The perils of buying tobacco at your local Walgreen's...

The perils of buying tobacco at your local Walgreen’s….

Let me tell a short story about my experience this evening at on of America’s premiere drug stores.

I went in to buy a pack of Camel’s my preferred brand. Being somewhat short in the money department the day before all my millions come rolling in on payday, I inquired of the cost when it was my turn at the cashier. The cashier replied $ 4.65, which I luckily had on me. When I went to pay for them, the cashier informed me that I should be charged more for the cigarettes.  I being a little confused about this comment questioned whether the price was correct or not. I was informed that it was the right price and realized that his comment was based on his personal feelings about tobacco, and by his attitude, those who use tobacco. In this case me!

Now I will be one of the first to tolerate someone’s right to voice his or her opinion, but in this case it was done in uniform acting as a representative of the Walgreen’s chain of drug stores. I informed this misguided employee that I did not appreciate his attitude and told him to keep his personal opinions to himself. I did not hear his smart reply because he mumbled some sort of unintelligible comment.

At this point I decided to find the manager of the store to “Voice my Reason in AZ” of my thoughts of this whole episode. I was informed that he would be talked to. What else are they going to say? I of course believed that the employee should be taken out to the parking lot and made to pickup all the cigarette butts within a thirty-mile radius wearing nothing but a “Joe Camel” costume. Much to my dismay I don’t think anything like this will happen.

I am left with all that a somewhat sane person can do. Write a letter to Walgreen’s so that they may send in a slew of corporate therapist’s to have weeks of sensitivity training with their staff. Thus making sure that the price of the “evil drug” tobacco can go up as the perpetrator wished in the first place. Or I can tell the world my feelings (just like this). I can also never return to that particular Walgreen’s or maybe none of them.

I have already done the first two on that list and may follow up on the last one.

But I really would be much happier if I drove by some day and the SOB was out there in his “Joe Camel” outfit picking up the Butts…