Everything for People Concerned About Smoking & Nonsmokers' Rights FIRST on the Internet for Smoking News and Documents Action on Smoking and Health A National Legal-Action Antismoking Organization Entirely Supported by Tax-Deductible Contributions | To Comment or Read Other Members' Comments, Tobacco Shops Grow in Popularity [08/20-3] Excerpts from: Tobacco Shops. . . grow in popularity in Maine By COLIN HICKEY, [08/19/01] In a state that in October will increase its per-pack tax on cigarettes to $1, opening stores that cater to smokers may seem like a questionable business decision. Tax-revenue numbers, moreover, confirm that cigarette sales in the state have declined 16 percent since 1997, the year the state raised the tax to 74 cents from 37 cents a pack. But Alan Decker, president of Bangor-based Reid's Confectionery, which owns 21 Cigaret Shoppers in Maine, said his stores are doing well and points to tax increases as one of the reasons. Such hikes, he said, have led directly to the rise of stores that specialize in tobacco and use discounts to generate high-volume sales. Decker ...
