Replies

” I’m wondering what us small retailers can do. “

A couple of quick thoughts come immediately to mind —

Barter...

Go ‘Cash only’ — do away with checks or plastic....

Sell products from local ‘cottage industry’ people...

Once your thinking ventures even slightly ‘out-of-the-box’, (Yes, this takes a bit of courage) the possibilites will become apparent....
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“ On a personal level I intend to stop smoking, to me it’s a patriotic act...funny how that has become the only convincing reason to quit for me. “

Especially in the context of this thread — knuckling under to the Nanny-Staters most assuredly isn’t a ‘patriotic act’.. It’s merely the ‘path of least resistance’....

There are any number of valid reasons to quit (and I say this as a smoker, myself), but this is nothing more than rationalization of abject surrender....

“Especially in the context of this thread — knuckling under to the Nanny-Staters most assuredly isn’t a ‘patriotic act’.. It’s merely the ‘path of least resistance’....”

???
By denying them the .65 tax per pack (or whatever it will be.)To me that’s my small contribution to the failure of their policies. I still have to purchase fuel, I still have to purchase certain hard goods for the household-all have sales taxes tacked to them. But the smokes are voluntary.
True, eventually when their plans fail, they will go after the next cash cow to fund their folly-sodas and overly sweet and/or salty snacks come to mind- and so on down the line of minor sins.

Perhaps my reasoning is faulty to you, and maybe it is. But sheer frustration leaves me thinking what can I do? I don’t see it as complying with the Nannies, they are counting on the addictive nature of tobacco to keep the revenue coming in, even though outwardly they wag a finger at us smokers.
They are counting on us smokers to keep lighting up...I don’t want to give them that.

Thank you for the suggestions, Unc, for the retail field, however. There are some good ideas for me to explore.