Shopping for my weekly fresh fruits and veggies (and Häagen-Dazs), I saw this sign at the checkout of my local Mollie Stone’s Market. Intrepid reporter that I am, I whipped out my camera and told them I was writing for Pocket Change and wanted to blog about their policy.
It used to be you’d always find cigarettes at the checkout of a market. Today, that’s changing. Many grocers now see themselves as purveyors of a healthy lifestyle and not just a provider of provisions. We all know about Whole Foods Markets and many of us are lucky to have Trader Joe’s. Mollie Stone’s has been providing quality groceries to the San Francisco Bay Area for years and I’m sure there are other great grocers in communities across the nation. I think its time to celebrate these merchants who are taking a stand against easy profits and for public health. I loved their sign. They respect smokers (it’s a free country after all) but want customers to respect that they don’t view selling smokes as part of their business mission.
A salute to Mollie Stone’s and every other grocer who has taken a stand that cigarettes are not a food, beverage, health, cleaning or beauty aid and therefore have no place in their operation.
And don’t get me started on “drugstores” that sell this stuff…
But they’re drugstores! Tobacco is a drug!
Incidentally, while Long’s store brands of ibuprofen, aspirin, pseudophedrine, etc. are fine, I recommend against their crack cocaine. The name brands cost a little more, but they’re worth it.
Township-wide smoking ban (including places like restaurants) is not an unusual thing here in IL. I guess this is the new trend.