Up In Smoke? part 1

Today was a strange Monday, to say the least. We made the front page of the world renowned Trenton Times, for all of the wrong reasons, as usual. Once again, A Little Taste of Cuba is the poster-child for beleaguered Tobacconists. Why can't someone do an article on Tobacconists for being world-class retailers or bastions of freedom in a shrinking landscape? Frankly, I am grateful that someone has taken notice that the newly proposed federal tobacco tax increase will do more damage than good. I hope this is just the beginning.

Some highlights in our manager's own words:

- "The tax can be so severe that it will backfire"

- 'It is unfair to tie the federal program to a particular group'

And one of our customers put it best:

- "I love the children", but "They can do that because there's not a lot of people who smoke cigars" - obviously he opposes...

And another retailer said:

- "It's a free country, why do they focus on just smokers?"