Retailers better be ready to
roll with the changes
by Timothy Bryers
"In the dynamic world of roll your own/make your own
cigarette products,
tobacco retailers had better have their eyes open for the
next innovation
because RYO/MYO is a lot like computer technology, the next
must-have
product is right around the corner. People may get into RYO
as a less
expensive alternative to those highly taxed packaged cigarettes,
but with a
little effort and education on the part of the retailer, RYO/MYO
can become
a highly profitable product of preference.
Once tobacconists settle on which products to stock, they
have to be
thoughtful about how they display the latest rolling papers,
rolling
machines, or tobacco blends because presentation is everything.
The tools
of the RYO/MYO trade are marketing, pricing, distributing
and staying a
step ahead of the competition. It's a lot of smoke, literally,
and mirrors
to sell high-end specialty tobaccos, cigarette rollers, tubes
and specialty
papers, all aimed at a specific consumer audience: the discriminating
smoker who has rejected the offerings of the packaged cigarette
industry.
One of the exciting new products on the market--and a development
that very
well could send shock waves through the industry--is a cigarette-rolling
machine that will make a pack of cigarettes in two minutes,
according to
the product's manufacturer, Sally Baldwin of Fresh Choice
of Benicia, Calif.
'If you sell RYO or MYO, you are going to want this machine,'
says Baldwin.
'This machine will revolutionize RYO.'
The first Fresh Choice Electric Cigarette Maker became available
April 28
and the machine costs between $399 and $499. 'Other companies
have tried
this and some of the units turned out to be unsafe or they
just didn't
work,' says Baldwin. 'When we produced this machine we decided
it has to be
fast, it has to be safe and it has to work.'
Baldwin says the industry response to the cigarette maker
has been
fantastic. 'There's a waiting list for the machines,' she
says. 'I'm not a
smoker and I enjoy making cigarettes with this machine. It's
like making a
good cup of coffee.'
Baldwin says the consumer cost savings is enormous for smokers
who make
their own cigarettes and Fresh Choice means smokers no longer
have to fear
the next tax or big tobacco price increase.
'You can now make your own cigarettes with the push of a button
and enjoy
better cigarettes with the Fresh Choice System,' according
to Fresh
Choice's Web site promotional material for the new machine.
'The Fresh
Choice Electric Cigarette Maker allows you to enjoy the pleasure
of smoking
pure tobacco. 'The new machine also comes with a warranty.'
Timothy Bryers
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