Walmart Employees Should Not Smoke in Doorways

As a smoker, I can understand how this would irritate you and be of
some serious concern to your friend on oxygen.

Each business that wants to curtail smoking should provide an area
where smokers can smoke that is somewhat of a shelter.

This means a ROOF (for when it rains) at the bare minimum....and if
the business is nice to their people, a heater to keep the area warm
in the cold weather.


The only things I don't agree with are no smoking in bars (ridiculous
as many non-smokers smoke when they drink booze) and smoke-free
complexes (hey, if I want to smoke in MY CAR on the property, that is
MY business. It's MY car!). These two exceptions are anti-smokers
taking things entirely too far and trying to behave fascistically
towards smokers.

Now that so many of the products are available over the counter,
insurance no longer covers them. Mine doesn't. The only ones my
insurance will cover is something like Chantix which I will not and
cannot take due to the side effects. Someone in my office used it and
while it worked in the short term, it turned him into the nastiest
person with really bad mood swings. Once he stopped taking it, he
started smoking again.

I truly believe they can find an effective product for people to quit
smoking but the tobacco companies are such strong lobbyists that they
don't. I really wouldn't mind the taxes I pay for cigarettes if they
truly went to fund cessation programs and research but in reality they
don't.

Smoking is one of those things that polarizes some people, like
religion and politics. People "in the know" are quick to share their
opinion and request enforcement, while those who "in on it" prefer to
do what they've always been doing. It's more of a microcosmic divide
in culture and society - Those who smoke and those who don't...

Truth is, it's their decision - Offering those classes would be great,
but would it work and be cost-effective at the same time? Having
worked in the restaurant business, I can tell you that unless you
smoke, you don't get a break...So maybe productivity increase could be
a motivation for the employer to pay for this...But putting that money
and time into the hands of an addict is another question
all-together.

Of course, they should have a place all to themselves to smoke - Free
of customer traffic...But the fact that it's not being enforced or
recommended already makes me think that perhaps the management at this
particular Wal-Mart is also part of the problem, or doesn't have
enough interest to make that change, much less offer cessation
classes...True prevention and cessation programs start from within the
community and involve all aspects of the community, and involvement
from key community players (perhaps such as yourself) may be a good
place to start for a coalition to modify some of these inner-community
conditions.

These people should not be smoking in the doorway. They could walk 20
or 30 feet along the building and be well out of the way of most
people.

In Ohio, we have a smoking ban that went into effect in the past year
or two. Aside from any economic impact, there are 3 negatives I have
noticed that the ban caused. First, my workplace removed the outdoor
smoking shelter when the ban went in place. I think this was just to
remove any liablity because in a downtown location, there's always a
door close by. Now all the smokers have to dangerously stand in the
medium of the road to smoke.

Second, ashtrays at entrance ways had to be removed. Now the smokers
have no where to put the butts and they are all over the ground.

Third, every business must have a non-smoking sign posted with a
number to call for violations. Its the classic cigartette with the
line through it. To me, this is like an advertisement for cigarettes.
Whether or not there is a line through it, now children see a picture
of a cigarette everytime they go into any store. And when they want to
rebel when they are teenages, guess what's going to be embedded in
their mind as the thing not to do....

I think business like this should offer an indoor space where
employees (or customers, even) could smoke. It would need to be
fairly well sealed from the rest of the store and would not share air
circulation with the rest of the store. Airports have rooms like
this.

Since smokers feel that their smoke is not offensive, I'm sure that
they'd be quite happy to be in a small space with other smokers,
inhaling the lovely (and non-dangerous) smoke from the others.

There's not much you can do until your state passes a smoking ban.
Once we did that in Minnesota, finally, FINALLY smokers *usually*
follow the law and stay the required distance from building
entrances.

I mean, you can voice your complaint to the store as you've done here,
but a law will help.

As much as I feel for smokers who are getting taxed at a high rate and
then ostracized for their vice, I love the smoking ban. It's so nice
to come home and not have to deal with smoke-stinky clothes and hair.
Unfortunately, the state smoking ban in Minnesota has hurt my local
bingo parlor (which was a BLAST), and they had an awesome setup with
special rooms for nonsmokers (smokers were the majority) -- the law
effectively ruined that for them.

When I worked at walmart they had an outside shelter by the receiving
dock where the employees could go smoke. Then the non-smoking laws
happened and they demolished the shed and split the break room into 2
rooms. Smokers went into one side, the nons in the other.

Gail C.,

This is not just a WalMart problem. It's a retail of all sizes and
makes problem.

Smoking Cessation classes might be a nice perk but from the associates
I see smoking outside Walmart I highly doubt quitting smoking is hign
on their list.

CSM in my book stands for Customer Service Manager.

As the other poster inferred access to the back of the building to
smoke would be a Loss Prevention nightmare.

Best bet is to quit but that is easier for some.

Stop back if your hear back and if you don;t in a reasonable amount of
time you might try pasting your letter on to the Walmart.com site.

BillR.

In Ohio you have to be so many feet away from public entrances.

I would check with your states laws regarding this to see if there is
a certain distance they need to be from the doorway (employee or
customer). If so then ask how you go about having it enforced.

Next to the front doors, outside, seems like it is likely public
property and people have a right to smoke there. We've kicked smokers
pretty much into the ashcan of society.

Offering smoking cessation classes would be all fine and good if there
were a high probability of success. Based on friends I have had who
tried to stop smoking, I think the success rate is small.

Don't get me wrong - cigarette smoke makes me sick. I take gulps of
air prior to passing through a cloud of smoke a smoker has expelled.
I understand that your friend on oxygen doesn't have much freedom to
breath deeply on demand.

The back door idea is interesting, but I don't know if employees have
the ability to enter and exit out back of the building. That sounds
like a possible security risk.