Why do B&Ms Rebrand Bulk Tobacco?
- Thread starter InWithBothFeet
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So it sounds like you have something special when it’s just something generic.
My friend worked at a pizza shop and they would get their lasagna from Costco and brand it as their own.
My friend worked at a pizza shop and they would get their lasagna from Costco and brand it as their own.
Yep, the guy next store sells that cloying, overly sweet, bowl of hot air 1Q.
However we here are Johnny Q have our special “Campfire of Independence” blend made of a premium mixture of Virginia and cavendish tobaccos, expertly blended and subtly flavored for the distinguished smoker. It only releases on a full moon when the star spangled banner can faintly be heard in the night air, offering tantalizing hints of vanilla and caramel that will remind you of roasting marshmallows on the 4th of July. Exclusive to Johnny Q.
Sounds amazing! I know it’s twice the cost of any other bulk tobacco I see online but I just gotta have it. I’ll take 10 lbs. please!
As long as there is someone at the counter to direct you to what you are looking for, I don't see any problem.
I prefer to browse and shop with minimal interaction with store personnel. Just my preference.
that sounds like it might be the whole point. If someone knows they like holy grail they won't find it quite as easy to get it anywhere else.
Might even be some aspect of quality control as well. If you buy a dried out not good 1Q or one that is cross contaminated with other flavors and aren't experienced you will think you don't like 1Q but if it's rebranded..... you'll know you just hate Todds Mess or whatever they named it.
Also it's just fun. And hate to say it but Lane kind of forces their hand when you think about it. 1Q only means something to a pipe smoker and says less then Holy Grail does to someone who is new or buying a gift for the hot janitor that smokes his pipes on break (sorry had to go there).
Because The Briary's Briary Blend sounds better than Stokkebye's Peach Abomination.
Whatever sells. I find it irritating too.
Long live Wilford.
Whatever sells. I find it irritating too.
Long live Wilford.
I'd imagine it's a little bit of everything that's been suggested (from the more cynical "our exclusive blend" = $$$$ to the less cynical "keeping with the theme of the shop" to other reasons that made sense before and don't now but still remain).
For what it's worth, not all shops do re-branding. The one local tobacconist here that actually has pipe stuff rather than being 99.99% cigar with maybe two cobs and three rusty pipe tins as an afterthought, they have at least 6 or 8 jars of bulk, and they didn't rebrand any of it—they even keep the manufacturer name on the label and don't try at all to pretend like they blended the stuff themselves.
They're good people, I feel a little bad for not supporting them on the pipe side, I'm just not friendly enough, and the three or four of us here that smoke a pipe can't possibly sustain their pipe side enough for them to get the orders for distributors to give them enough priority to get the harder to obtain stuff.
For what it's worth, not all shops do re-branding. The one local tobacconist here that actually has pipe stuff rather than being 99.99% cigar with maybe two cobs and three rusty pipe tins as an afterthought, they have at least 6 or 8 jars of bulk, and they didn't rebrand any of it—they even keep the manufacturer name on the label and don't try at all to pretend like they blended the stuff themselves.
They're good people, I feel a little bad for not supporting them on the pipe side, I'm just not friendly enough, and the three or four of us here that smoke a pipe can't possibly sustain their pipe side enough for them to get the orders for distributors to give them enough priority to get the harder to obtain stuff.
Yes, one of my two local B&Ms does not re-brand. It simply labels its bulks with the manufacturer's names. I rather like that shop better for doing that.
Are y'all telling me the Scary Library I buy at my local B&M is just repackaged Haunted Bookshop?
This practice has been going on longer than all of us have been alive. Let me ask a question. Say there are 40 stores in your town that sell the same widget as you. Wouldn't you do something to make your widget more attractive to customers? Or would you just sit around and bitch about the other people selling the same widgets. Now days there aren't 40 stores in town so may I just recommend asking the proprietor what the blend's real name is. He/she might just tell you.
Yep. And the "Deacon" is PS LBF coins. I think the proprietor, Doug, tries to keep with the California Mission theme.
If a new smoker likes a store blend, he may not realize that it is actually Lane 1-Q (or whatever), and will keep going to that store for that blend he likes.
The folks who are involved in forums are a minority of pipe smokers. Most are not that involved in the hobby.
The folks who are involved in forums are a minority of pipe smokers. Most are not that involved in the hobby.
30 years ago, pipesmokers didn't go online and order tobaccos and talk about them on online forums. You went to a store and put all of your faith in the guy who just started working there last month. Guys didn't know 1Q from 5200 by name. So, in the minds of their customers you had to go to that particular store to get your Quintet tobacco, or Bascom's Dream, or whatever that particular place called it.
Yeh, I agree that it is a low level fraud. Some places still insist that they make these themself, because they think you're stupid and have no access to information. I also don't even think that the places that mix a couple of products sold to them by Sutliff is "blending".
At our pipe club, we had a rep from Lane LTD come and do a demo on blending. They had us blend several of their Lane products, and patted us all on the heads and said, "you're blenders now." I mean... technically.... but, really, no. I also don't put any fain in a store that insists that they have a company "make it for them." I also don't buy small shop blends at all. Really, I am not into much outside of tobaccos that are as unadulterated as possible. So, a shop couldn't blend something that piques my interest anyways. The Briary included. I tried one of their "made specially for us" blends in a jar. I wasn't impressed. But, that's just me and my tastes.
Yeh, I agree that it is a low level fraud. Some places still insist that they make these themself, because they think you're stupid and have no access to information. I also don't even think that the places that mix a couple of products sold to them by Sutliff is "blending".
At our pipe club, we had a rep from Lane LTD come and do a demo on blending. They had us blend several of their Lane products, and patted us all on the heads and said, "you're blenders now." I mean... technically.... but, really, no. I also don't put any fain in a store that insists that they have a company "make it for them." I also don't buy small shop blends at all. Really, I am not into much outside of tobaccos that are as unadulterated as possible. So, a shop couldn't blend something that piques my interest anyways. The Briary included. I tried one of their "made specially for us" blends in a jar. I wasn't impressed. But, that's just me and my tastes.