Pineapple Xpress Smoke Shop Katy Fort Bend Rd — Attraction in Katy

Gave 5 stars previously for the 10% discount option, you know a store is having issues if they’re giving you a 10% discount just for a 5 star review- ARTIFICIALLY INFLATING how good/competitive the store really is. I’ve been shopping there for over 5 years easily 15-25k I have spent at this location and one other Pineapple Xpress chain stores. They’ve raised prices on everything- and simply THEY ARE NOT COMPETETIVE with their pricing st all, I’ll drive 20 mins to save 30$ anyday of the week. Exact item I usually got went from being 150-160( depending on the brand) now both of those options are 180$ after taxes, not willing to work/haggle the price even 10$ for a loyal customer who you see regularly…..Even the guy at the counter and I quote verbatim “ Sorry man I know you, I know you’re in our system I can see what you’ve purchased I know you’re a good customer, but they( I assume he meant management or owner) got really strict about stuff like that”.When my phone wouldn’t let me login to my google account he wouldn’t even let me get the discount go home to do the review , instead of having to go home get on my computer figure out why my phones acting up- Despite his acknowledgment that “I know you , I know you’re a good customer” spent 10s of thousands at their two locations (mainly this one but they’re all the same because it’s a chain store smoke shop-. I know another store 20min away I get the exact same thing I just got told was 180, is 150$ after taxes like 160+. No jumping through hoops for loyal customers. I’m gonna say now what I told your cashier- you guys lost a customer. Last time I’ll step foot in that place, only reason would be when throwing a party and a rando asks where the nearest smoke shop is, only saving grace about this shop is it doesn’t close at 10-11pm like most shops, they’re open til midnight and they do honestly have a good/wide variety of various products to choose from, so if it’s late and you don’t care about paying extra then bam this is your smoke shop, other than that nah I’m a 5+ year customer turning my back on this company, and no it’s not due to inflation/increased material costs, legit two weeks ago I was at my preferred smoke shop and the product was listed exactly 26$ cheaper...

Totally think the people here are amazing in personality. I went in today to purchase a healthier alternative to smoking hookah. I was told the items I wanted contains CBD in it so I thought i’d give it a try. When I got home, I showed it to my cousins. They noticed that the that the product stated that it only contains tobacco. Don’t get me wrong, I should have doubled checked to make sure HOWEVER, if you’re running a business, please inform your staff to be knowledgeable of the items they are selling.

So I call the store, talk to the dude who sold it to me. He informs me that there is something that can be worked out, “let’s see what we can work out” were his exact words. So I drive down there an hour later to “see what we could work out”. We (cousin and I) walk in, there’s a new guy at the counter (not the gentleman who sold me the item). I ask him if the worker before him is still at the store. The new worker informs me that the guy has left and asks how he can help. So I explain to him the situation and he goes on to say “well we can’t return tobacco products”.... okay. I totally get that yet I spoke with the gentleman before and got thing squared away. I explain this all to the guy currently helping me who informed me he was new and that the owners were on vacation so there was no way for him to get the information he (this new worker/hire) needed to help me. I asked him if he could call the man who helped me prior and he told me he couldn’t. Another customer walked in as I was chatting with this new worker/hire and his attention completely drifted to the new customer. I just think the entire situation was rude. I could have been told over the phone by the gentleman who sold me the product that he was leaving at 6 or to come back tomorrow OR!!! tell the new hire to expect me and inform him of the situation or tell me to come back tomorrow. I’m just frustrated and because of the amazing first experience I had with two of the guys working (one of which sold me this product) I’ll give this a 2. One for cleanliness of the facility and one for the products sold there.

I have edited this review for grammar purposes and to re-rate the experience as this has still not...

Was about to get on a bus right down the block from this place. Went in and said I needed a cheap vaporizer, my only requirement was that it worked in some capacity for my 2 hour bus ride. I asked specifically for one with a charge ready to go and was assured the one I was sold worked. I was offered the upsell but took it to simply mean the salesperson understood my needs in purchasing a cheap pen

One hour later I'm on the bus. Pen hasn't worked and shows no indication of charging. Some internet searches later and yeah the pen never worked or held a charge as indicated by the lights which I guess this store decided to overlook. I am ok spending $20 on a cheap vape that won't last with an upcharge. I'm disappointed that I articulated my needs to the store and they essentially promised something blindly. A simple check of the pen and they would've (hopefully) recognized the error and not sold it to me. The sheer fact that I was explicitly told X, seemingly with no real assessment just out of interest to make a few bucks, and then received Y from a purchase that otherwise would've already garnered profit for the store.

This type of hawkish salespersonship is objectively the type of thing I avoid when purchasing at this type of store and I'd strongly advise AVOIDING this store at all costs. They either lack the fundamental knowledge essential for advising customers or are so focused on a quick upsell that they are not even planning for the possibility of a returning customer. Even if you're like me and simply wanting a cheap pen en route to the bus stop I encourage you to seek out a competitor (there are plenty in the area although not the same exit) or just save your money altogether.

EDIT: Seems there are plenty of similar reviews and this place is notorious for desperate attempts to upsell highway travellers. To clarify, I was not sold the $7 pen that only worked for a few hours. This is what I wanted! I was instead sold a $20 pen that never worked and according to the company website is completely ruined and will...