Category: Business Ideas

Business Idea#1: Cigarette1, the place for A smoke

Welcome to Noah Kagan's Okdork! I am really glad you found me. Don't go just yet. If you're killing time at work, enjoy marketing, online communities and other business things; then you are at the right place.

You should check out my Okdork Virgin Guide to get started.

If you like what you read why don't you subscribe to RSS Feed?

Thanks again for dropping by and I hope to see you soon! - Noah

I went camping this weekend and my good friend wanted just a few cigarettes but not a whole pack. So what to do?
Cigarettes

I thought of this business awhile ago but I still think it has some potential. Sell cigarettes individually! huh? Yea so you go into the store and its just like a candy store but filled with cancer sticks. I want 3 Marlboro menthols, 2 Camel unfiltered and 1 Davidoff.

This is an interesting model but has some concerns and issues that need to be looked at:

Concerns:

Location: It needs to be in a high traffic area if people are only going to buy 1-5 cigarettes and not whole packs at a low cost

Freshness: If you are having cigarettes out of their packs and out in the open they could go stale

Margins: I would be interested in seeing how much volume needs to happen to make the low margins work

Benefits

Quitting/Stopping: This is a great store for people who want to cut down or stop smoking. Instead of being committed to all 20 smokes that come in a pack you can just have a few and cut down slowly

Variety: Did you ever want a Virginia Slim and a Marlboro red but not the whole pack. Now you can pick and choose your own custom pack

Price: Why pay $4-5 for a pack when you only want a few smokes at dimes each?

Occasssional Smoker: Ever just want 1 cigarette but you don’t want to waste the rest of the pack? Yes, I know what you mean so you can just buy a few of them and enjoy each at your leisure.

disclaimer: I am not saying this business idea will work or not but it seemed interesting when I thought of it. If you decide to do it throw me a few dollars;)

Want More? Get new articles via email:

people read Okdork everyday!

9 Responses to “Business Idea#1: Cigarette1, the place for A smoke”

  • Flipping Heck!
    October 18th, 2005
    1:58 am

    When my Dad was young (back in the 1950s) you could go to any news agent and buy a single cigarette for a penny. It was specifically aimed (at that time) at low earners and children.

    Yes! Children!

    But that was post-war Britain for you!

  • Noah Kagan
    October 18th, 2005
    2:43 am

    I had no idea it was available in the past. Why do you think they stopped selling individual cigarettes? That’s crazy about the children.

  • peter
    October 18th, 2005
    10:31 am

    individual cigs already exist. However only in the underground…I used to live in Harlem New York, and certain convenient stores would sell what they call “loosies” for I think $0.50 …

  • Noah Kagan
    October 18th, 2005
    10:40 am

    interesting. that seems expensive for 1 smoke when a whole pack costs $3-4. My thought was the whole store would resemble a candy store and you just pick and choose your favorites.

  • Neville
    October 18th, 2005
    12:42 pm

    Yup, a Loosey can be bought in ghetto convenience stores. I believe they are not allowed to be sold indivually by the tobacco companies.

    I had a similar idea….while I’m not a smoker, I thought some people would enjoy a QUICKER smoke. Half-sized cigs kind of like Indian Bidi’s. You’d get a quicker smoke and twice as many cigs in a pack.

    -Nev

  • Noah Kagan
    October 19th, 2005
    1:48 am

    Neville,

    Good thinking on the quicker smoking cigs. i think marlboro came out with this recently and is not marketing it heavily. here is a link to the mini smokes: http://www.misanthropic-tendencies.com/archives/000098.html

    that’s interesting that tobacco companies don’t want them sold individually but i can see a few reasons why. freshness, price, integrity.

  • Dane Carlson
    October 25th, 2005
    10:29 pm

    In most (all?) states its illegal to sell cigarettes in quanities under 20. Vermont’s legislation, for instance, prohibits the sale of “cigarettes individually or in packs that contain fewer than 20 cigarettes.”

    http://www.smokersclubinc.com/modules.php?name=Encyclopedia&op=content&tid=103

  • Noah Kagan
    October 26th, 2005
    1:50 am

    that could be a problem..hmmm…maybe it could be just for rolling tobacco?

  • Adonis
    November 21st, 2005
    2:51 pm

    Come on guys, it’s because they’d be making less profits… jeez … they actually care about “integrity and freshness” ?? BS.

Leave a Reply




Most Popular Posts...EVER!

    will brb.

Noah.licio.us

September's Top Commenters