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Voices News & Events Taking loss on tobacco sales is everyone's gain
Voices News & Events Taking loss on tobacco sales is everyone's gain 
| Taking loss on tobacco sales is everyone's gain |
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It has been eight months since Jim Hiller decided that his chain of Michigan grocery stores would stop selling cigarettes. The good news is that he's still receiving honors. The good news is that Hiller's Markets will survive. There is no bad news. Friday morning, the Tri-Community Coalition honored Hiller, the company's CEO, with a Power of One award, named for the national speaking tour I'm on to encourage people to find individual, personal ways to help their communities. "We felt that Hiller's used that power of one to make a change," said Judy Rubin, the coalition's executive director. "He feels very strongly about tobacco products, strong enough that he got rid of all the tobacco in Hiller's stores and took a financial loss. He wanted to make a difference." Stop the sufferingHiller made the announcement in January, saying he didn't "want to be responsible for killing people, plain and simple." "When someone's addicted to smoking," he said, then "the people around them suffer, too, from secondhand smoke." Hiller expected his stores to lose about $250,000 in revenue from cigarette sales. But sometimes, good deeds not only go unpunished, but lead to more good things. Take a standHiller's has done just fine without the cigarettes. And Hiller, who also promotes Michigan goods with special labels in his stores, has gained new fans.I'm one. It's not enough these days to just ignore hazards that result in millions of dollars in health care costs. Sometimes, you have to take a stand. Oh, don't get him wrong. The action has cost Hiller thousands from the cigarette stock he threw out in January and hundreds of thousands in sales. But he has no regrets. "As you can imagine, it was a somewhat controversial decision opposed mightily by those who smoke cigarettes," Hiller said in an interview. "Nonetheless, it was a decision that I felt very strongly about, and despite it having taken a toll monetarily, I still stand by the decision. "I am of the opinion that while we are all responsible for our own salvation and have the right to make our own choices, that smoking is one of those decisions that impacts not only those who do it, but those who don't. "If you'd been in that position and you believed what I believed, it was a matter of commitment," he said, "and I felt very strongly. "It had followed the death of a couple of people that I knew as a result of smoking, and it followed a report just a few days or weeks before that reaffirmed the noxious but dangerous aspects of secondhand smoke. "It occurred to me that that just trumped the economics. "There are some things that you do with your head and others with your heart. In this case, it was really important for my company." It's important for everyone's health as well. Thanks again, Mr. Hiller. Click here to view original article at freep.com |
