Health
The grocery chain will host a cigarette buyback event at the Grove Hall, Dorchester Stop & Shop at 460 Blue Hill Ave. on August 28.
The exterior of a Stop & Shop in Somerville, Photo by JB Reed, Bloomberg News JB Reed/Bloomberg News.
Stop & Shop is coming stop selling cigarettes and tobacco products at all 360 of its locations by Aug. 31, the grocer said in a statement.
The move is part of the brand’s “commitment to community well-being,” the statement said.
The grocery store will also host cigarette buybacks on Aug. 28 at locations in neighborhoods that have higher rates of smoking and smoking-related health problems, according to the statement. The first 100 customers who bring in an unopened pack of cigarettes will receive a Stop & Shop gift card, plus a bag of snacks, mints and smoke withdrawals.
A buyback event will be at the Grove Hall Stop & Shop at 460 Blue Hill Ave., Dorchester.
“Our responsibility as a grocer goes far beyond our aisles, and we are committed to taking bold steps to help our employees, customers and communities work toward better health outcomes,” said Stop & Shop President Gordon Reid.
According to Center of Disease Controlcigarette smoking causes more than 480,000 deaths each year in the United States. More than 16 million Americans currently have a smoking-related disease, the CDC said.
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