November 14, 2011   Many customers welcome voluntary retailer abandonment of tobacco sales, according to a study published in BMC Public Health. Researchers conducted case studies of seven California retailers (three grocery stores and four pharmacies) that had voluntarily ceased tobacco sales within the past 7 years. To find out what motivated retailers to discontinue tobacco sales and what employees and customers thought about their decision, researchers interviewed owners, managers, and employees, conducted consumer focus groups, observed the businesses, and examined any media coverage of the retailers’ decision. Some reasons retailers gave for their decision to end tobacco sales were concern for public health, regulatory pressures, and wanting to be seen as “making a difference.” Focus group participants (smokers and non-smokers) almost all supported the decision, viewing it as promoting public health, and many said knowing this made them more likely to shop at the store. These findings suggest retailers should publicize their anti-tobacco policies to generate good public relations and tobacco norm changes.

For More Information:
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/11/848