I stopped at a CVS for the first time in a while.  I asked the cashiers if the new Fairfield Walgreen’s hurt their business.  They said that since CVS stopped selling cigarettes there has been a big drop off of customers and their hours have been cut as a result.  The article below was originally posted February 5, 2014.  CVS stopped selling cigarettes in October 2015.

CVS announced today that they will no longer carry cigarettes by October 1st.  “We’ve got 26,000 pharmacists and nurse practitioners who are helping millions of patients each and every day,” said Larry Merlo, the chief executive of CVS Caremark. “They manage conditions like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes — all conditions that are worsened by smoking. We’ve come to the decision that cigarettes have no place in an environment where healthcare is being delivered.”

Cigarettes count for over two billion dollars in sales for the store.