Gainesville residents will no longer be able to purchase cigarettes from local CVS stores starting this fall.
National chain CVS Caremark announced last week that by Oct. 1, it plans to stop selling tobacco products at more than 7,600 stores nationwide, according to a company press release. The company reports it will lose about $2 billion in annual revenue from eliminating tobacco sales.
For some local convenient stores, the change could mean an increase in profits.
Vaishali Patel, an employee of the Texaco gas station located about half a mile from the CVS on Southwest 13th Street, said she hopes to see sales begin to increase within the next month.
Some residents are supportive of the chain’s decision, like Tatiana Lauricella, a UF elementary education sophomore.
“I would definitely pick CVS over other pharmacies knowing that they are taking the right steps toward healthy living,” she said, adding that her grandfather was diagnosed with oral cancer because of chewing tobacco use.
However, some residents don’t agree with the pharmacy’s decision. Hawthorne resident and former smoker Toikeith Reynolds said the arrangement won’t stop people from going to a different store to buy their cigarettes.
He added the change might deter people from going to CVS for merchandise other than tobacco products.
“If I was a smoker, I wouldn’t shop at their store because they are making it seem like they are at war against smokers,” he said.
