In a world where life has become super busy, and people struggle to keep up with their schedules, convenience has become the real king!
From grabbing snacks to liquids for our dehydrated bodies, while refueling our vehicles in the middle of messy schedules, we depend on convenience stores and gas stations to keep up with the fast pace of modern lifestyle.
Well, but amidst the racks of snacks, and fridges filled with exotic sodas, did you ever find yourself eyeing for vaping devices? Yes, you read it right, vaping devices. In such a busy life, it is justified to look for disposable vapes at gas stations while stealing a few minutes from the busy schedules or leaving for road trips.
But the question is do gas stations sell vapes? And if yes, is it worth buying disposable vapes from gas stations? In this article, we will shed some light on it, so stay with us to find your answers.
Do Gas Stations Sell Disposable Vapes?
As we delve into this inquiry, we will not only uncover the answer but also delve deeper into the evolving consumer preferences and the varying quality of disposable vapes available at gas stations.
The straightforward answer to this question is yes, some gas stations do sell disposable vapes, while others do not.
It can be frustrating to learn that not all gas stations carry disposable vapes. However, continue reading to discover where you are more likely to find them, along with much more information.”
Gas stations that sell vapes near me
For locating gas stations that offer vapes in your vicinity, explore online directories listed below. Narrow down your search by filtering through location and browsing under “vape shop” or “tobacco store” categories. Alternatively, reach out directly to nearby gas stations via phone or visit them in person to inquire about their disposable vape offerings. It’s essential to note that availability can fluctuate significantly depending on your region.
If You Can Find Vapes on Gas Stations, then What Type of Vapes?
While it is already unlikely to find vaping devices in all gas stations, the cherry on top is that the ones that offer usually have limited options. The two common types of vapes that you are likely to find at gas stations are:
Disposable Vapes
As the name suggests disposable vapes are single-use. They are good for road trips and relatively new vapers, who are not willing to carry cartridges, vape juice, and other components.
They are easy to use and have a limited number of puffs.
At your local gas stations, you will find disposable vapes quite easily with a good range of brands and e-liquid flavors to choose from.
Rechargeable Vapes
Recahragble vapes are e-cigarettes that can be recharged to reuse once the battery goes dead. Unlike disposables, rechargeable vapes are a little on the bigger side of the size. They consist of a rechargeable battery, an e-liquid tank, a coil, and an LCD. The e-liquid tanks in rechargeable vapes can be refilled once the vape juice ends and coils can be changed based on the user’s preference.
Rechargeable vapes are a better option for those looking for a one-time investment that can serve for a long period. E-liquids or vape juices are usually cheap, so vapers can buy a reachable vape as a one-time investment and enjoy it for a longer period by refilling the vape juice.
List of Gas Stations that Sell Vapes
| Month | Sales | Revenue |
|---|---|---|
| Love’s Travel Shop | Mostly | One of the oldest gas station chains with a wide range and stock of vaping products. |
| Valero | Mostly | Valero has been seen actively promoting its vaping range on its social media. It is a good place if you are looking for variety and convenience, both at a single shop. |
| Shell | Sometimes | Depends more on the location, and the franchise’s owner. |
| Chevron | Sometimes | They do not have something special regarding vapes in their policy. So, vape availability is more of a local store owner’s decision. |
| Exxon | Sometimes | Depends on store owners. |
| QuickTrip | Sometimes | Local laws and regulations decide the availability of vapes. |
| BP | Sometimes | Depends on Franchise owners. |
| Pilot Flying J | Mostly | They usually do have a great stock in their stores. |
| 7-Eleven | Often | They usually offer disposable vapes from brands like Puff Bar and Hyde. |
| Circle K | Often | Many locations offer disposable vapes, but majorly depends on the regional laws. |
| Mawa | Mostly | Mawa offers good quality, big brands disposable, and rechargeable vapes, at legally permitted locations. |
Is it Safe to Buy Vapes from Gas Stations?
Addressing safety concerns is an essential question to raise. Convenience has enough power to attract people to gas stations to fulfill their vaping needs, but it may come at a higher cost of compromising safety.
The employees at gas stations mostly do not know about vaping. However, we know vaping is not like smoking traditional cigarettes. Same as cigarettes, vapes do have expiry dates. The workers at gas stations are most likely to neglect expiries.
However, it is considered safe to use vape even after two years of its expiry. The expiry date impacts the taste of vape juice and the strength of nicotine, as nicotine tends to lose its strength over time.
Another safety concern associated with purchasing vapes from many gas stations is potential fake products. The workers at gas stations do not have enough knowledge about vapes and are unlikely to identify a fake product. This due diligence of gas station workers may cause vaping enthusiasts an unpleasant vaping experience. Including sore throat and sometimes moderate to severe issues with the battery such as overheating and explosions.
In conclusion, it is not completely safe to buy a vape from a gas station rather than a dedicated vape shop.
Why Should You Buy Vapes Only From Dedicated Local Vape Shops?
Safety is the primary reason you should buy your vapes from dedicated vape stores. The secondary reasons include pricing, quality, and a wide range of options.
Better Pricing
The local gas station owners know that people buy vapes from them for their convenience. So, they unfairly charge people for it. Gas stations have been seen selling a vape for twice or thrice its price, and guess what? People still buy from them for their convenience. So, if you do not need a vape in a hurry and can spare some time from your routine, you must visit your local vape shop or an online store like Ciliconplus for exciting and premium-looking vape products at their best prices.
Quality
To sustain themselves in the market, vape shops need to maintain the quality of products and services. Because we all know, none of us would like to revisit a shop where we did not get the quality for the money.
Multiple Options
The dedicated vape shops have only one product to sell. Hence, they emphasize keeping a wide range of it. Unlike many local gas stations, vape shops own a wide range of e-cigarettes and other nicotine products like disposable vape, vape pens, vape mods, and of course more flavor options. Further, they do have a wide range of different brands ranging from premium to mediocre.
Trained Staff
Another reason to select a dedicated vape store over a gas station for buying vapes is their well-educated on the topic and trained staff. The trained staff takes care of the vaping products and may aid new vapers in using the vape appropriately. They know their work and are always ready to help understand the device’s mechanism and new vaping techniques.
Factors that Affect the Availablity of Disposable Vapes in Gas Stations
Several factors play a role in the availability of disposable vapes in convenience stores and gas stations. Some of the highly affecting factors due to which you do not get your vapes at gas stations are
Government Laws
Local laws of individual states set by the governments decide whether gas stations will have disposable vapes. If a state’s local laws do not allow gas stations to sell disposable vapes, they simply can’t sell them.
One thing that is necessary to keep in mind is these local laws vary not only on the state level but country, and even city levels. So it has no benefit to debate with the station workers of a new city or country.
Company’s Internal Policies
Along with government laws, a company’s internal policies also impact the availability of vape products in specific gas stations. Certain gas station chains do not allow their franchises to sell vaping products, while others do.
For Example, National gas station chains like Love’s Travel Shop and Valero allow their franchises to sell disposable e-cigarettes, tobacco, and vaping products. On the other hand, some major gas station chains like Exxon do not allow even where sales are legally permitted.
Public Demand and Insurance
Some insurance companies prohibit the selling of nicotine products, otherwise cut down the premium to a certain level. Hence, if the gas station is in an area where public demand for vaping products is not high enough to surpass the loss that franchises have to bear in insurance premiums, they choose not to sell.
Guide to Buy Vapes on Gas Stations
While buying vapes from gas station chains, it is necessary to keep a check on certain things. It is essential to ensure that you do not get any counterfeit products.
However, due to the due diligence, chances of getting expired and counterfeit products as well as ridiculously high prices, we do not recommend you to buy vapes from anywhere other than puff bars, vape manufacturers like CiliconPlus, and dedicated smoke shops.
But still, if you have to buy disposable vapes from gas stations for some reason, here are some things that you should take care of.
Check for Expiry Dates
Always check for expiry dates. The workers at gas stations have no interest in checking expiry dates, so you have to do it yourself.
Select Right Gas Stations
Select the right gas station chains. Always opt for gas stations that offer a wide range of vaping products. They may have direct contacts with vape manufacturers and distributors, so they may provide better value.
Product Labels
Do check product labels to know the nicotine potency and other information.
Inspect packaging
A brand’s packaging inspection may tell you about its quality. So, always inspect it as well as label it critically.
Ask Questions
If you are buying a new product from a new brand it is good to ask some basic questions about it from the station worker.