I've been to supermarkets since the ruling came into hiding tobacco from plain view. Although the tobacco control lobby has always iterated it is all for the "Sake of the children", we all know that they just want denormalise smokers. The aim was to see lengthy queues of disgruntled smokers lining up in frustration to buy their packet of 20, and quitting in frustration.
This morning I saw the solution in action. Instead of buying a pack, everyone in the queue bought in bulk.
So stuff you Lansley and tobacco control.
Sorry for the poor quality and brevity of my posts, but not having access to my computer, I'm trying to get to grips with writing posts from my smartphone.
The beeter krep wil be rsumd om nondai.
ReplyDeleteJust got back from my local branch of Morrison's, where I have the ladies on the "kiosk" so well trained, that they they know exactly which brand of Pipe tobacco I smoke & in precisely what quantity, which they hand to me without my even having to ask ..
ReplyDeleteSo, Mr Lansley .. you can shove it up your hoop !
I called in a Scottish tesco the other day for a pack of 20, and they, to my delight, had left the shutters wide open - I'll bet some humourless bastard reports them for it!
ReplyDeleteFidel..
ReplyDeleteIt's not yet law in Scotland to put up shutters ( totally different legislation and laws in Scotland) but I've no doubt they will follow England.
I don't smoke but will have fun asking to 'see behind the shutters' as they claim we only buy ciggies when we see the shiny packets and are enticed to buy.
Buying in bulk has a particular advantage for the supermarket; it brings spending forward to them and it cuts down the transaction cost. This effectively denies the money to their competitors.
ReplyDeleteI predict this will have a knock-on effect for the corner shops, much like it did for pubs. Since tobacco sales amount to a cross-subsidy of a service from smokers to everyone else, just as there are now fewer pubs, there will be fewer corner shops, further disadvantaging the weakest consumers (children, the elderly) who may not have the mobility to get to the supermarket.