72
TOBACCO OUTLET BUSINESS
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2012
trench marketing
major third-party brands, like Fuente Padron, Illusione, La
Aurora, La Flor Domincana, Monte Cristo, La Gloria Cubana,”
says Threat. “It’s all of the best products, the stuff that people
ask for…we’ve got all of the bases covered.”
Most people who come into his store for the first time are
looking for a Davidoff product, he says, but when they walk
in they quickly recognize that this is a Mecca. “They want to
hang out in our lounge, take photos of our store. And if they
look through everything we carry and we don’t have what
they were looking for in stock—which doesn’t happen often—
it’s usually [because it’s] something specific or esoteric.
Sometimes people come in looking for Mont Blanc pens,
or they may be looking for cigarettes, which we don’t carry.
But even though they’re asking for these things, they’re not
surprised when they learn we don’t have them. Their request
is almost like a test, because they look around and see that
this is high-end luxury, and they almost expect me to rap their
knuckles just for asking.”
“
It’s all of the best
products, the stuff that
people ask for…we’ve
got all of the bases
covered.”
