It isn’t every day that an unreconstructed sixties radical gets to say something positive about a megabillion corporation. But CVS’ s decision to stop selling tobacco products definitely deserves a few words of praise. The rationale — that selling tobacco products contradicts the store’s mission of promoting health — is certainly solid, and the corporation’s PR statements on the occasion have been spot on. The move makes Walgreen and Rite-Aid look positively evil by comparison. But CVS’s decision won’t take effect until October 1, which gives the competition plenty of time to move to the head of the pack by announcing a stoppage of tobacco sales immediately.
As the NY Times reportage points out, the move won’t impact the biggest pipeline through which tobacco products reach the consumer: the corner market. The “mom and pop” that run most of these stores, according to Michael Moss’s book, Salt, Sugar, Fat, tend to be deep in debt to franchise landlords and virtual slaves to major processed food, tobacco, and beverage companies.
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