FEATURE
Thoughts from
the shop floor
A peek behind the scenes of The Puffin Hut at Christmas
By Gordon Stribling
If you are working in a vape shop at Christmas, hang in there.
We know you’re pressed for time during this hectic retail season.
The fact that you’ve had a chance to read this issue at all is nothing
short of a Christmas miracle. Thankfully, Jodie and Stacey of The
Puffin Hut had a few minutes to spare to give us a glimpse of
life on the shop floor during those crazy weeks and days leading
up to the festive period and new year.
“December is by far the busiest time of year for us. As well as buying
gifts for friends and family, we get loads of vapers walking through
the door looking to stock up on supplies. Alongside e-liquids and
coils, we sell mod cases to customers preparing to travel for a
week away.
“Starter kits are very popular in the run-up to Christmas. While
some customers insist on buying a certain product for friends and
family, we encourage them to purchase a gift card instead. This
means that we can help the recipient find the best product for them
when they come into the shop.
“If they don’t want to buy a gift card, we ask for as much information
as possible about smoking habits and the kind of device their friend
or family-member is likely to want. We also offer our Vaping 101
leaflet which answers most of the questions smokers have about
vaping. Our call-back service runs as normal over Christmas and
New Year too.
“Certain flavours are a lot more popular than others over the
festive period. We tend to sell a lot of menthol the rest of the year but
in December, people go for seasonal ranges and warmer flavours
like apple strudel, custards and, of course, gingerbread. That said,
Dr Frost’s Candy Cane is incredibly popular. It makes you feel like
a kid again.
“We love to get into the festive spirit with a tree, Christmas music,
tinsel and Christmas jumpers. It’s not just about having fun – it
creates a positive experience for customers who may be feeling
anxious about getting the right presents or switching from tobacco.
“New year is a new start for many of our customers so it’s important
that they can rely on us to help them through. We’re very supportive
of smokers attempting to quit. We know how hard it is as we’ve been
there ourselves, so we can empathise.”
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“It’s not just about having
fun – it creates a positive
experience for customers who
may be feeling anxious about
getting the right presents or
switching from tobacco”