Tobacco Outlet Plus

[Asher]

Here in Wisconsin, there's a chain tobacco store called Tobacco Outlet Plus. Most of their business seems to be cigarette and beer sales, but each store has a good-sized walk-in humidor with a variety of sticks at decent prices. I've bought a few sticks from a store near me, but I stopped few weeks ago after I brought a moldy Sancho Panza (with clumps of 3-dimensional spores on the wrapper and all over the foot) up to the register, then had the clerk tell me it was just plume. He scraped the mold off, replaced the cello, then put the stick back on display in the humidor.

Today, I drove by another Tobacco Outlet Plus store, and decided I'd check it out. I first noticed something wrong when I walked into the humidor after being outside in the 10 degree cold, and my glasses didn't fog up at all. I picked up a CAO Soprano from a nearly-full box, squeezed the foot gently, and the wrapper crumbled. The same thing happened with a couple of Ashton VSGs, also from nearly-full boxes. There was a big humidifier unit running in the corner, but it didn't have a visible hygrometer, but after a bit of searching I found a digital hygrometer tucked away in a corner. The humidity? 32%!!! I guess I won't be buying any sticks from them in the near future.

Anybody have recommendations of other retailers to avoid?

[gbpacker66]

I visit the one in Neenah on occasion, I never had a problem.

[surfish1961]

Try this website. Members of the RTDA, now called IPCPR.

http://www.ipcpr.org/links.html

[RigilKent]

cool site

[blessednxs65]

There is a Tobacco Outlet in Tracy, California (the one in Fremont closed down, thank God), that if I saw any upstanding BOTL within 100 yards of... the first shot would be a warning!

Bought a stick there when I was new to the hobby and it had beetles, this was where I was duped into the $20 Monte #2. There are times when I am at the range (I did tell you all that I was a former Police Officer) and I zero in on the target and I stll see the proprieter's son's face.

[surfish1961]

Here's hopin' I don't piss you off.

I haven't,have I?:lookaroun :peace:

[Volusianator]

My experience with most Tobacco Outlets is that they're way overhumidified and very warm. I've run into two of them where they actually had a space heater in the humidor!

[Rich K]

I went to a similar one in WI, and haven't gone back since. Not worth looking for good deals when you know the quality is bad.