Are Pigs Flying?? Corporation Does The Right Thing, Despite Revenue Loss!

On the one hand, I say “bravo!” to CVS. On the other, it’s more than a little sad that it’s so remarkable when a U.S. corporation does the right thing, despite a significant hit to their bottom line.

In case you haven’t heard, CVS announced today that they will no longer be selling tobacco products of any kind. Come October 1st, consumers will have to go elsewhere to get their cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos, snuff, and chewing tobacco. The move is expected to mean a loss of about $2 billion annually for the pharmacy chain.

Undoubtedly, there will be cries that the business is strong-arming consumer choice; that adults should be able to make their own decisions. (I’d not even be surprised by a right wing boycott of the chain.) But honestly, a business centered around health care  is just not a match with the selling of tobacco products. Sure, at one time, even doctors promoted smoking, but today that’s simply unthinkable. Thanks to CVS, that may soon be the case for other pharmacies and many retailers.

Not only is CVS ending the sale of tobacoo products, CEO Larry Merlo also said “CVS will try to help those who want to quit smoking with a ‘robust national smoking cessation program’ at its locations.”  Merlo believes that “continuing to sell cigarettes, which the Surgeon General blames for 480,000 deaths every year from heart disease, lung cancer, and stroke, was anathema to CVS’ long-term plan to become a central player in the U.S. health care system.”

As it turns out, doing the right thing may actually end up being good for the bottom line. If social media response is any indication, CVS has already earned itself a fair amount of positive publicity. And at a time when drug stores are expanding into wellness services, CVS may be positioning itself as a leader with this $2 billion buy of credibility. Here’s hoping that’s the case. It’s far too seldom we see concrete examples of the convergence of the public good  with the corporate goals.

By: Sandi Behrns

Sandi Behrns is a noted policy nerd, new media & web developer, and consultant to progressive organizations and campaigns. She is a senior contributor to Liberaland, and the Executive Editor of Progressive Congress News.