I think they should yes. They are losing out on profit by not doing so. The cigarette counter closes at 10pm for some reason even though the store is 24hrs. A lot of customers assume they will be able to purchase them and are disappointed to find that they don't. Even alcohol is sold later than 10pm which is likely to create more problems with people coming into stores intoxicated so I can understand why alcohol is not always served 24hours. But don't get why cigarettes aren't.
Well sure, why not? I see no reason why they can't sell cigarettes after a certain hour, especially if liquor is being sold at the same location. I have never seen this before! I thought maybe it had to do with security or age purposes. For example, if cigarettes are a high-theft item, then by closing that area, people know that cashiers don't have access to it. Those under 18 can't usually sell items like cigarettes (or alcohol under 21), so there's a slight chance it's related to that, too. Then again, a 16 year old isn't usually allowed to work a night shift at a convenience store either, so it's kinda irrelevant.
I think it is all about making sure that people actually can use the substances responsibly. Imagine a person coming to buy alcohol after 10 how are they going to drive home? It should be restricted but for cigarettes it is does not have a problem.
I didn't even realize that but it doesn't make sense to sell alcohol 24 hours where people can get on the road and cause accidents or who knows what else, and not sell cigarettes. don't get that, and wonder what the logic is behind it. Would be nice to know.
I just would like to clarify in case I have been misunderstood that I did say in my original post that I understand why alcohol is not served 24 hours in most local 24 hour supermarkets. I was pointing out that cigarettes stop being sold before alcohol and that it doesn't make sense to me.
I don't see why not... sure, that might attract bad people to the supermarket at night, but they can get in there anytime anyway. Cigarettes are bad for the person smoking them, but they don't make a person lose their minds like alcohol does, so I don't see anymore harm in buying cigarettes at 2 am than at 2pm!
I am not exactly sure why they do not sell them at regular store times. I am sure they have reasons, but at the end of the day, what makes cigarettes different than any other purchasable item? I know it contains tobacco, but buying it at later hours does not make it any worse for you.
I've never even thought about this before but I think they should be sold 24 hours around. I didn't even think that someone wouldn't be allowed to buy them. But I suppose nobody would be working on that area in the middle of the night. They should sell them though. It's like you say, someone coming in and buying and drinking lots of alcohol would be more trouble than someone who just wants a smoke. Yet one is sold, and one isn't.
Why shouldn't they? Cigarettes don't have time and/or day restrictions like alcohol does. Of stores choose to stop selling them after a certain time, its pure craziness and they'll lose out on alot of business. I'm not a smoker so whatever the store chooses its on them. There is a bigger smoking market than a non-smoking market so they'd have a pick your own battle to deal with.
LOL, I've never heard a similar story, so the shop is open and they don't sell cigarettes? What's the point in that? I think if that the store is open they should be able to sell anything they want, the only reason that crosses my mind not to do this is some company policy, nothing else.
I also haven't heard of such a situation until I read your post. I find it quite odd that cigarettes are prohibited to be sold after 10 PM, I think that's a bad business practice, imagine all the profit that they are losing. If there's anything that should be banned to be purchased after 10 PM, then I think it has to be alcohol.
I know that this is true, but I've never really thought about it until I read this thread like most of the others. Why do they stop selling ciggeretes so early?
This is the first time that I heard about cigarettes not being sold while the shop is open. As far as I know there is no law governing the sale of cigarettes with regard to the hours. maybe it is an internal rule at the specific shop? Is this happening in most of the 24hr supermarkets in your area?
I don't think this has anything to do with regulations or substance use, but probably a simple staffing issue. Obviously the people working the night shift are going to be far fewer than those working in the day and paying someone just to stand at the cigarette counter seems like a waste of money. If the store was really losing out on so much cigarette business by closing the counter at 10, I'm more than sure they would keep it open longer.
Bingo. I've also seen that some stores have recently begun thinking about doing away with tobacco sales altogether. CVS is about to cease the selling of cigarettes and it's widely believed that Wal-Mart will stop soon. Sure, they make some money off selling tobacco products but their corporate image is taking a hit since we are in the age of being very health-wary.
I think they should to be honest. Reason being is because it will help their sales and it might actually help our economy because of the taxes they have to pay when purchasing. Smokers know the risks of smoking, if they want to take the risks I saw let them buy whenever.
I don't see why they wouldn't sell them after a certain time unless they don't have enough people on staff to sell them. They actually aren't really losing out on much money by stopping the sale of cigarettes at a certain hour because stores do not really make much money off of the sales. A store selling them really mostly sells them for the convenience of their customers, at least in a supermarket. In a convenient store, they hope you will come in and buy something more. Most of the money from the sales goes to the companies that make them and the taxes to the government. Kind of like lottery, a store really doesn't make much with that either unless they sell a big winner (which they have no way of doing intentionally.) I know by me there is a restriction on alcohol after certain hours - I think it's no hard liquor after 10 and no beer after 11 or something like that. Now you can go to a bar and get mixed drinks after those hours, but you cannot go to a store and buy it to bring it home.
I've never heard of this. That's definitely silly. Cigarettes are expensive, and store owners can make a ton of money by selling them 24 hours.
But most 24/7 supermarkets are just little things, with the cigarettes right behind the counter. At least, that's what I think of when I think of a 24/7 shop, maybe it's different in America?
I don't think it's due to any restrictions. They probably just don't want to pay an employee to work at that counter during the wee hours. At most of the grocery stores that I've ever been in, the cigarettes were sold from the customer service counter. Late at night during the off hours, there are far fewer people coming in needing someone in customer service, so they simply don't have anyone working there at those times. You may be able to ask your cashier to get you a pack though. I don't often do that though because I feel bad making them walk all the way over there. Still, there are plenty of gas stations on every corner selling smokes, it's not that big of a deal to swing by one on the way home from the store.
