Stop & Shop exchanges gift cards for cigarettes on Staten Island, where smoking and cancer rates are highest in NYC

STATEN ISLAND, NY — A local Stop & Shop partnered with the American Cancer Society on Wednesday for a cigarette buyback to help New York City customers quit smoking and mark the end of the store’s tobacco sales.

This event comes after the retailer committed to stopping the sale of cigarettes and tobacco products at all 360 locations in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York and New Jersey as part of its commitment to public health.

“Stop & Shop is committed to improving the health and well-being of the communities we serve, and exiting tobacco is another way we can achieve that goal,” said Gordon Reid, president of Stop & Shop.

Staten Island, the smallest of New York City’s five boroughs, has the highest cigarette smoking rate at 22%, according to the Centers for Disease Control, well above the citywide average of 8.7%. According to the New York State Department of Health, Staten Island residents also have the highest lung and bronchial cancer rates in the city.

At Stop & Shop’s cigarette buyback event, representatives from the American Cancer Society, Dr. Thomas Paul Bradley, director of the Division of Hematology and Oncology at Staten Island University Hospital and Northwell Health Cancer Center, and Stop & Shop employees urged customers to quit smoking.

The first 100 customers to bring in an unopened pack or carton of cigarettes received a Stop & Shop gift card, a gift bag containing items such as gum, raisins, popcorn, mints, nuts and smoking cessation aids, and $10 discount coupons for Nicorette from Haleon.

Janet Mateo of Todd Hill was among the shoppers who participated in Stop & Shop’s cigarette buyback and received a gift bag.

George Lee of Manor Heights also attended and said, “It’s just time to quit.” He has tried to quit before and now hopes he will succeed.

Even store security guard Fatih Cevik took part in Stop & Shop’s cigarette buyback campaign. He had decided to quit smoking for health reasons and saw the campaign as a perfect opportunity.

“We are pleased to partner with Stop & Shop as they commit to ending the sale of all tobacco products in their stores,” said Dr. Karen E. Knudsen, CEO of the American Cancer Society and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. “This is a step in the right direction to end the tobacco industry’s influence on children, and we know more can be done to reduce the burden of tobacco in our communities. We urge state lawmakers to prioritize funding for tobacco control programs so that those motivated to quit through these efforts have the tools they need to succeed.”

According to the World Health Organization, around 780 million people worldwide want to quit smoking, but only 30% have access to the necessary resources. Tobacco use can lead to addiction and serious health problems.