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I would like to start out this article by clarifying that I currently work for Walgreens. However, I have no biases towards the company, in fact this article will produce quite the contrary result as I firmly disagree with their sale of tobacco products.
This past month, CVS has officially stopped the sale of tobacco products including cigarettes and cigars. The first thought I had was that this decision might lead to a loss of business and the revenue generated from selling the cigarettes. Therefore, I decided to do a little investigating.
I found that Walgreens only makes around 50 cents to $1.50 per pack of cigarettes sold, which puts it at about 15% profit margin. This is a terrible margin as opposed to its health and beauty items that average 30-50% margins. (Crain’s Chicago Business) Therefore, this decision would not dramatically hurt the profits of the company since they have much better profit margins on their own products, such as their nicotine patches that help people quit smoking. And if people are not spending ten dollars for a pack of cigarettes, then they have much more money to spend on other products that may make the company more money.
Regardless of the profit made from the cigarettes, this decision could in fact lead to an increase in customers that respect the company’s commitment to the health of its customers. If I were not receiving an employee discount from Walgreens, I would most likely be shopping at CVS because I admire their integrity and despise the hypocrisy that Walgreens exemplifies through its sale of cigarettes.
Walgreens claims to be “At the Corner of Happy and Healthy,†and wants its customers to “Be Well.†In fact, I have to tell every customer to “Be Well.†With slogans emphasizing so much on healthy living it is absolutely shocking that they still sell cigarettes.
Everyone has heard and knows of all the health risks and complications that result from smoking cigarettes. Therefore, I am not going to even address the issues of lung cancer, cardiovascular diseases, gum disease, or the countless other health issues that arise from smoking.
Walgreens knows these risks well, yet they force its employees to sell cigarettes while still telling the customer to “Be Well.†Does the company understand the definition of “well,†or are they blinded by the desire to make money from cigarettes?
CVS has now been running ads that highlight their commitment to healthcare and the health of its customers through the elimination of cigarettes and the expansion of its health clinics.
Walgreens is also expanding their health clinics, and at its core it is a pharmacy that is prescribing drugs to help people get better. With these two facets being at the base of the company, why would they sell something that directly opposes those beliefs and causes cancer and other diseases?
In my opinion, cigarette smokers are repeat customers for their other businesses such as the health clinic and pharmacy as well as their nicotine patches and gum. I can see no other reason besides the aforementioned opinion and money, for Walgreens to continue to sell cigarettes.
Apparently to Walgreens, a customer that smokes and develops diseases are more beneficial to them because they will then be using their clinics and pharmacy to either try to quit or simply put a bandage on the diseases that cigarette smoking has caused.
Countless lives have been cut too short due to cigarette smoking. A company that promotes health and wellness should be encouraging its customers to quit, rather than offering those quitting products and tempting them with cigarettes that are positioned directly next to them. A customer that lives longer will logically be able to shop longer and spend more money. Henceforth shouldn’t health and wellness be valued more to the company than smoking?
As I previously mentioned, Walgreens and CVS are pharmacies and health clinics at their core. On the way out of any other doctor’s office or hospital it would seem ridiculous for the receptionist to offer you a pack of cigarettes.
So why does Walgreens continue to sell cigarettes along with offering health clinics, a pharmacy, and preventative methods to stop smoking?
I believe that Walgreens needs to stand up against smoking if they truly believe in health and wellness. They need to actually encourage customers to “Be Well,†not just tell them to.
Zach Heppner
Viewpoints Editor
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