Cigar Lounge Lockers: How to Run Them
Lockers are the steadiest income a lounge has and the part most often run from a spreadsheet and memory. Members pay for a space, store their own collection in it, and expect it to be kept at the right humidity. Here is how to run them so renewals do not slip and nobody's collection dries out.
Write down four things per locker
- Who rents it, with a phone and email.
- The term and the renewal date. Monthly, quarterly or yearly, and what happens if it lapses.
- What is in it, if the member wants that recorded: their own inventory, by brand, line and count, with where each box came from.
- Keys or codes and who has a copy.
Renewals
Lapsed rent is usually a reminder problem, not a payment problem. Send a reminder a week before each renewal date and again on the day. Keep a short, written rule for what happens after a lapse (a grace period, then the contents are held and the member is contacted), so staff never have to decide on the spot.
Climate in the locker cabinet
A locker wall is a large cabinet humidor, often with doors opened all evening. Put a hygrometer in each cabinet section, not just one for the room, and check the readings every day. The common targets most shops hold are around 65 to 70 percent relative humidity and below about 70 °F, and anything warmer than about 72 °F for long periods raises the risk of tobacco beetles. A Bluetooth or Wi-Fi hygrometer that logs readings gives you a record to show a member if anything goes wrong.
Waitlists
When lockers are full, keep a dated waitlist and offer an opening in order. Members notice when someone newer gets a locker first.
Records worth keeping
| Record | Why |
|---|---|
| Locker agreement, signed | Sets the term, rent and lapse rule |
| Payment history | Answers disputes and shows renewals coming |
| Climate log for the cabinet | Shows conditions were kept if a member's collection is damaged |
| Contents list, if kept | Insurance and the member's own records |
Where Ashbook fits. Ashbook on the web keeps a shop's humidors, stock counted in sticks with boxes and singles, deliveries received and a climate log. It reads Bluetooth hygrometers through the phone app, Govee and SwitchBot Wi-Fi sensors through their clouds, and devices you build, and flags too dry, too wet, too warm and silent sensors. An excise worksheet built from received invoices and a locker manager are being built next and are not in Ashbook yet. More about Ashbook.
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