Point of Sale (POS) Tobacco Advertising

Tobacco Companies use POS tobacco advertising as the main channel of communication to reach young and new customers.

Pictures of POS inside and around convenience stores

Facts about POS influence on our youth:

• A study in the Tobacco Control Journal comparing photographs of stores with no tobacco advertising and stores with advertising found students perceived easier access to tobacco products at the stores with tobacco advertising. [1]
  
  
• Teens are significantly more likely to smoke due to advertising than they are due to peer pressure.[2]
  
  
• Teens are significantly more likely than adults to be influenced by advertising and promotion in convenience stores (73% to 47%) in-store displays (51%), banner/window signs (47%), and in–store promotional signage (44%) are the convenience store advertising /promotional methods most likely to influence teen purchases. These methods only have 36%, 33%, and 32% likelihood (respectively) influence on adult purchases. [3]

Pharmacies and Grocery Stores have point of sale advertising in the form of power walls. 

Power walls are huge display cases or large tobacco product displays behind customer service or check out counters. 

Does it make sense for places that promote health to sell tobacco products?  Read some information and you decide.

• The sale of tobacco in pharmacies makes this deadly product more visible, acceptable, and normal in our communities contributing to higher rates of youth smoking.

• People trying to quit smoking are faced with racks of cigarettes when they go to purchase nicotine replacement products or other stop smoking medications.

• These types of displays increase relapse among those attempting to stop smoking.

• Patients visit pharmacies to purchase medications to treat diseases often worsened by tobacco.

• Allowing tobacco sales in pharmacies, linking tobacco to health-promoting products, implicitly sends a message that it is not so bad to smoke.

• The majority of independently owned community pharmacies do not sell tobacco. Most corporate chain pharmacy retailers and grocery store-based pharmacies sell tobacco products, though a few, most notably Wegmans supermarkets and Target department store, have ended the practice.

• Prohibiting tobacco sales by all retailers that operate pharmacies, including groceries and big box stores, creates an even playing field among competitors.

Concerned about Point of Sale Advertising in a store near you?

Let your local grocery, pharmacy, convenience store, or other retail outlet know that you are a concerned customer. Describe to them the specific nature of your concern and make a request for change. Some possible requests are:

• Remove all inside and outside tobacco advertisements
  
  
• Reduce the number of outside tobacco advertisements
  
  
• Reduce the number of inside tobacco advertisements
  
  
• Move inside tobacco advertisements away from the floor, candy or toys

• Ask them to stop selling tobacco products

YOU HAVE ALREADY MADE THE DIFFERENCE!!! 

CHECK OUT THE CHANGES AT YOUR LOCAL PRICE CHOPPER AND DON'T FORGET TO THANK YOUR STORE MANAGER!

LET'S SEE WHICH RETAILER WILL BE NEXT TO JOIN PRICE CHOPPER IN MAKING CHANGES!!

To contact local retailers:

Contact Price Chopper: http://www.pricechopper.com/ContactUs_PCN/ContactUs_S.las?-token.S=8D9T9R5443C1b98P76f226E4gItN6L52FE97A0|6860|0711301410|||||

Contact Stewart Shops: http://stewartshops.com/ContentManager/index.cfm?Step=Display&ContentID=34

Contact Hannaford Bros: http://www.hannaford.com/Contents/Our_Company/Contact/index.shtml

Contact Mirabito: http://mirabito.com/Main_Mirabito/ContactUs.asp

Contact Quickway: http://mirabito.com/Quickway/contactus.asp

Contact CVS:http://www.cvs.com/CVSApp/user/home/home.jsp and click on the feedback link on the top right hand corner

Contact Kinney Pharmacy: http://www.kinneydrugs.com/contact-us/customers.html

Contact Walmart: http://www.walmart.com/cservice/cu_comments_onlineForm.do

OR: Click on E-Champions link on the home page and send us an e-mail stating your support

[1] Henriken l. “Effects on youth exposrue to retail tobacco advertising”. Journal of Applied Social Psychology 2002;32: 1771-1789

[2] Even, N, et al. “Influence of Tobacco Marketing and Exposure to Smokers on Adolescent Susceptibility to Smoking.” Journal of the National cancer Institute. October 1995; 87 (19):1538-1545.

[3] Anon. “Study Finds C-Store Promotions Lacking.” US Distribution Journal. May 1999; 226(3): 12.