Bringing your own sticks to a B&M

[Rocket Scientologist]

thats what they did! they put a minium purachase of buying a cigar??!!?? thats better than having a month purchase requiremnet because you chase away customers that come in and just buy afew sticks. its better to have a buy a stick smoke a stick policy which is what they have done

I think you misunderstood me. I actually think a minimum overall purchase (cigars or beer) would be better than trying to police what everyone is smoking. If I spend $10-15 on beer, it shouldn't matter if I buy a cigar. They're still getting my money.

I think we need to look at the whole picture. How long has this place been in business? How many patrons does he have at any given time? Is it usually crowded, or are there plenty of empty seats? The op states he buys boxes, but what kind and how many? Keep in mind it takes volume to keep the lights on. A consistently half-filled room probably spells a losing proposition. The primary reason for their existence is to make money. If the public doesn't cooperate by buying enough to make it worthwhile, then it's time to cut costs.

Place has been open for almost 2 years. Sometimes there's only 3-5 guys in there, sometimes it's packed.
I've only bought 3 boxes there, I think. Not a lot, I know, but I'll buy a few here and there when I go.
If the public doesn't cooperate, you don't punish them. That's what I feel about this policy. Like that saying "The beatings will continue until morale improves." I just feel like there's a better way to increase sales. A happy medium for those that want to smoke their own cigars and enjoy the ambiance.

Sounds like OP's cigar lounge is pretty close to going out of business. If a place starts treating regulars like crap to get more money out of them, then the proprietors are thinking short-term, which indicates they have a cash flow problem that has to be handled immediately. And that's never a good sign for a business.

I hope not, I DO like this place. However, the owner and manager have always thought short-term. We'll see, I guess.