Ok, this is the deal. I work at a grocery store. That store has a smoke-free policy. It has a smoking area set up in the back of the store for the employees, but there is no smoking allowed in the stores. (Where the shopping is done.) Has been this way for a LONG time. Anywho - management sent out a memo last week. Starting Sept. 28 there will be no smoking anywhere in the building anymore. Not only that, any employees who smoke will ONLY be allowed to smoke in their vehicles. Not outside the door either.

Now, I am not a smoker, and the smell of smoke makes me quesy(sp?). Don't know why, always has. My mom and dad both smoke and have my whole life. And, yes, they smoked around me, so it isn't as if I'm not used to it. However, I think this rule is EXTREMELY unfair. They aren't going to tell the customers, you can only smoke in your car, not in our parking lot, or our outside cafe area. So why tell the employees that?

I once worked at a company that gave you 2 breaks if you smoked (10 min smoke break, and lunch), and only 1 (lunch) if you didn't. That was just wrong. And this is essentially the same thing in my opinion. Ugg....


OK, those are my thoughts, what are yours?

By Boxzgrl on Thursday, September 18, 2003 - 09:23 pm:

I agree with it being wrong about the employees but what if they are doing that for professional reasons. I mean, I went to Stater Bros (grocery store) and Rite Aid yesterday and upon walking in both places I had to pass by smoking employees who didntmind blowing their smoke out as soon as I walked in front of them. And maybe the smoke drifts from the back of the store and into the main area where customers can smell it. I dont know why they would want them in their cars. Why not just not in front of the store or in it. Parking lot seems fine to me, not locked up in a hot car. IMO

By Familyman on Thursday, September 18, 2003 - 09:25 pm:

I know why they do this. What you get is groups of employees all on break standing outside smoking. Sometimes they do it out of sight, but sometimes the customers can see them. It's not a attractive or professional thing to see 10 people standing in a huddle dragging down smokes as fast as they can. If it always happened out of sight then it would be ok. Around here they stand right outside the FRONT doors of the store and do it. My bet is that management has gotten complaints from people with kids that employees have been standing outside smoking. Complaints from customers are bad and policies like this are supposed to prevent it.

By Pamt on Thursday, September 18, 2003 - 10:09 pm:

As a paying customer I think it is totally fair. I hate to walk through a cloud of smoke hanging around the front door anyway, but when it involves my kids (and one who has asthma for which cigarette smoke is a prime trigger) it really makes me mad. There is no other way for me to often enter stores than through the main door where the employees are puffing away. I agree with familyman's post entirely. If the employees want to smoke, then I am sure there are other jobs available. As I mentioned in the other smoking post, the hospital where I work has a "no smoking anywhere on the campus" policy. For employees who smoke our employee health dept. offers free smoking cessation programs and will write prescriptions for all of the smoking patches, nicotrol, stuff like that to empower the employees to quit.

By Hol on Friday, September 19, 2003 - 02:53 am:

The hospital where my DD works has the same "No smoking anywhere on the campus" policy. They also SAY that employees are forbidden to smoke, even in their own cars, if they are on the premises, but it's pretty hard to enforce.

By Hol on Friday, September 19, 2003 - 02:55 am:

Annette--Do they have the same attitude toward smoking in Australia? I know, when I was in ENGLAND, they were a lot more liberal about public smoking, than in the States.

By Karen~moderator on Friday, September 19, 2003 - 07:38 am:

I agree with Familyman, that's probably the reason it's being handled that way.

By Colette on Friday, September 19, 2003 - 07:44 am:

ditto familyman.

By Laurazee on Friday, September 19, 2003 - 08:45 am:

No doubt. Same thing happened in my office building. They had ashtrays right outside, presumably so people would put their cigarettes out before they came in. That's where the smokers would huddle outside. Then the building took away the ashtrays, posted some signs, and sent a memo around to all the tenants that the smokers have to go some other location on the loading dock. I don't think it was just people with children - it's not pleasant to walk through a cloud of smoke every morning & afternoon.

We also have a bad panhandler problem in Vancouver and due to some extra efforts by the police, the panhandlers are being pushed out of the East side and into the business district. They used to come and hang around, going through the ashtrays. This seems to have moved them away somewhat.

By Fraggle on Friday, September 19, 2003 - 08:56 am:

Actually in our state it is illegal to smoke in any workplaces including bars which goes into effect soon. It also gives a company the right to not allow any smoking by employees on the property, but if they do allow it they have to create a space that is away from the public and other workers (e.g. not outside entrances, not in break rooms). A few larger companies in our area have created these areas (the grocery store has a semienclosed picnic table away from the main entrance, my DH works for a company that actally put a trailer on their property for smokers (Down side-those people stink when they come out of it) and another does not allow any smoking on their site so people end up smoking out on the sidewalk at the corner of a busy intersection-humiliating if you ask me! Our hospitals have smoke free campuses, too. I actually wish they would take the law a step further and not allow the public to smoke outside business entrances, too-I know it would be hard to enforce-but I also hate entering through the cloud of toxic smoke especially with my children. I have super strong views on this issue since my DH's father died from cancer after smoking most of his life and his mother and sister still smoke! It makes me sick.

By Jujubee on Friday, September 19, 2003 - 06:10 pm:

No smokers have anything to say about this?


As a non-smoker myself I can agree with what you are all saying. Most of our smokers gather at the "smoke bench" inside the back of the store, more so than outside. I don't think I've ever seen any of them smoking outside. But the smell of smoke does drift into the store. I don't care for the smell of it or any of the other reasons you mentioned. I just don't think it's a fair rule.

By Mommyathome on Friday, September 19, 2003 - 06:32 pm:

The sickest thing is when you pull up to Burger King (or wherever) for lunch and see the employees standing outside the door smoking. I always leave.

Our state is a *smoke free state*. There is no smoking allowed in ANY public places. That includes restaurants. There is not a "no smoking" section. I like it that way.

I don't think that employers have the responsibility to accomadate their smoking employees. It's a bad habit and there is no reason to create special circumstances for the smokers. What are some other bad habits? Alcohol, pornography, picking your nose.....are they going to set up special places for those groups of people too?

By Dana on Saturday, September 20, 2003 - 08:13 am:

There was a report on the news last night about some large company doing away w/ smoking anywhere on the property. They state ONE of the reasons for this decision is the reduction in health issues/costs and insurance.

I for one will be happy when smoking is banned from any place there are other non-smokers present....inside or outside. If you want to breath in that junk, keep its circulation around yourself, don't let it come near me.

I won't even wear perfume any more because I never know how the smell will effect someone else. Esp children who have alergies. I can't stand going somewhere and having to breath in the most gosh awful smell from the person two seats down. I tell you, I have had to leave several places (that I have even paid tickets for) due to perfumes.

Same feeling for smoke. I don't think it is fair I have to live with it. And yes, I hate walking thru doors of buildings that have smokers sitting around. As a customer thru the front doors or as an employee thru the back doors.

By Jtw on Saturday, September 20, 2003 - 03:40 pm:

I can't stand it that smokers are allowed to take more breaks than non smokers. At the bakery where I used to work we would have three people on staff each day. My best friend and I were the only ones who did not smoke so we always got stuck working while the others went out for a smoke break. The manager was one of the smokers, so there wan nothing we could do about it. Why should they get rewarded for having a bad habit? That always p****d me off! I agree with all that was said above. I find it to be disgusting, not to mention how lazy it looks to see a bunch of people standing around a taking drags off a cigarrette. There is a large medical building in downtown Minneapolis where my friend's mom worked. My friend would drive her to work so she didn't have to pay for parking. When we would go to pick her up you would see all these people standing around in lab coats puffing away. How dumb is that? The same people who are telling you how bad it is are out there doing it when they think you aren't looking. And by the front door too! How would that look if one of their patients walked in while they were on a smoke break? I don't think I would trust that doctor's advice anymore. It doesn't seem right to me that companies set up special areas for people who smoke. I just don't understand why they are getting special treatment. Those of us who don't smoke don't get special break rooms and extra breaks. GRR!

By Dawnk777 on Saturday, September 20, 2003 - 05:21 pm:

At the hospital where I worked, you were allowed to smoke down in the cafeteria when you were on break or at lunch. Then the hospital went non-smoking and the smokers had to go outside and across the street. It seemed it was mostly the people wearing blue scrubs that were out there smoking. At least they were the most noticable. Then the cemetary across the street was complaining about all the cigarette butts on the ground. I don't remember if they added some more wastebaskets or ash trays out there or not. We didn't live there much longer after that.

By Dawnk777 on Sunday, September 21, 2003 - 07:15 am:

Last night, we went to Quizno's. The two Quizno employees were outside on a smoke break, right in front of the door. They went back in as we approached the door, but we still had to walk through "the cloud". So, they make our sandwiches and a few for someone else and then both of them head right outside, again!

Now, I have worked in three different restaurants in my life. The phrase was, if you have time to lean, you have time to clean. In all those restaurants, if you weren't taking care of customers, there was plenty of prep work or cleaning to do!

Anyway, they finish the second cigarettes and they came back in to "start working again". The guy emptied garbage and the gal was doing something behind us. I just wondered why they needed to run back outside for a smoke so soon after the first one. Sheesh!

Then we leave out of different door and someone else is sitting out smoking so we have to walk through a cloud to leave! Good grief! I don't know if that person was an employee or not, though. This is a Quizno's/convenience store/gas station place.

Off-topic for smoking, but right after the place opened this past year, they put a sign on the soda machine, "This soda fountain is "seperate" from the "convenice" store. The same note is still there with the misspelled words!

By Mommyathome on Sunday, September 21, 2003 - 08:29 pm:

LOL Dawn. I notice silly stuff like that too.

I LOVE Quiznos.

By Familyman on Sunday, September 21, 2003 - 10:28 pm:

I will say that when I was a smoker I always kept it away from other people unless I knew them and knew it was all right. Even when I was putting down over half a pack a day is disgusted me that people would stand outside the front of their work and create a cloud for others to walk through. Not all smokers are inconsiderate jerks, unfortunately the ones that you notice are.

By Dawnk777 on Monday, September 22, 2003 - 12:47 am:

Yeah, Seth, I wish those two kids had had as much consideration!

By Brandy on Monday, September 29, 2003 - 08:55 am:

I work at a local grocery/general merchandise store yeah they have a smoking break room but it p's me off when they open the door and leave it open with one of those caution wet floor signs i usually go and shut it i mean what the heck is the point to have the room if you are still going to make me smell that nasty stuff.I think if you can't stand to smell it then don't do it.Which brings me back to when i detassled there were a whole bunch of people in the back of one truck one day just smoking away and they all had to get out of the truck the smoke was soo bad. Ewwww..

By A_Good_Dad on Sunday, December 12, 2004 - 05:05 pm:

I work for a local Health Department, three years of it in the Tobacco Prevention program. Our main issue was health, not "the smell" or how it looks. I just know that if you want to protect people's health, you don't have smoking sections or "smoking rooms." The smoke makes its way through the building anyway. Best practices for protecting health recommends 100% smoke-free throughout the building. Most communities that are smoke-free also have stipulations against gathering outside the doors or windows where people have to walk through or the smoke can drift back in. I don't think these expectations are unfair to smokers. Secondhand smoke kills people (about 53,000 a year, making it the third or fourth-leading preventable cause of death; and it makes people sick. Being fair means that people do not have to be exposed to this health hazard. I'm glad to see so many people in favor of this.

By Kristie on Wednesday, January 26, 2005 - 12:48 am:

I am a smoker and I agree with it. My bad habit is mine and I don't want it to affect anyone else.
DH and I DO NOT smoke in our house or around our ds ever and we make sure no body else does either. I am glad that most of the resraunts in our town are non-smoking so we can take our ds there. Bars are a diffrent story, I'm glad the bar that we go to isn't smoke free cuz the few times I do drink I smoke like a chimney. But there are bars here that are non smokeing too. I don't mind not being able to smoke everywhere but that is just me.

By Renantex on Wednesday, January 26, 2005 - 11:16 am:

I am a smoker too, and I agree with you Kristie. I don't think everyone should have to pay for my bad habit. For instance, my dad is a farmer and he lets his farmhands smoke in his truck, but I wont do it because I know he doesn't like it. It's a respect thing. I don't think you should be able to smoke around entrances, or inside of public buildings. But I went to Chilli's and my dh asked if there was smoking and the waitress said no, and not even on the parking lot. You cant even smoke across the parking lot? No big deal though, I can just get in my car. The thing that really bugs me is the bar situation. I rarely drink, but I love to go dancing and I think to ban smoking in all bars is wrong. I really think if you were that health conscious, you wouldn't be in a bar throwing back long necks. That's just my opinion.

By Kay on Wednesday, January 26, 2005 - 11:51 am:

I can't stand the stink of stale smoke in people's clothes/hair. If someone waiting on me has just come in from a smoke break, I can smell it clearly enough that I will turn around and leave. I work with physicians, and I've smelled that on nurses....if you're already ill, you really don't need that as well!