The ban takes effect February 10th.
Read more: Local, State, Health, Business, Health
The Wegmans supermarket chain has decided it will no longer sell cigarettes and tobacco products. The ban takes effect February 10th at all 70 Wegmans stores in five states. According to spokesperson Ann Hyatt, the Wegmans' family decided it was a product they no longer wanted on their shelves: "Really came down from the top. Robert Wegman didn't think smoking was healthy for people."
Hyatt says cigarettes and related products are profitable for the company but would not say how much Wegmans stands to lose. Over the years, she says Wegmans has made it increasingly more difficult for their customers to buy tobacco products. By not participating in tobacco industry promotions, Wegmans prices are steep. At the store on Route 57, tobacco products are sold out of a locked cabinet behind the service desk. The staff is instructed to check the I-D's of every customer.
Clerk Amanda Fritzen says selling cigarettes has always bothered her conscience,"Yes. I know people are killing themselves."
Most customers we talked with, support Wegmans decision to stop selling cigarettes, but Rick Cerone, a former smoker himself, is not pleased, "It's not freedom of choice really."
Action News obtained a statement from the President and CEO of Price Chopper Supermarkets. Neil Golub says, "There is no one product that is more detrimental to people's health than smoking. We acknowledge that, and we encourage people not to smoke. But, we do have a lot of customers that demand we make cigarettes available. We have provided those cigarettes to our customers. Wegmans is very courageous. I applaud their decision. And certainly we will look at it carefully ourself. In the consumers best interest it's a good idea. Health care is a real issue, and smoking is probably one of the most devastating parts of health care. My guess is that Wegmans customer will be angry and they will go somewhere else. If cigarettes weren't around, it would be in everyone's best interest."
Nichols Supermarket in Liverpool refused to comment. P&C has not returned our calls.
From the Associated Press:
Wegmans Food Markets Inc., an upscale supermarket chain with 71 stores in five states, said Friday it will stop selling cigarettes and other tobacco products next month.
"We have come to this decision after thinking about the role smoking plays in people's health," the company's top executives, Danny Wegman and his daughter, Colleen, said in a letter to employees.
"We certainly respect a person's right to smoke, but we believe there are few of us who would introduce our children to smoking."
The family owned business said it has stopped ordering tobacco supplies and will sell its remaining inventory until Feb. 10. Wegmans has 50 stores in New York, 11 in Pennsylvania, seven in New Jersey, two in Virginia and one in Maryland.
