UKCF members loyalty discount ?.

[JOAO LA PEZ]

I have totted up what i am spending in a year and while it is not earth shattering (?1000 to ?1500) i would hope if i were to go to a retailer to buy a years supply they would make it worth my while not to travel abroad to buy.

So come on Retailers what are you prepared to do for loyalty ?.

[nicwing]

Joao You may have a point although many London retailers regard loyalty as people who buy a couple of boxes each month.

While our sponsor makes offers to members periodically which reflect the number of members I suggest you take your budget to two or three UK cigars stores selling EMS cigars on line and see what you can negotiate for you loyalty. But talk to them, don't just email. Build a rapport. You might be pleasantly surprised.

[daniel2001]

A big chunk of what you spend with the UK retailers is tax (VAT, tobacco duty etc). Bit like moaning at the cashier in a petrol station over the price of fuel.

Not a huge amount any UK retailer could do (IMO) of course. Our favoured retailer has good prices (best in UK), will match prices with other UK retailers and has always provided excellent service.


Sent from my iPhone using Siri

[Puff Scotty]

Do you ever hear of retailers lobbying the importers or HMG for tax reductions on import duty....No!..
..&...Price matching is just another scam....

[monkey66]

I think it is all about relationships with individual retailers. Build this up (face to face or on the phone) and this is the way to go.

I suspect the reality is they can never compete with duty-free prices (or even come close) as the difference can be up to 70% and I am sure their retail margin is nothing like that.

One could suppose there may be more damage than gain to dropping your margins (if you still cannot compete) on what is after all a luxury goods market.

Retailers put offers on here from time to time (Davidoff, CGars, JJ Fox, LCHD (Ajay) ). I have seen great deals on mysmokingshop and cigarsunlimited to name a couple (I'm sure Tipp has some more for the list). I believe if you become a member at LCDH you get an on-going discount.

I think more significantly that the afficianado part of the market is a small percentage of overall sales and we have nothing like the buying power we might think we have. With this in mind no-one is going to significantly devalue their market for a disproportionately small sector (relative to the profit impact).

It is probably safe to assume that H and F and the established UK retailers are not stupid, indeed the ones I have met are pretty sharp business-people.

I will however put your suggestion to the guys and girls I know (as and when and see them) and see what response I get. Realistically though I find it hard to imagine (even with group buys) that we would see more than 10-20% discount (they need to eat like the rest of us). I question if that would be enough to tempt people away from duty free?

NB - All of the above is based on nothing more than my speculation!

[tippexx]

Supermarkets discount Duty Paid items, but generally as loss leader. But, only on beers, wines and spirits which they obviously buy in bulk specifically for that purpose or to launch a new range/brand onto their shelves.

I've never seen them do it on tobacco products.

[Eddie]

Do you ever hear of retailers lobbying the importers or HMG for tax reductions on import duty....No!..
..&...Price matching is just another scam....

But when its a shop with fantastic CS then you get the price and the service. Normally the 2 are mutually exclusive. Also cgars will match the price and still honour the cigar for 1p deals. So yeah the price match can be a scam in some sectors in others it can be great.

[tippexx]

So yeah the price match can be a scam in some sectors in others it can be great.

I (and this is just me) don't like the practice, and call me old-fashioned, consider it unethical. I see no justification or purpose in my chasing a Price Match when I can buy whatever it is I want, from wherever I found it at the best price in the first place. I do have favourite vendors, and CGars is one, but I take the view the the vendor with the best price has won my business on a level playing field and as such deserves the win.

[Puff Scotty]

Customer service should be a minimum requirement for a retailer,, not an added bonus! & I wasn't talking about cgars in particular...most etailers will price match if you have a dialogue with them but I personally think they all have a level they'll go down to & that's it..loyalty of the individual to them doesn't make a rat's arse piece of difference ....now class action......'nother thread..

[tippexx]

Customer service should be a minimum requirement for a retailer,, not an added bonus!

Absolutely! And it isn't something which can be trained or bought along with a designer suit or a car salesmans fake tan. It's either there or it's not. A second nature.

[El Catador]

A big chunk of what you spend with the UK retailers is tax (VAT, tobacco duty etc). Bit like moaning at the cashier in a petrol station over the price of fuel.

Though it's technically correct to point out that taxes make up a large percentage of the cost for both petrol and cigars.. I'd have to say the conclusion you reach..

Not a huge amount any UK retailer could do (IMO) of course.

.. is fatally flawed.

To use your example. The sale of Petrol, just like cigars.. is a highly competitive business, and although a high street retailer may not be able to control the taxable portion of the cost, that doesn't mean to say they're not interested in retaining your loyalty as a client.

Consider for a moment, the fact that.. virtually ALL petrol retailers offer some form of discount/loyalty scheme to their customers, and that's on top of periodically adjusting their pricing structures (often aggressively) in order to remain both competitive and, retain their market share.

As far as buyer/seller relationships go (particularly in this economic climate), it makes good business sense to engage pro-actively with existing customers, otherwise you run the risk of them going elsewhere.

Personally, I think Cgars is up there with the best in the UK (although it would be nice to see them participate more in the forum.. how about a few reviews, or some insider news?).. as for launching some form of loyalty scheme though.. well, it couldn't hurt.. could it..?

[tippexx]

Personally, I think Cgars is up there with the best in the UK (although it would be nice to see them participate more in the forum.. how about a few reviews, or some insider news?).. as for launching some form of loyalty scheme though.. well, it couldn't hurt.. could it..?

To be fair, they sort of do operate a Forum loyalties scheme. The 1p for an extra stick on a box purchase UKCF offers are a form of discount .... at the end of the day discounts aren't in place to give away money, they're there to incentivise purchase.

[Puff Scotty]

incentivise

Sorry to butt in ...I just lurrve that word!

[Eddie]

Customer service should be a minimum requirement for a retailer,, not an added bonus! & I wasn't talking about cgars in particular...most etailers will price match if you have a dialogue with them but I personally think they all have a level they'll go down to & that's it..loyalty of the individual to them doesn't make a rat's arse piece of difference ....now class action......'nother thread..

It should be a minimum requirement. BUT is often not.

I have a shop where I get a good deal on stuff I buy (not smoking stuff), and the service is great. But I will always look around to see the lowest price in the market. After he gives me his best price I will sometimes have to mention a competitors price. He will then match that. On other occasions he will be cheaper then everyone else anyway. I've actually had him phoning a supplier before asking for more discount on the trade price so that he can undercut someone else's sale on generic kit with named stuff to make a sale. So yeah, service should be expected and the price match can be a con. but not always.

[Funkilee]

The prices you see on the websites are mere invitations to treat not offers (unless it expressly states so) so you should always make a counter offer even if it's to just, as a regular customer, expect a taster or two with every order! If you don't ask you don't get!