Feeling cheated

[ReV]

Cigars 101, this is kinda personal so feel free not to answer this, but are you still relatively young (under 30)? The reason i ask is because when i first went to my B&M after i had started smoking the occasional cigar, i was 19 years old. I had a very similar experience to yours, where the guys would often follow me around the store and grab cigars from me thinking i would damage them (although they did it more politely than would you describe). I can somewhat understand this as cigar smoking is not stereotypically a young person activity, so it may look suspicious if a younger persons comes in the store and just walks into the humidor (maybe they suspect underage purchasing). I just made sure to take the time to talk to them while they were following me around, just letting them know my tastes and interests. I occasionally get the "you're too young to be smoking cigars line," but in general once they see that i am legit and at least know how to handle a cigar with care they back off a little bit. If you have done this or tried and they still treat you this way, i would peace. With the internet and the ability to purchase from it, its not like they are the only place you can get cigars. Furthermore their cigars are likely to be more expensive. Customer service is all they have and if they aren't giving that to you i say tell you'll take your money elsewhere.

I have to agree about the age thing; my experience was similar. I'd say, regardless of your age, the best way to get good treatment in a B&M is to make friends with the folks in charge. Do what mrtr33 said. Stop by there as often as possible; I'll go in if I'm just in the area or driving by. When you do go in, try to buy something, even if its cheap. Whether you buy something or not, make sure you talk to the guys; just make small talk, ask about events, smoking laws, whatever. Also, go to events hosted by the shops. The folks at my B&Ms seemed very stand-offish when I first started going around, but at this point I know them to be really nice guys. Also, I've gone from getting watched while I shop, to getting discounts every time I go in.