I hardly know where to begin . . . A friend and I entered Smoke Plus on a rainy afternoon hoping to find a bottle of vape juice. We were having a good day: on our way home from work; just about to meet some friends for a drink in nearby Belltown. By the time we exited smoke plus, we were very nearly aching with what I can only describe is outrage, righteous indignation. Disgust in its purest form.
Let me digress. Nothing EPIC took place during the five or so short minutes that we stood in line inside Smoke Plus. Unless, of course, you define epic as two dark skinned individuals being questioned about "what we needed," repeatedly from the moment we walked in.
"What do you need? Are you here for something SPECIFIC? if you're not gonna pick something, find your way out the door."
All of this after 60 seconds. Then:
"Hey! Wake up! I'm talking to you!" The man beyond the counter, literally yelled at me as I closed my eyes and sucked air between my teeth, trying my best not to react in a brash or uncivilized manner. After all, if I did that, I would be acting just like the strange little man behind the counter expected.
It was clear too that my friend shared my understanding of this fact, you're so insulting was the reality of what was happening, he couldn't hold back, and I had to put my hand on his back to stop him from yelling at the guy.
Did I mention that this took place with a number of customers in the store? Or how about that? Every time we tried to answer one of his questions about what we needed, he simply interrupted us and turn to the next customer as if we weren't there I wish I could say I have no idea why this man acted this way or why this happened, but the truth is only too clear. Would this have happened if we were white? If we weren't black? Doubtful. The truth is unfortunate, but it is the truth.
on a lighter note, I'd hate to finish this review without actually saying a bit of about the store itself. Well, let's just say that the store has a business entity is laughable at best. Yesterday's products at tomorrow's prices. Horrible inventory. Poor product placement. Lack of any real discernible customer service.
In fact, the only reason that this place stays in business is because it enjoys what is, perhaps the absolute best location for a smoke shop in the city of Seattle. Anywhere else, well, let's just say that Smoke Plus would very likely become Smoke minus at an exponential rate.
I hope that this review helps prevent another person from experiencing what we did. After all, this is what yelp is for to begin with; and it's like this, that I am thankful for it. read more