Every business that closes in my town seems to be replaced by a vape shop within weeks. At the moment we have about 4 vape shops that are less than 100 yards of each other.
They seem completely empty and void of any customers and staff whatever time of day I walk past, so I have no idea how they stay in business unless they are just fronts for money laundering.
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Cheap to set up and bring in stock.
The shops don’t last. All that investment – goes up in smoke.
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/here all week.
> … unless they are just fronts for money laundering.
Bingo, just like the endless barber shops 🤷♀️
Money laundering. Buy vape juice in, your mate buys it all with his dirty drugs money, put the takings through the books and hey presto, clean money.
Don’t forget a lot of them also do phone repairs. Such an odd combo.
Same with barber shops and nail bars around here. And a new gym opens every few months here. There are at least 10 in a quarter mile radius.
I’ve often thought that these are used for money laundering. The prices are crazy and I almost never see any customers
High margin, low overheads and requires no specialist skills/knowledge to run
Phone shops in motorway service stations are another weird one. Usually out of the way round a corner near the toilets, I can see them potentially selling chargers and aux cables and that’s about it?
Turkish barbers, vape shops, chicken shops, corner shops, kebab shops. All empty most of the time apart from the owner and their mates chilling outside in their audis and mercs, who coincidentally seem to be the same boys I see driving around shotting in the evening. Seems like we have a bit of a problem perhaps.
vape shops, betting shops and candy stores will ruin the high street.
That’s all what is where I live now is. It’s bookies, take aways and vape shops.
many are a front for money laundering, just like those american candy stores all over central london
Fronts for money laundering. As are nail bars, beauty salons, and Turkish Barbers.
Margins are really high. And Like cigarettes, nobody shops around for them, you just grab whatever you need from the nearest shop.
My town has gotten to the point where Vape shops are going out of business and two more take its place.
They’re basically a hydra.
Maybe some are fronts like others have suggested, but a mate of mine works in a Vape shop in our town, and there is literally a never ending stream of customers of all types from 9am til 7pm. It’s very popular and must make a ton of money.
Because selling highly addictive drugs is profitable.
there’s one in the town i used to live in now named The Vapist.
Near my house there’s a vape shop that also sells Warhammer 40k stuff. That seems like an odd combination.
Yep same here in Wales. Vape shops, Turkish barbers and Mobile phone case shops as far as the eye can see. Viva la High st!
More smokers are turning to it and so it’s a profitable business venture.
Weed & cocaine.
The vape shop in my town has started doing loads of American candy and sweets as well (another things shops sell as a front.) Is there much casual biz for vapes with some hersheys on the side? Is it technically trying to bring in a younger audience? Idk
They definitely seem more common, but I’d rather them than the godawful gambling spots or ‘gaming centres’ as they like to call themselves. All they ever do is attract drunks and aggressive crackheads.
There’s a market for them clearly otherwise they would close down.
I used to work in fmcg and worked with an ex director of lucky strike, this was 12 years ago so my info is pretty old but he said vaping would be the next big thing and begins the scenes some of the vape companies care getting bought out by tobacco firms to diversify. with low taxation l,low unit cost to buy and a decent markup, it’s possible to buy a ln average shop in a town below business tax threshold etc. Buy some vape wholesale and it’s easily possible to make a living as is proven up and down the country.
As the product develops larger chains/companies will take over and the small shop will die like our greengrocers, baker, butcher, pharmacy etc.
If anything we should ( if you vape) support your local shop not some supermarket. Keep your £ local.
Vape shop near me closed down so not all are fronts it’s high margins and low costs to set up make them appealing as a business
Also there’s a lot of school kids addicted to vaping
I have actually used vape shops. I order my stuff online now because I know what I like, but when I was newer to vaping I did want to try a few different things. Vape shops are good for trying e-cigs and liquids out to see what you like. I took my mum to one once (she’s been smoking for decades) and the guy inside was super helpful, allowing her to try a bunch of different e-cigs. Unfortunately she’s still smoking, but hey. At least she got to try.
So if you’re a smoker looking to swap over to vaping but have absolutely no idea where to start, those vape shops might in fact come in handy.
Having 4 of them within 100 yards of each other *is* ridiculous though. One per town centre should be enough, surely. They don’t get that much foot traffic, so it is a bit odd. If I was going to launder money, I’d probably pick a different type of business, particularly one that’s more likely to take cash.
I assumed some of it, as with CBD sellers, is people being ready for the legalization wave to hit UK shores
I popped in a vape shop local to me to buy a new vape kit/pen…they only had ten to choose from…another shop in the town over didn’t sell vape juice with nicotine in it.
I agree, everytime I walk past one the one staff member is always on there phone. I keep seeing job adverts for vape shops, no wonder why that the staff keep quitting as there just bored stiff.
Many addicted people, good for business.
They are the new phone case shops
Yup, I don’t use it so it must be money laundering. Ofc. Because if I don’t get something it’s automatically a criminal activity. Good shit.
Used to work for a vape shop. Their mark up on juice is ridiculous.
Just hurry up and legalize the urb shops already.
Life is good for the vaping American candy loving phone case enthusiast.