WALMART ENDING CIGARETTE SALES IN SOME LOCATIONS: REPORT

Walmart is planning to end the sale of cigarettes at some of its stores, The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday.

Sources familiar with the matter told the Journal that cigarettes were set to be removed from several locations, including some stores in California, Arkansas, Florida and New Mexico. In place of where the cigarettes would normally be kept, Walmart is apparently setting up more self-checkout registers with grab-and-go items.

According to the Journal’s sources, the decision to transition away from selling tobacco products was made before the COVID-19 pandemic. Walmart chief executive Doug McMillon has reportedly urged other executives for years to find a way to stop selling tobacco.

“We are always looking at ways to meet our customers’ needs while still operating an efficient business,” a Walmart spokesperson told the Journal, though she declined to say how many stores would stop selling cigarettes.