Thanks rickcharles606

[phantom]

I just wanted to say thanks for the efforts you have put into getting snus to the us.I never thought I would see the day when I could go to my local tobacco store and buy Odens. jakobssons and General but it is here so again Thanks!!!

[Snusdog]

Hurray for Rick!!!

Good to see a local snuson boy do well for himself

[crullers]

I only wish he could share the joy up here in Canada. There's way too many roadblocks from what I understand.

[Crow]

Last time I was in Vancouver, they wanted $12 for a tin of General... What in the hell?!

[crullers]

Yep, as soon as tobacco is imported into Canada there is a very hefty tax placed on the value of that tobacco ( I believe that's the "base" tax). Plus there is some kind of further tax applied to that depending on which province you live in. Plus if you order snus online and Customs decides to inspect your package it is a $9.95 fee for them to open it. It was $8.50 up until a couple of months ago.

So, retailers have to face the various taxes/tariffs but on top of that they cannot advertise or display their tobacco in their own stores. The one small tobacco shop near me has one of those lovely snus fridges on the counter but it is turned around so all you can see is the back. Pretty ridiculous, eh? To top it off, by law the exchange of tobacco products is not supposed to be "visible" to anybody else but the seller and the buyer. This is pretty much overlooked these days but when the law first came into effect a couple or few years ago - and when I was still smoking - I ran out of smokes while at work and had to go to the smoke shop in the mall. I asked for my brand of smokes, which were behind some sort of strange shelf unit with opaque doors, and the guy actually looked around and palmed my cigs to me!

So, aside from feeling like some sort of criminal here, the taxes and tariffs will put a tin of snus at around 12 bucks. And dip is like $17. I think you can still get a decent pack of smokes for less than 10 bucks here, but no wonder nobody is trying to get snus here. Except Swedish Match who could afford to take a loss for a sustained amount of time.

[Crow]

Plus if you order snus online and Customs decides to inspect your package it is a $9.95 fee for them to open it. It was $8.50 up until a couple of months ago.

A fee for them to open your parcel... That's hilarious and sad at the same time.

I think you can still get a decent pack of smokes for less than 10 bucks here, but no wonder nobody is trying to get snus here.

Yeah, I was paying a little over $10 a pack (Players).. Left the snus at home, which is why I caved (and there's no ****ing way I'm going to pay $12 for a can of snus).

They (Government of Canada) clearly want people to keep smoking instead of seeking safer alternatives.

[rickcharles606]

I just wanted to say thanks for the efforts you have put into getting snus to the us.I never thought I would see the day when I could go to my local tobacco store and buy Odens. jakobssons and General but it is here so again Thanks!!!

Awesome, you're welcome dude. This is how I want every member of SnusOn to feel ;-) You're in AR so I'm assuming you buy from TobaccoSuperstore, right?

[phantom]

Yea 5 TobaccoSuperstores in about a 30 mile radius 3 of them sell the mentioned snus.

[Lcarvone]

Rick....it that the best way to approach tobacco stores to see if they'll carry the product....via "chain" stores where they may have a small regional or local presence with a handful to dozen stores or so?

[hokiehi82]

Seems like the snus movement is picking up steam. Now if I could just get Odens within driving distance of me, all would be right with the world.......

[GoVegan]

You would be hard pressed to find one member on here Rick hasnt helped. Too bad he isn't running Northerner.

[rickcharles606]

Rick....it that the best way to approach tobacco stores to see if they'll carry the product....via "chain" stores where they may have a small regional or local presence with a handful to dozen stores or so?

Okay, depends on the type of store. If we're talking about a premium smoke shop or tobacco outlet and they already carry General products, then show them a can of Thnder, Oden's or Jak's and let them know you'd like them to carry these. Let them know that Phillips & King (our distributor) carries them. If they don't already buy product from P&K, get their info and give it to me via PM and I'll contact them.

If we're talking about a chain store or convenient store, get me their info and I'll contact them. That channel is far more complex to deal with and our company sells to all the chains and over 600 other distributors in the US, so we can reach them somehow.

The biggest thing is letting the retailer know that you and others will buy the product once they pick it up. When in doubt...get the store info and just give it to me and I'll follow up with them or have one of our sales guys in that area contact them.

A few years ago, this was much more difficult, but now many store owners/operators have heard about snus and are willing to pick it up. The smokeless category is the fastest growing category in tobacco and they know this. They are looking for new and innovative ways to re-capture lost revenue in smoking tobacco. So, keep the info coming guys/gals and I'll promise to keep pushing these products until they're successful in the US.

[rickcharles606]

You would be hard pressed to find one member on here Rick hasnt helped. Too bad he isn't running Northerner.

Or at the very least...tried to help. Hell, I still get calls from people asking me to "fix" their Northerner orders, lol. I don't even work for them anymore, but I still try to help by pointing them in the right direction ;-)

[OregonNative]

Cheers Rick! You're doing God's work my friend.

[Thunder_Snus]

Get snus in Caseys general stores...and in Bloomington, IL