Point of Sale refers to any retail environment in which tobacco products are sold, including traditional tobacco outlets and vape shops, convenience stores, gas stations, pharmacies, grocery stores, and wholesalers.
Tactics used by the tobacco industry in these venues include indoor and outdoor advertisements, price promotions, branded power walls, locating tobacco products near candy and toys, and the prominent stocking of sweet-flavored tobacco products.
Exposure to tobacco marketing at the point of sale has been linked to increased susceptibility to smoking, temptation for former smokers, and lower rates of successful quit attempts.
In light of the negative impact of point of sale marketing on health, tobacco control advocates in many communities have begun to explore the point of sale as the location for innovative tobacco control policies and public health interventions, including:
RHA works actively to identify, develop, and implement innovative policy solutions to address tobacco influence at the point of sale. To learn more about our efforts, read our Point of Sale Prevention issue brief in the Tobacco Control section of our Library.
For more information about our Point of Sales initiatives, contact Kelly Nichols, Senior Manager of Policy and Advocacy, via email at knichols@resphealth.org or by phone at (312) 628-0226.