Walmart, the world’s largest retailer and employer in the USA will no longer sell cigarettes in certain stores in the nation as it looks to change its policies on tobacco. This is a great step for Walmart as it shows that the giant retailer cares about the health of Americans.
Many large retail chains have come under fire for selling tobacco and not taking a proactive step to show concern for their customers’ well being.
The states that are participating in this ‘no cigarette sales in Walmart’ are Arkansas, California, Florida, and New Mexico. Grab and go self-checkout registers will be filled with fast to go food and candy. The move affects some of the 5,000 stores Walmart that are located in the U.S.
Walmart (WMT), raised the minimum age to buy tobacco to 21. It has also stopped selling e-cigarettes at many Sam’s Club stores that are owned by Walmart. Target and CVS have also stopped selling tobacco in their stores.
According to the most recent Federal Trade Commission Cigarette Report, the number of cigarettes that the largest cigarette companies in the United States sold to wholesalers and retailers nationwide increased from 202.9 billion in 2019 to 203.7 billion in 2020. This is the first-time that annual cigarette sales have increased in 20 years.
Source: FTC
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