Tobacco out of sight but not out of mind

Jan. 9, 2009

New regulations calling on stores to hide their tobacco products from the view of customers is causing headaches for some local merchants.

At N & J Convenience, the manager said the province did not give retailers enough time to comply with the new rules.

Manager Nick Pitre said his store would have covered up the cigarettes if the government had given them enough time to get the flaps and coverings necessary.

"They just didn't," Pitre said.

The familiar wall of cigarettes in convenience stores is a thing of the past thanks to new provincial guidelines.

Most customers around the Miramichi were met with a blank wall where the tobacco used to be since the regulations went into effect Jan. 1.

But at Pitre's store the display was still visible while he waited for the covering he expected to receive and install today.

Pitre said he made at least six calls to government officials before the regulations went into effect and was told to do nothing until everything was finalized.

"Basically we were told to wait on it," he said.

While he realizes there may be a fine for not covering the cigarettes, Pitre said he tried to comply with the regulations.

"We have made every possible step to make sure it's taken care of as quickly as possible," Pitre added.

Before the regulations went into effect, one of the tobacco companies was offering coverings to retailers, but Pitre said the contract stated the retailer would be responsible if the covering didn't meet the provincial guidelines.

"It kind of put us in a rock or a hard place," he said.

Pitre said he has heard some retailers have been using garbage bags to cover up their tobacco until they get their coverings in place, but he didn't think it looked professional.

"It looks bad," he said.

Once everything is ready, there won't be much change in the store once and he didn't think it will affect sales, he said.

"There will be minimal change to the display space," he explained.

Pitre said as far as he was concerned he would like to be compliant with the new guidelines.

"I don't want to seem like we're being arrogant about this law," he said.

Bill's Kwik Way is one of the stores that has complied with the changes with a dark curtain hanging over the tobacco display.

Nancy Comeau, the store's manager, said some customers don't know if they still sell cigarettes and the staff can't tell them what they do sell unless a customer asks, so it has affected their sales.

"I find it doesn't seem to be as much," she said of tobacco sales.

The store downsized its display from three racks to two when the regulations went into effect so they wouldn't have to put the curtain all the way across the display, she said.

"Some people don't even smoke [and] they just think it looks ridiculous, Comeau said.

Family Convenience clerk Rhonda MacDonald said it seems weird to have to cover the tobacco and the government should have banned it or limited sales to smoke shops if they didn't want people to see it.

"I don't see a need for it," MacDonald said.

The store's tobacco display is covered by flaps over every shelf and a display window on the front of the counter is covered to hide the tobacco products behind it.

Staff can open the flaps to get cigarettes out for customers, but have to fill the shelves when nobody is there, she said.

"Which is almost impossible," she explained.

Brian Harris, a Family Convenience customer and smoker, said he thought the store looked empty with the wall covered.

"I think it depreciates the look of the store," he said.

Harris knew the cigarettes were there, even though they were covered and said it won't discourage people from smoking.

"If people are going to smoke they're going to smoke," he said.

Harris said not being able to advertise won't stop people from smoking either because advertising doesn't draw people to smoke.

"It's not going to impact anything," he said.

Caitlin MacDonald, another customer and a non-smoker, said she didn't know about the new regulations and wondered why the cigarettes were covered up.

"I think it's good," she said. "It's hid from the younger kids."

She said it should have an impact on kids who would see the cigarettes and wonder about them.

Rhonda said they put the flaps up early in December and haven't noticed a change in sales since the new regulations started.

"It's only been in effect for five days," she said.

The changes infringe on a customers right to buy what they want and it's like people choosing what they want to watch on television.

"It's not a deterrent," she said.