38
TOBACCO OUTLET BUSINESS
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2012
Getting Any
Accessory Action?
Never underestimate the power of pipe accessories.
N
o self-respecting pipe
department could call
itself that without the
“
added extras.” Pipe accessories
are, in fact, quite essential to
the hobby and quite profitable
for retailers. While there is a
wide-range of quality levels
and price points available for
most items, many of them
can be had at a very low
cost with high margins—
in the keystone markup
range. So retailers need
to get their accessory
groove on and get in on
the action.
PipeCleaners
are absolutely essential
and could be considered the number-
one accessory of pipe smoking. The
biggest tip I have for retailers regarding
pipe cleaners is to make sure they’re a
dense, soft, natural fiber. You want to
provide customers with pipe cleaners
made of cotton rag and non-synthetic
fibers. And if you offer Churchwarden
pipes, don’t forget to also stock the
extra-long pipe cleaners made especially
for them.
Tamper & Ash Picks
are another
must-have accessory. You can buy high-
end handmade tampers, but most pipe
smokers, even top collectors, often use
aluminum pipe nails, which have a
tamper on one end, and a little blade to
clean the bowl on the other end.They’re
very inexpensive, routinely retailing for
99
cents, and many shops give them
away as a courtesy to new customers.
Another level up is the Czech Pipe
Tool, which is ubiquitous among pipe
smokers and is actually three tools in
one: a tamper, an ash pick and a little
spoon, all attached together by a ring
and which folds and fits in a pocket like
a pocket knife. They routinely retail for
under $5 and almost every experienced
pipe smoker has at least one. Then, if
By Bill Doherty,
head of market development,
Daughters & Ryan
Czech pipe tool
