General Chat

:-|

I roll my own cigarettes.
I went into a local newsagents, where, previously (about 3 weeks ago), they'd sold the hard to come by cigarette papers I use, at a cost of 50p.
I've bought them cheaper - 45p normally or 3 for £1 in Penzance.

Today, when I walked in, the (I presume) owner - half hidden by a counter display-was talking to the shop assistant (while I waited :-()
Eventually the shop assistant turned to me. I asked if they had any of 'my' papers, and if so, could I have 6 packets. I heard the 'owner' say 'they're 99p'.

Shop assistant cashed up - 'That will be £5 - 94 please'.
'Are you sure' was my response
'Yes, these are 99p now'
'Well, I'm afraid I'm not paying that price. I try to support local shops, but I'm no fool. May I suggest you inform the owner (who was still lurking behind the display) that a 100% mark up on something isn't acceptable, and I can get them even cheaper than the 50p they cost in this shop, 3 weeks ago, on the internet'.

I felt really sorry for the shop assistant, as she lives local to me, and obviously, she was caught between a rock and a hard place.
I will go back there, when the owner isn't in, and ask the price again. I'm sure the owner (who I don't know) saw me and thought I was some sort of gullible fool, who would pay her extortionate price!!

Takes red nose & clown shoes off :-D :-D

good for you Maggie.

That's a ridiculous mark-up, even if he was only purchasing small quantities himself.

It is, isn't it DET?
I presume the tobacconist in Penzance (3 packs for £1) wasn't making a loss on the cigarette papers, so how the owner of the local newsagent could justify a 100% mark-up on the normal/usual retail price is incredible!

The shop is in fairly new ownership, I see it hasn't got any reviews - YET!!

This not as bad but....in our local hardware shop they had oven cleaner for £4:95 and not having cash on me put my card in the machine only to be told there is a minimum spend of £5:00 with cards, he had already done his bit but I said I wouldn't have it as there was nothing else I wanted and took my card back, he wasn't happy and I didn't care.

That's probably because the retailers get charged by the card companies, or may be the machine providers. It's one or the other!

If a small retailer accepts a card for a low value item, it may wipe out any profit. Some of our local independents are the same.

Don't know why he was in a huff though. It's easy enough to cancel a transaction.

Some stores charge 50p for transactions by debit card
!

Some stores charge 50p for transactions by debit card
!

No problem getting ciggie papers here...... half the town "roll their own"........ but I'm not sure if the baccy they use is legal or wacky!

No idea what the price is.... for the papers, not the wacky.

and NO! I don't know the price of the wacky either :-D

Mine's legal!
.......but most of it is duty free :-D

Just had a thought - maybe the owner was miffed because I didn't buy tobacco.
But then, what I buy and where I buy it is none of her business :-|
The shop I used to buy my papers from (now closed) was okay with it.

Supermarkets don't get into a strop if you only buy the tonic water from them and the gin elsewhere!

Do be careful Maggie, and try to work out if the product is genuine. Although it may be propaganda, so many of the 'search and cease (sp)' programmes suggest duty free goods smuggled in bulk contain banned chemicals.

I buy the black liquorice papers at £1 for 4 packs. I dont taste it as I use tips and pals have said.... what are you puffing on :-S :-S keeps 'em guessing ;-) ;-) :-D

DET - it's not smuggled :-D
It's duty free - from Gibraltar and France.
I have a friend who's mum lives in Gibraltar, and brings me over a few whenever she visits.
My ex also does a lot of trips to France, just because he likes it, and brings me some back.
:-D

I also use the liquorice papers, Barb, but they have to be Swan - don't like the taste of Rizla.
Many would say 'But you smoke, surely your sense of taste/smell is useless?'
I'm afraid my sense of taste and smell is better than some who don't smoke.

I have to hold my breath or cross the road if there's a 'Lush' shop, or a shop selling pot pourri, unless I want to 'heave' in public :-(

:-D :-D

I have never smoked but can make a mean roly.

This is because Fred smoked them and the only way I could have the much coveted bit of paper that to;d you you only had five leaves left in a Rizla packet was to make him some to use up the papers.

So tiny fingers were deftly encasing the demon weed purely to get at a bit of paper that flew about going round and round if you chucked it in the air!

How to find the gummed edge, in the dark.......

"the gummed edge comes out first on the inside of the ready folded leaf"

greens, with the corners cut off......

Why are the corners cut off?

allegedly to help tuck the edges in......

ps Ive not smoked since 1978,
think I bought a 2oz tin of old Holborn and a couple packs of papers and it cost me over a £1

decided it was costing too much

Most stores hate it whrn peoplevpay for any transaction under £10.00 as they have to pay a fee.