CVS to quit selling tobacco

ibdoomed · Post by **ibdoomed** » Thu Feb 06, 2014 3:49 pm

LordMortis wrote:
LawBeefaroni wrote:[EDIT: I see you were responding to the end of LM's post. Nevermind.
Like I ever stay on topic.

Just like shooting womp rats eh?

Edit: Oh, you said topic... nevermind.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Thu Feb 06, 2014 3:53 pm

I'm not a smoker, although I used to be one, ages ago (I've been 'clean' now for, oh, thirteen years or so, save for a pipe four or five times a year.)

The 'went in for cigarettes, spent money on impulse shopping' argument doesn't hold a ton of water. As mentioned, smokers go where cigarettes are cheapest. That is almost never a drug store. People don't go into CVS to buy cigarettes and pick up Band-Aids while they're there, they go into CVS for Band-Aids and pick up cigarettes because it is convenient.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Thu Feb 06, 2014 4:06 pm

Blackhawk wrote:I'm not a smoker, although I used to be one, ages ago (I've been 'clean' now for, oh, thirteen years or so, save for a pipe four or five times a year.)

The 'went in for cigarettes, spent money on impulse shopping' argument doesn't hold a ton of water. As mentioned, smokers go where cigarettes are cheapest. That is almost never a drug store. People don't go into CVS to buy cigarettes and pick up Band-Aids while they're there, they go into CVS for Band-Aids and pick up cigarettes because it is convenient.

Yep. If given the choice (and out-of-state wasn't an option), I'd go gas station first because they were usually the cheapest. Then corner shop, then grocery store, then drug store as my last choice. Not only were they invariably more expensive, they seemed to go through their stock slower so you'd often get those "stale" packs a lot.

About the only impulse buy I ever made when getting smokes was a lighter. And that only when everyone stopped giving you matches.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Thu Feb 06, 2014 4:14 pm

LawBeefaroni wrote:About the only impulse buy I ever made when getting smokes was a lighter. And that only when everyone stopped giving you matches.

Years ago, smokes were the driving force to stop. When I stopped, I'd usually buy a Coke or a Mountain Dew and maybe a snack of some sort.

But otherwise it's just Blackhawk describes. You buy smokes at a place like CVS because you want a pack of smokes when you are getting something else that is convenient to buy at CVS.

If I am buying a pack of smokes as the primary motivator for convenience sake it goes:

Smoke Shop
Gas Station
Party Store

in that order where convenience is equal but pricing is not.

Somewhere else like pharmacy or mega mart.

Where convenience is worse and pricing is probably worse.

It's a last resort to buy smokes at a grocer like Kroger or Meijer because they have to have a runner go unlock a case somewhere else and bring the smokes back. Ain't nobody got time for that.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Thu Feb 06, 2014 4:31 pm

LordMortis wrote: It's a last resort to buy smokes at a grocer like Kroger or Meijer because they have to have a runner go unlock a case somewhere else and bring the smokes back. Ain't nobody got time for that.

Heh, here you go to the customer service desk, which usually has the shortest line if they have a line at all, and ask for a pack. No lockup. It's the place where you buy smokes, money orders, transit cards, and lottery tickets. Except very few people buy lottery tickets there, I think because everyone prefers the machine.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Thu Feb 06, 2014 4:36 pm

LawBeefaroni wrote: blah blah blah blah and lottery tickets. Except very few people buy lottery tickets there, I think because everyone prefers the machine.

That's the difference between there and here. If they sell lottery tickets then there is a line of people who don't know how to buy lottery tickets often run by a minimum wage clerk who doesn't care about getting these people through the line.

I'm telling you, my will to be cheap would be destroyed by any expensive place that simply advertised "we don't sell lottery." I'm totally fine with taxing the mathematically challenged or whatever the popular euphemism but when it comes to to me getting behind your ass in line manually reading off numbers you have memorized while a clerk tries to figure out how to void a number he typed wrong... And then you gotta ask for your three digit two way box number separately like 8 different times then I say "fuck the schools. How much of the money that goes to schools is routed back out anyway?"

Don't even get me started on scratch offs.

ibdoomed · Post by **ibdoomed** » Thu Feb 06, 2014 4:39 pm

LordMortis wrote: Party Store

Is that a euphemism for something?

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Thu Feb 06, 2014 4:43 pm

ibdoomed wrote:
LordMortis wrote: Party Store
Is that a euphemism for something?

Packie? (if your kraken, kelric, chaz, etc...)

https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/imag ... TvdnxdEIjU

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Thu Feb 06, 2014 4:46 pm

LordMortis wrote:
LawBeefaroni wrote: blah blah blah blah and lottery tickets. Except very few people buy lottery tickets there, I think because everyone prefers the machine.
That's the difference between there and here. If they sell lottery tickets then there is a line of people who don't know how to buy lottery tickets often run by a minimum wage clerk who doesn't care about getting these people through the line.

I'm telling you, my will to be cheap would be destroyed by any expensive place that simply advertised "we don't sell lottery." I'm totally fine with taxing the mathematically challenged or whatever the popular euphemism but when it comes to to me getting behind your ass in line manually reading off numbers you have memorized while a clerk tries to figure out how to void a number he typed wrong... And then you gotta ask for your three digit two way box number separately like 8 different times then I say "fuck the schools. How much of the money that goes to schools is routed back out anyway?"

Don't even get me started on scratch offs.

I was behind someone the other day in The Convenient Store [sic] in our office building. This woman was getting daily 3 or daily 4s. I swear she was rattling off tons of numbers and boxing a bunch of them (I assume a box is where you get them in any combination, like horse racing). I honestly thought she way trying to get every combo. In the end I think she got like 40 numbers numbers plus boxes. Talk about a math tax. I waited 3 minutes just to get my 65 cent can of Vernors.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Thu Feb 06, 2014 4:49 pm

LordMortis wrote:
ibdoomed wrote:
LordMortis wrote: Party Store
Is that a euphemism for something?
Packie? (if your kraken, kelric, chaz, etc...)

Yeah, party store is a liquor store in Michigan.

Packie is a liquor store in New England. In Old England, it's a derrogatory term for Pakistanis and an even more derrogatory term for Indians.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Thu Feb 06, 2014 5:09 pm

Just a liquor store around here. By some odd coincidence, they all seem to be named 'Cold Beer.'

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Thu Feb 06, 2014 5:20 pm

Blackhawk wrote:Just a liquor store around here. By some odd coincidence, they all seem to be named 'Cold Beer.'

Ours are all named "Lotto Liquor" I want to trade make that phrase and demand anyone that wants to sell a lotto liquor needs to pay me for the privilege.

cheeba · Post by **cheeba** » Thu Feb 06, 2014 6:29 pm

Blackhawk wrote:The 'went in for cigarettes, spent money on impulse shopping' argument doesn't hold a ton of water. As mentioned, smokers go where cigarettes are cheapest. That is almost never a drug store. People don't go into CVS to buy cigarettes and pick up Band-Aids while they're there, they go into CVS for Band-Aids and pick up cigarettes because it is convenient.

By CVS' own admission, that "argument" (presumably it's their own market research data) accounts for $500m/yr in sales. So I'm not sure why their market research wouldn't hold a ton of water. $500m is tiny compared to the total, of course, but my question, which we won't be able to really answer until we see probably a good year or so of data, is if this decision is going to make them money.

Also, Canadians are weird. Cigarettes are a drug, it makes perfect sense to sell them in a pharmacy

.

Edit - Also, also, I find it amazing that we are moving to legalize pot while illegalizing cigarettes. Shows what good PR does for ya

.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Thu Feb 06, 2014 6:52 pm

Well, cigarettes have fewer benefits, but we're not so much making them illegal as we are making them as inconvenient as possible. That's the same thing we're doing with marijuana.

GreenGoo · Post by **GreenGoo** » Thu Feb 06, 2014 11:53 pm

cheeba wrote: Also, Canadians are weird. Cigarettes are a drug, it makes perfect sense to sell them in a pharmacy .

Canadians are weird. Weirder still is that our alcohol is controlled by our provincial government, who decides who can sell it and who can't. In Ontario, a near monopoly has been given to a company that used to be called brewer's retail, but rebranded years ago as "The Beer Store". Those stores, plus provincially run "liquor stores" are pretty much the only place you can buy alcohol in Ontario. In Quebec, you can buy beer and such at Dépanneurs, which are basically corner/convenience stores. Oh, also I think you can buy wine (but no hard liquor) at the grocery store now, in Ontario.

There is no free market on booze in Canada. Some provinces are less controlling, but they all have complete rule over the product.

Booze at the pharmacy? That ain't happening any time soon.

P.S. I should mention that selling booze at convenience stores is a popular topic of conversation that never amounts to anything, but keeps getting retreaded over and over again.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Fri Feb 07, 2014 2:59 am

I buy cigarettes at the packie or at Cumby's because CVS is inconvenient. I buy store-brand nicotine gum there, though, because it's cheaper than Nicorette.

Carpet_pissr · Post by **Carpet_pissr** » Fri Feb 07, 2014 9:21 am

LordMortis wrote:
Blackhawk wrote:Just a liquor store around here. By some odd coincidence, they all seem to be named 'Cold Beer.'
Ours are all named "Lotto Liquor" I want to trade make that phrase and demand anyone that wants to sell a lotto liquor needs to pay me for the privilege.

Great band name.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Wed Sep 03, 2014 10:18 am

Isgrimnur wrote:USA Today

Drug store giant CVS Caremark announced Wednesday it will no longer sell tobacco products at its 7,600 pharmacies by Oct. 1.

CVS decided the time is now:

CVS Caremark has pulled cigarettes from its shelves a month ahead of schedule.

In February, CVS, one of the nation's largest drugstore chains, said it would stop selling tobacco products by October, despite the profits they brought the company. Now cigarettes in the company's stores are history.

Why are they gone? They were at odds with the company's image and its broader business goals focused on health improvement. "By eliminating cigarettes and tobacco products from sale in our stores, we can make a difference in the health of all Americans," CVS CEO Larry Merlo said in a statement Wednesday.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Wed Sep 03, 2014 10:35 am

Walgreen's motto/slogan right now is "Be Well." The clerks always say it after your purchase. Like a company mandate in place of "goodbye" or "have a good day." Sometimes it strikes me as a bit ironic that they say this while standing in front of a wall of cigarettes.

I'm guessing WAG will eventually follow CVS's lead.

The cynical side of me assumes that CVS has some huge e-cig deal that they're sitting on and will roll out once cigarettes are off the shelves.

Pyperkub · Post by **Pyperkub** » Wed Sep 03, 2014 11:04 am

Be excellent to each other...

Carpet_pissr · Post by **Carpet_pissr** » Wed Sep 03, 2014 11:56 am

LawBeefaroni wrote:Sometimes it strikes me as a bit ironic that they say this while standing in front of a wall of cigarettes.

Don't forget the candy!

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Wed Sep 03, 2014 12:41 pm

Twinkie diet.

Chaz · Post by **Chaz** » Wed Sep 03, 2014 12:45 pm

Be well!

Skinypupy · Post by **Skinypupy** » Wed Sep 03, 2014 12:45 pm

LawBeefaroni wrote:Walgreen's motto/slogan right now is "Be Well." The clerks always say it after your purchase. Like a company mandate in place of "goodbye" or "have a good day." Sometimes it strikes me as a bit ironic that they say this while standing in front of a wall of cigarettes.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Wed Sep 03, 2014 1:22 pm

LawBeefaroni wrote:The cynical side of me assumes that CVS has some huge e-cig deal that they're sitting on and will roll out once cigarettes are off the shelves.

Unlikely. E-Cigs are a PR nightmare. For reasons I can't comprehend they are not controlling sales, or at least not in Michigan yet, so kids are getting more hooked on in e-Cigs than they are on regular smoking. Talk about the gateway drug. I don't get how this specific nicotine delivery system snuck past the laws but it looks like most states had to add to their own "illegal to sell to minors" list.

http://news.yahoo.com/recommends-bannin ... 28046.html

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/are-e- ... 2014-04-16

Typical recent news about the growing use of minors and e-cigs.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Mon Sep 08, 2014 9:41 am

Nee CVS Caremark, now CVS Health.

WOONSOCKET, R.I., September 3, 2014 — CVS Caremark Corporation (NYSE: CVS) announced today that it is changing its corporate name to CVS Health to reflect its broader health care commitment and its expertise in driving the innovations needed to shape the future of health.

Kind of lost in the cigarette news. Happened the same day. But clearly dropping tobacco was intended to give CVS Health a splashy start.

Sounds like they're going to add more primary care services which is clearly a move for HIX/high deductible patients.

Zaxxon · Post by **Zaxxon** » Mon Oct 20, 2014 4:27 pm

Step 1: Nuke tobacco sales at CVS
Step 2: ...?
Step 3: Profit!

We've found Step 2.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Mon Oct 20, 2014 4:31 pm

LawBeefaroni wrote:The more I read about it, the more it seems like a great PR move that has sound financial motivations and rationale.

Here's a quick and easy article:
Why CVS Went Cold Turkey

CVS rakes in roughly $100 billion a year from selling prescription drugs and providing related pharmacy services – making drug sales the company’s biggest cash cow.

...

Bottom line, CVS is simply following the numbers. Cigarettes are passé – and prescription drugs are king.
Our addiction to prescription drugs is a different topic.

Looks like they were right.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Mon Oct 20, 2014 4:32 pm

That's evil genius level maneuvering.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Mon Oct 20, 2014 4:38 pm

Isgrimnur wrote:

That's evil genius level maneuvering.

There is risk. If it drives people to ESRX it's not a good thing for CVS. Personally, I'd be pissed that I'd have to seek out a CVS when there are WAGs all over the place. Hell, there are WAGs in our clinics. We currently have Caremark but that could change ESRX (whoop, forgot we just changed).

Also, some plans have their own PBMs (United, is one).

Some employers might love this "benefit" but there's a limit to how much you can treat your employees like children with no impulse control. "You can't even walk into store that sells cigarettes! The health risk is too high!!"

But I do see WAG eventually dropping cigarettes anyway. This may hasten the move.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Mon Oct 20, 2014 4:41 pm

Isgrimnur wrote:

That's evil genius level maneuvering.

No kidding. They can say they paved the way, when they mean they strong armed everyone else into getting in line behind them.

Post by **ImLawBoy** » Mon Oct 20, 2014 4:46 pm

That's interesting. We have Caremark as our provider, and we just adopted a $50/mo increase to insurance contributions if you smoke. This is doubling down on that.

We already pick up our prescriptions at a local CVS (and we don't smoke), so it doesn't really impact me. It could impact many coworkers, though, as Walgreens is still dominant in this area (although CVS is pretty big, too).

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Mon Oct 20, 2014 4:47 pm

Thinking about it, our neighborhood pharmacy, Ballin Drugs (yes, Ballin Drugs!) doesn't sell smokes. Could be a nice unintended bonus for them and other small independent pharmacies.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Mon Oct 20, 2014 4:55 pm

ImLawBoy wrote:That's interesting. We have Caremark as our provider, and we just adopted a $50/mo increase to insurance contributions if you smoke.

We also have Caremark and I've been reading a lot about insurance penalties to smokers recently. I wonder if we're going to get by that to.

They still haven't scheduled our 2015 meeting. I fear the worst, especially as BCBSM already mailed us a warning that our plan was being "tweaked" and that tweak was financially crushing news for people who use their health care benefits.

coopasonic · Post by **coopasonic** » Mon Oct 20, 2014 5:08 pm

The wait at CVS was already too damn long. Walgreens was quick and easy. On the plus side Walgreens should be even quicker... if I pay the penalty.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Mon Oct 20, 2014 5:23 pm

coopasonic wrote:The wait at CVS was already too damn long. Walgreens was quick and easy. On the plus side Walgreens should be even quicker... if I pay the penalty.

We had to pick up a prescription on the way home a few weeks ago. First time I've picked up a prescription in years. Get to the WAG it was called in to, they inform us that their computers are down. Ok, can they call over to another WAG and move our RX there? No, they can't because their computers have been down all day and they haven't been checking their voicemail since they can fill RXs. So I'll have to call the wife's doctor and have him call it in to another WAG. Wait, WTF? Really? Yes. Ok, what is the number of the WAG down the street? They don't know. Well, can you check for me? No, our computers are down. So you want me to go down the street, get their number, call a doctor who is not in the office, have him call in the RX, and wait? Yes. Why didn't you change your voicemail message to indicate that you weren't taking RXs due to computer problems? Don't know but, hey, that's a good idea!

Long story short, after the 3rd WAG and about an hour and a half, I was ready to pull a Drugstore Cowboy just to get some low-grade antibiotics.

On the plus side, while I was waiting I found these Lego Batman sets inexplicably marked down to $3.99 from like $20. My nephew is set for a long while.

Zarathud · Post by **Zarathud** » Mon Oct 20, 2014 7:11 pm

Did you leave any behind? Seriously, my kids are addicted to LEGO instead of second hand smoke.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Mon Oct 20, 2014 8:26 pm

Zarathud wrote:Did you leave any behind? Seriously, my kids are addicted to LEGO instead of second hand smoke.

Yeah, I just got 1 of each. Bell & Broadway and Belmont & Paulina stores a week ago Friday. No real rhyme or reason to the pricing. I left all the Star Wars ones but I really wanted to grab them. I would have kept them and we (me and the kiddo) have too many toys already.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Thu Sep 03, 2015 8:49 am

~1 year later

CVS Health Corp said on Thursday its decision to stop selling tobacco products last year led to a 1 percent decrease in cigarette sales in some states where the drugstore chain has a sizeable presence.

The September 2014 decision hurt sales, with general merchandise revenue at CVS pharmacies open at least a year falling 7.8 percent in the second quarter from a year earlier, the company said.

However, CVS said it benefited in others ways. In the eight months since the decision, nicotine patch purchases rose 4 percent from a year earlier in the 26 states where it had a market share of 15 percent or greater. The company also said the average number of visits to its retail clinics for smoking cessation counseling nearly doubled.

The 1 percent reduction in sales of cigarette packs occurred in 13 of the states where CVS's market share was at least 15 percent. The company said the decline equated to the average smoker in those states buying five fewer packs of cigarettes, or a total of 95 million.

The company estimated it held 1.5 percent to 2 percent of the U.S. tobacco market before it stopped selling the products, which accounted for about $2 billion in annual sales.

Drazzil · Post by **Drazzil** » Thu Sep 03, 2015 2:22 pm

You can still buy cigarettes at Walgreens.

Be well!