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| Black Hawk Tobacco Shop
Newsletter |
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| Jan 15, 2005 Issue #1 |
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| Topics: |
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- Interview
with BHTS owner Fred McAllister
- SSL Technology and
ordering on the Internet
- Our Subjex Customer
Service Representative
- Ultra Light Cigarettes
-vs- Full Flavor Cigarettes
- Cool Link of the Letter
- Subscription to
Newsletter
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An Interview with Fred McAllister
Proprietor of the Black Hawk Tobacco Shop
Interviewed conducted by David
McAllister, Jan 12, 2005 |
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Q) How long have you been a Native American?
A) Since my birth.
Q)
So you are not one of these pseudo-Native Americans
that just recently became a Native American so that
they can cash in on Indian benefits?
A) No, I'm not. I have had a tribal roll number
since my birth. It has always been a part of my
life and culture. As for the pseudo-Native Americans,
everywhere you go in life you have those people:
the cheats. They always get caught in the end.
Q) When did you get the idea
to open your own tobacco shop?
A) I got the idea about two years and one half years
ago.
I started doing research into the legal aspects
of owning a tobacco shop. I contacted my tribe,
the Sac and Fox Nation of Oklahoma, to get information
about Native American businesses. After about six
months of preparations (finding tribal land, applying
for special permits, and, of course, designing,
decorating and stocking a shop), we opened our doors.
Q) Were you immediately successful?
A) On our first day, we did $43.90 worth of business.
Those two customers, our first, each told several
people. Then those people told some more. And those
did too and so on and so on. We've been growing
ever since. Our best asset is our customers. They
are constantly introducing people to our shop and
our products. When your customers are our working
for you, you can't help but be successful.
Q) Why do you think they responded
to you the way they have?
A) Well, we have tried to make a tobacco shop that
we where we would like to shop. We keep our shop
clean and neat and we have very good service. Just
because our prices our affordable, that doesn't
mean that we are selling inferior products. Any
of our cigarettes is as good as or better than what
is available on the commercial market. They're high
quality cigarettes, premium cigarettes, and we try
to maintain that appearance with everything we do.
Our prices are really good too. We can't forget
that.
Q) Is Black Hawk
Tobacco Shop totally legal? Other Internet shops
have burned some people.
A) We are totally legal and we are not an Internet
shop.
Q) You do sell
on the Internet.
A) That’s true. We do that as a service to
our customers. We have many part time residents
that have second homes in other parts of the country.
We started offering them a mail order service at
their request. We've since expanded to the Internet
to make shopping easier for them. Our main business
is still, however, our local customers. That is
why we have such an emphasis on service. We will
never become an Internet only cigarette shop like
all those anonymous cigarette companies on-line.
Q) Well, back to the legal
aspect then. Has the government inspected your store
in the past?
A) Yes, often. We've had both announced and surprise
inspections by the California Board of Equalization.
They looked at our permits, our shop, and our stock.
They can come whenever they want. We have always
complied with all the tobacco laws and the tobacco
regulations and we always will.
Q)
Would your customers ever have to pay back taxes
if the government changes the law? That has happened
to some people in some states.
A) What really happened to those people is that
they bought cigarettes from illegal on-line cigarette
sellers. Those companies were caught and shut down
and their customers ended up paying the bill. We
are not in the same category as those cigarette
shops. Our cigarette shop is unique. Not only do
we comply with all existing government regulations
on the sale of cigarettes on-line and off, we only
sell Native American tobacco made products. We don't
have to charge sales taxes because we are exempt
from these taxes, not because we are selling over
the Internet. If the laws were changed, they would
first have to change the treaties between the United
States government and the Native American People.
That means that it would have to go to the Supreme
Court. If that were to happen, the laws would not
be retroactive. We would start charging sales taxes
at the point that it was legally mandated. Our past
sales would not apply.
Q)
What is the name of the Treaty you are referring
too in case anyone, would like to read it?
A) A good place to start is, "California Regulation
1616. Federal Areas" which can be found at:
www.boe.ca.gov/pdf/reg1616.pdf.
Q) Why should I order
cigarettes from the Black Hawk Tobacco Shop?
A) You should order your cigarettes from the Black
Hawk Tobacco Shop because you know what you are
getting. That is the main reason. Several different
Native American Nations make our cigarettes in Canada
or the United States. There is never any chemicals
added in the manufacturing process. They are 100%
All Natural. We keep only a two-week supply in the
shop at anytime. We could do what some of the bigger
companies do and over stock cigarettes to get a
bulk discount price break. We don't and our stock
is therefore always fresh. That is what is important
(Quality, Value and Service). That is what we are
selling.
Q) Is it true
that you are a family business?
A) Absolutely. That’s one of
our secrets. There are no disgruntled employees
working here messing up orders. Everyone has the
same goal in mind.
Q)
And what's that?
A) We want to be the best Tobacco Shop on-line or
off-line.
Q) The best?
A) The absolute best Tobacco Shop. That's the goal.
Q) What do you think about
the changes of the cigarette laws in Europe? First
Norway and Ireland disallowed smoking in public
places and now Italy. There is also a European wide
ban on all forms of cigarette advertisement?
A) California has had some crazy cigarette regulations
that are very similar for a long time. We support
the idea of private smoking clubs where only smokers
are allowed in. That is called democracy. If you
don't like it, stay outside. We have an indoor smoking
lounge, however. Our shop is on Sovereign Tribal
Land and therefore exempt from such petty laws.
If you like to smoke inside, come on over to Palm
Springs. We'll smoke one with you. |
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SSL,
Security and The Black Hawk Tobacco Shop |
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Ordering
Securely at the Black Hawk Tobacco Shop
In an attempt to provide our customers with the
securest Internet experience possible, the Black
Hawk Tobacco Shop has introduced SSL Technology
into our web site.
At the moment, orders can be securely place
from our sister web site at www.blackhawktobaccoshop.com.
Because 128 bit encryption (the highest encryption
possible) is more time intensive to load than non-secure
web pages, only the product order forms have been
encrypted.
We have also introduced two separate order forms:
New Customers
and Frequent
Customers. That means sensitive
data will only have to be sent once. This information
is not stored in an on-line data bank and therefore
can not be stolen by hackers.
Though we have never had a breach of security of
any kind, we feel that it is best to stay one step
ahead of potential threats. We hope that these two
improved methods of ordering will give our customers
the extra level of security that they need to easily
order cigarettes safely on-line.
What is SSL?
The SSL (Secure Socket Layer) protocol is the Web
standard for encrypting communications between users
and SSL e-commerce sites. Data sent via an SSL connection
is protected by encryption, a mechanism that prevents
eavesdropping and tampering with any transmitted
data. SSL provides businesses and consumers with
the confidence that private data sent to a Web site,
such as credit card numbers, are kept confidential.
Web server certificates (also known as secure server
certificates or SSL certificates) are required to
initialize an SSL session. SSL certificates come
in two forms: the less secure 40 bit encryption
and the maximum security 128 bit encryption.
Black Hawk Tobacco Shop's SSL Certificate is the
maximum security 128 bit encryption certificate.
Please visit www.blackhawktobacco.com
if you would like to place a secure order. |
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Subjex
Customer Service Representive |
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What is a CSR?
A Subjex CSR (Customer Service Representative)
is an on-line program designed to answer customer
questions in real time.
In order to provide our customers with as much
information as possible, the Black Hawk Tobacco
Shop will be introducing an our own CSR. With
her you will be able to ask us a question at any
given hour of the day or night and get an answer
immediately.
At the moment, the program still has to be trained
and is not able to answer any real questions.
Over the next few months, however, as her knowledge
base will increases and she will be able to run
more and more independently.
We hope that she will provide our customers with
an extra level of information not available on
any other cigarette shop and will make our on-line
cigarette store even better.
We also hope that she will be fun to talk to.
Why is the CSR referred to as "She"?
Our CSR actually has her own personality and happens
to think of herself as feminine. That is just
one of those program quirks, that is on a technological
level that we really don't understand.
She tends to call herself Cindy, though isn't
really happy with the name. After she gets a little
more comfortable with our store, our products
and our customers, will be asking you to help
us give her a name and a face.
We will be taking a poll as to what she should
be called and which image she should display in
the CSR panel. We will let you know, when we are
ready and we hope you will take part in giving
her a real identity. She would like that. |
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The Black
Hawk Tobacco Cigarette Philosophy
We, at the Black Hawk Tobacco Shop, believe that
it is not the government’s job to regulate
whether a consenting adult smoke or not. We do not
live in a socialist society, nor do we want to live
in one. We do not want the government to have the
power to influence our chosen lifestyle. There are
many things in life that are dangerous: snow boarding,
mountain climbing, swimming at the beach, and smoking
for example. We do not want the government to regulate
any of these activities.
That being said, we do not believe in ignorance
either. It is best to be informed about what one
is doing and to knowingly accept the consequences
for one’s own actions. That’s obvious.
Let’s take a quiz and test our
own knowledge:
1)
Which cigarette is the safest cigarette?
a) Ultra Light Cigarettes
b) Light Cigarettes
c) Full Flavor Cigarettes
d) There is no difference
e) Any Low Tar Cigarette Available
2)
How many ultra light cigarettes does it take to
get as much tar and nicotine contained in one light
cigarette?
a) 10 Cigarettes
b) 5 Cigarettes
c) 3 cigarettes
d) 1 cigarette
3) How
many light cigarettes does it take to get as much
tar and nicotine contained in one Full Flavor Cigarette?
a) 10 Cigarettes
b) 5 Cigarettes
c) 3 cigarettes
d) 1 cigarette
4)
How many ultra light cigarettes does it take to
get as much tar and nicotine contained in one Full
Flavor Cigarette?
a)20 Cigarettes
b) 10 Cigarettes
c) 5 cigarettes
d) 1 cigarette
And The Answers
are...
If you answered any thing other than d for all all
four questions, you are unfortunately wrong. Ultra
Light Cigarettes, Light Cigarettes and Low Tar Cigarettes
are not safer than Full Flavor Cigarettes. It takes
only 1 Ultra Light or Light Cigarette to get the
same amount of nicotine and tar contained in one
Full Flavor Cigarette. That is just the way it is.
How a Machine Smokes a Cigarette.
There are two main reasons why Ultra Light
Cigarettes can be as tar and nicotine heavy as Full
Flavor Cigarettes:
1) Commercial tobacco companies produce Light and
Ultra Light Cigarettes with tiny pin holes in the
filter. These pin hole dilute the air when a cigarette
is inhaled. These pin holes are often placed where
a smokers lips touch the cigarette and where a smoker
holds the cigarette, thus covering the holes. When
tested, these pin holes remain uncovered producing
a different result than what is actually the case.
Native American cigarettes do not use the "holes
in the filter" technique in their all natural
cotton filters to make an Ultra Light and Light
Cigarette. The tobaccos used are specially blended
for each style. With Native American cigarettes,
Ultra Light, Light and Full Flavor are separate
and distinct cigarettes. Commercial cigarettes companies,
however, use the exact, same tobacco in their Ultra
Light, Light and Full Flavor cigarettes, but have
separate and distinct filters.
This does not mean that Native American cigarettes
are safer. It is important, however to be aware
of the difference between the tobacco philosophies.
2) The machine used to test different cigarettes
inhales at exactly the same strength and intensity
for the exactly the same duration. People do not.
Depending on the particular smoking habits of the
individual, it is possible for an ultra light smoker
to get the same amount of tar and nicotine as a
full flavor smoker simply being inhaling deeper
and more often. It isn’t necessarily so, but
it is a possibility.
Our Recommendation
for Your Choice of Cigarette
Be informed and stay informed. Smoke an
Ultra Light or Light Cigarette instead of a Full
Flavor Cigarette because you want to, not because
they are safer. They’re not.
More information can be found on this at the following
links or by using a Search Engine with the terms:
Ultra Light Cigarettes or Light Cigarettes.
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Black
Hawk Tobacco Shop’s Link of the Letter |
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Believe it or not, at the Black Hawk Tobacco Shop,
we do more than just smoke cigarettes. Anyone who
comes into our shop knows that we are often silly
and humorous and that we like to joke. Sometimes,
maybe too much. For this reason, we have picked
a non-tobacco related web site as our Cool Link
of the Newsletter: www.googlism.com.
Googlism is a pun of the Search Engine mega giant
Google and has absolutely nothing to do with that
monster other than to use the Google database to
come up with a really funny idea.
Just like Google, a person inputs a search term
in the appropriate box and presses, “search”.
Gogglism then searches the Google directory and
collects an amazing amount of misquoted and out
of context phrases from the Internet. The results
can be bizarre, inspiring, nonsensical and often
very funny.
We checked our some of our favorite words and came
with these absurd and weird results:
| 1)
Tobacco |
2)
Cigarettes |
3)
Smoking |
4)
Nicotine |
and |
5)
Black
Hawk |
If you have the time, visit www.googlism.com.
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Black
Hawk Newsletter Subscription |
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If you would like to subscribe
to future issues of our newsletter please send us
your name and E-Mail address:
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