Health
Grocery Chain Ends Tobacco Sales to Promote Community Health and Wellness
Clear Facts
- Stop & Shop will cease selling cigarettes and tobacco products in all 360 stores by August 31.
- The decision aligns with the company’s commitment to community wellness and public health.
- Other major retailers like Walmart, Target, and CVS have previously stopped selling tobacco products.
If you’re looking to purchase cigarettes, Stop & Shop is no longer an option. The grocery chain recently announced that it will discontinue the sale of cigarettes and tobacco products in all 360 of its stores across the Northeast by August 31. This decision is part of the brand’s broader commitment to community wellness.
Stop & Shop President Gordon Reid emphasized the company’s dedication to health and well-being.
“From our team of registered dietitians that serve our customers at no cost to our trained and trusted pharmacy associates, Stop & Shop aims to support the health and well-being of the neighborhoods we serve — and this exit from tobacco is one more way we’re accomplishing that goal,” Reid stated.
The American Cancer Society has praised this move as a positive step toward curbing Big Tobacco’s influence on children.
CEO Karen Knudsen noted, “a step in the right direction toward ending Big Tobacco’s influence on kids,” but added that more needs to be done to mitigate tobacco’s impact on communities.
The organization is calling on state lawmakers to prioritize funding for tobacco control programs, which would provide more resources for those seeking to quit smoking.
Katie Thornell, Stop & Shop’s director of pharmacy, highlighted the role of the company’s pharmacists in supporting customers’ health.
She mentioned that licensed pharmacists can offer guidance on smoking cessation and immunization recommendations for those with lowered immunity due to smoking.
Stop & Shop joins a growing list of retailers that have already stopped selling tobacco products. Walmart ceased tobacco sales in 2019, while Target ended them back in 1996. CVS has been tobacco-free since 2014, and their decision led to 100 million fewer packs of cigarettes being sold in the first year alone.
Additionally, CVS has committed $50 million to their Be the First initiative, which aims to create the first tobacco-free generation.
HeraldPR CEO Juda Engelmayer suggested that this move is partly a public relations strategy.
Engelmayer argued, “a public relations move to attract clients who want to believe their grocery store is doing all it can to make the world better, from organics, to local providers, to philanthropist and responsible activities.”
However, he also acknowledged that it’s a smart strategy for Stop & Shop as the company “needs to stand out from competitors” in the grocery industry.
Dr. Pat Basu, a physician and former CEO of Cancer Treatment Centers of America, supported Stop & Shop’s decision.
He said, “Tobacco has been known for decades to be one of the greatest risks to developing cancer and heart disease.”
Basu added, “From a grocery chain perspective that aims to serve their communities and offer healthy options, stopping the sale of these deadly substances is a no-brainer.”
Stop & Shop’s decision marks another significant step in the ongoing effort to reduce tobacco use and improve public health.
Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.
ROSS BRYAN
September 1, 2024 at 5:49 am
THIS IS AN GREAT MOVE!!
BIG TOBBACCO CABALS SHOULD DO SOMETHING ELSE USEFUL TO SOCIETY IN GENERAL BESIDES POISINING AND KILLING THOSE VICTIMS AS WELL AS ADDICTING MILLIONS OF THE PEOPLE!
AN WORLD WITHOUT TOBACCO AND WITHOUT TRUMP IS AN BETTER WORLD!!
Righturn
September 1, 2024 at 8:58 am
Just had to add your pithy remark about Trump. PATHETIC!
lance
September 1, 2024 at 12:29 pm
A world without TDS would be a better place too
WOKE JOKES
September 1, 2024 at 12:32 pm
TDS can be cured with a double vaccination of TESTOSTERONE.
BUG EYED SCHIFF
September 1, 2024 at 12:30 pm
“CNN’s Dana Bash suggested the Harris-Walz ticket appeals to males who might not be as masculine as their Republican counterparts. CNN’s Jake Tapper agreed, noting they had been speaking earlier about “different definitions of masculinity in 2024.”
BUG EYED SCHIFF
September 1, 2024 at 12:32 pm
“CNN’s Dana Bash suggested the Harris-Walz ticket appeals to males who might not be as masculine as their Republican counterparts. CNN’s Jake Tapper agreed, noting they had been speaking earlier about “different definitions of masculinity in 2024.”
HUNTER'S CRACK PIPE
September 1, 2024 at 12:34 pm
Had to post this REVELATION above, twice for SOY BOYS like Ross Bryan.
Camille Gilliam
September 1, 2024 at 9:01 am
I think this is a great move. I do have one idea that makes smoking so much worse than it was when I was young. The pesticides they spray on the leave. Isn’t that a poison?
Jerry
September 1, 2024 at 9:54 am
There are hazardous ingredients in almost every product on all stores shelves designed to make us sick and kill us slowly. This article points to only one product. Wake up people. Start checking the ingredients yourself. Stop putting any poison in your and your families bodys.
John fitts
September 3, 2024 at 8:58 am
Has this move actually reduced the consumption of tobacco ? If a store didn’t have what I wanted I would buy elsewhere. Are they going to stop selling alcohol? I have never used either.
Tom D
September 9, 2024 at 7:03 am
The writer needs to do their due diligence.
Walmart and Target still have tobacco.
Cant speak about CVS since we don’t frequent them.
Editor should take care of false reporting or their misleading writing!!!