Utah Grocer Pulling Alcohol And Cigarettes From Shelves

by Heather McLaughlin

An independent grocer in Utah recently announced plans to pull all alcohol and tobacco from his store shelves. He cited his 9 year old daughter as being part of the reason for his decision. She is involved in the D.A.R.E. program that educates and warns school children about the dangers of drugs and alcohol.

“It was a store-level decision between us all,” explained Paul Ream, owner of Ream’s Family Foods.

“We feel like those two products are not healthy,” Ream said.

“When she (his daughter) was in here helping me, asking me why we sell that stuff in our store, it really, really got me thinking, gave me a wake-up call,” Ream said.

He pulled the items earlier this week.

Luckily, sales of these items were already low. Booze and smokes accounted for only 1% of his sales. He plans to restock the shelve space with chilled fruit juices and other healthy products.

What are your thoughts on Mr. Ream’s decision to pull these products from his shelves? Is it a good or bad idea?