon Apr 21, 2008 11:19 am

Subject: Re: pipe elitism Mon Apr 21, 2008 12:37 pm

Joined : 30 Jan 2008 Posts : 33

Does its name start with a P and rhyme with spaghetti? rabbit

Seriously, that kid of behavior should never be allowed (or tolerated). Just because someone comes in looking a certain way doesn't mean a serious purchase is out of the question. When did it become good business to discourage a potentially noteworthy sale just because someone doesn't look a certain way or isn't a certain age? Silly.

Subject: Re: pipe elitism Mon Apr 21, 2008 1:40 pm

Subject: Re: pipe elitism Mon Apr 21, 2008 1:48 pm

I know that I won't deal with them at all. More than several years ago I called to make an order of 5 differant samples. The guy I dealt with was ina rush and very rude. I ordered it anyway. When it arrived 4 of the samples were the exact sme tobacco. I took it to the pipe club meeting to have several people try it and they said the same thing. All four were the same. I sent an email about it and of course I never got an answer. I haven't dealt with them since then and that was about 2000 or 2001. They need me more than I need them is the most polite way I can put it. Another way is that they are a bunch of holes on the south end of a north bound horse. They may have a few good blends but not any I would go out of my way in any manner to get!!!

Subject: Re: pipe elitism Mon Apr 21, 2008 2:33 pm

I've noticed it from time to time. I ignore it. This seems to happen with every hobby/collectible/fad, what have you. I really notice it lately with beers, specifically craft brews/micro-brews. I like different types of beers, love trying them out and seeing how they are. If I like one enough, I'll keep a case in the fridge. But most times if I'm out and having a few beverages with friends, I drink Miller Lite, for several different reasons. I've been scoffed at by friends and strangers alike, I suppose for not having a "cultured beer palate", which is just plain elitist BS and makes me want to flog people with my empty beer glass. It's freaking beer, not a social status indicator. At the end of the day, it all ends up in the same sewage treatment hopper.

Joined : 21 Apr 2008 Posts : 12

Joined : 21 Apr 2008 Posts : 12

read further and saw mention of Watch City. They have always been nice to me, and if you buy a plug the person I assume is Ernie seems eager to play with his antique plug cutter and will slice it for you. Very good atmosphere. Brookline News and Gifts is as good as it gets though. I like a lot of Peretti's tobaccos and I think they have a wealth of information, I don't think they suck at all. That's just Boston for ya. Like I said, brass tacks.

Subject: Re: pipe elitism Tue Apr 22, 2008 8:57 am

There are a couple of places around here that you receive the cold shoulder treatment from if you don't purchase something from them every time you visit. I tend not to go to those places much. One of them won't stock much pipe related inventory but then has an attitude towards pipe smokers if they come in and don't buy anything. I think they don't realize that if they would bite the bullet so to speak and invest in a little more pipe inventory that pipe smokers might do a little more buisness with them. The other side of the coin to that is that it is very hard for pipe B&M's to compete with the internet, but I know pipe smokers that would do business with them just to show local support also.
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Subject: Re: pipe elitism Tue Apr 22, 2008 9:07 pm