[sidebar]A small study published in the online journal PLOSOne in January 2014 found that grocery store owners in New York and Ohio who decided to not sell tobacco products did so for two reasons (either alone or in combination):
Health or ethics, meaning they wanted to send a consistent health message to employees and patronsOr business purposes, meaning the retailers wanted to be seen as a wellness-promoting place, as well as a reaction to declining tobacco sales.
Six retailers were surveyed and all reported positive reactions, either by customers or the media—69% of opinion pieces were favorable. Which pretty much sums up the attention the nation’s second-largest drugstore chain is experiencing now. The question is: Can it translate to dollars for them? We’ll have to wait until next year when their first earnings report comes available to find out. More from Prevention: Should You Worry About Second Hand E-Cig Vapors?
