Stop & Shop, a grocery chain with 360 locations in the Northeast with stores in the Bronx neighborhoods of Kingsbridge, Morris Park, Co-op City, Crotona and Baychester, announced Tuesday that it will cease selling cigarettes and tobacco products by Aug. 31.
The company’s decision follows similar retail stores—such as CVS, Target, Wegmans and Wal-Mart—that have stopped selling tobacco products. It also comes at a time when municipalities continue to hike the cost of tobacco products in an attempt to promote healthy living.
“Our responsibility as a grocer goes far beyond our aisles, and we are committed to taking bold steps to help our associates, customers, and communities work towards better health outcomes,” said Gordon Reid, Stop & Shop President, in a statement. “From our team of registered dietitians that serve our customers at no cost to our trained and trusted pharmacy associates, Stop & Shop aims to support the health and well-being of the neighborhoods we serve – and this exit from tobacco is one more way we’re accomplishing that goal.”
According to NYC Smoke-Free, the Bronx has the second-highest adult smoking rate in the five boroughs, just behind Staten Island. Approximately 11.7% of Bronx adults smoke, just shy of Staten Island’s 11.9%. The smoking rate across the city is 8.7%.
New Yorkers who are enrolled in Medicaid or are unemployed smoke at a higher rate than the general adult population, according to New York State Department of Health data. The same is true of residents with a yearly income of less than $25,000, have less than a high school education, frequently report mental distress, or live with a disability.
The borough’s double-digit smoking rate combined with high levels of air pollution in some neighborhoods are also likely to put Bronxites at high risk for health complications.
New York City continues to discourage smoking.
In 2017, NYC passed a minimum floor price law that raised the minimum price of a pack of cigarettes to $13, increasing the financial burden of being a smoker.
Now, with NYC Mayor Eric Adams’ “Operation Padlock to Protect” shutting down swathes of illegal tobacco shops citywide—which often sell low-cost bootlegged cigarettes—tobacco in the Bronx is becoming increasingly expensive and more difficult to buy.
Whether the reason is financial or health-related, there are resources available for Bronxites who want to leave the cloud of smoke behind. Stop & Shop emphasized its commitment to community health in its statement.
“We welcome everyone looking to quit smoking to come and meet with one of our specially trained, dedicated pharmacists, who are partners in supporting our customers’ needs at their convenience,” said Katie Thornell, Stop & Shop Director of Pharmacy.
Additional resources and programs for quitting smoking can be found:
New York State Smokers’ Quitline
https://www.nysmokefree.com/
866-NY-QUITS (866-697-8487)
Chinese (800-838-8917)
Korean (800-556-5564)
Vietnamese (800-778-8440)
Apply for a free starter kit of nicotine medications and to talk to a quit coach
Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center
Be BOLD-Quit Smoking Program
Free Program
1300 Morris Park Ave.
Bronx, NY 10461
718-430-2697
English and Spanish
Call or email cancersupport@einsteinmed.edu to register
NYC Health+Hospitals/Jacobi
Smoking Cessation Program
1400 Pelham Parkway S.
Building 1, Room 4W2
Bronx, NY 10461
718-918-3907
Call for an appointment. Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
NYC Health+Hospitals/Lincoln
Smoking Cessation Program
234 E. 149th St.
Bronx, NY 10451
718-579-4943 or 718-579-6570
English and Spanish
Get referred through a Lincoln Hospital provider. Monday and Friday, 1:40 to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, 8:40 to 10:30 a.m.
