MetaChat - On the way home,

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13 November 2008

On the way home, I stopped at the corner store to buy a pack of cigarettes. The guy behind the counter said that each pack of Camels (my brand) came with a free pack of SNU's. Isn't this a bit like giving away AA literature with every six-pack or a Bible with every copy of Hustler?→[More:]

Also, a lady came into the store today and said she was selling books. I politely told her to wait in line and she did. When she got to the front, I took her bag to unload it. It was really light. "There's only book covers in there," she said. "Ma'am, we have to see the books before we buy them, because condition affects value." "Well," she sniffed indignantly, "you could have told me that before making me wait in line!" and stomped out. Sorry, honey, my x-ray visions been on the fritz lately. My bosses wre in kind of a pissy mood today, too. Thankfully, one of my regulars tipped me $20, so I could have a few pops after punching out.

post by: jonmc at: 20:59 | 13 comments

I'm pretty sure snus aren't a tool to quit smoking... they're just a different way to deliver nicotine. dabitch has mentioned them being popular over there where she lives. (The corner store here has been selling 'em for awhile, too.)

posted by BoringPostcards 13 November | 21:02

From what I'm told they seem like an repackaging of Skoal Bandits. What's the big deal about that?

posted by jonmc 13 November | 21:28

Also, I heard about the Obama-Biden employment application tonight on TV. "Heard" is the wrong word, I was in a bar and saw it on TV with the sound off, but the captioning was on. The shit I've admitted to on MeFi and Mecha alone would eliminate me and posible get me thrown into a re-education camp.

posted by jonmc 13 November | 21:33

I think it's supposed to be a way of getting your nic fix in non-smoking areas, but it's not as disgusting as dip (no need for spit cups).

posted by middleclasstool 13 November | 21:34

Yeah snus only became really popular, particularly among the young, hipster crowd, after the smoking bans were implemented.

posted by goo 13 November | 21:45

The young, hipster crowd in Scandinavia, I mean. Clicked post too soon.

posted by goo 13 November | 21:56

I have rocked and will occasionally still rock the snus, it's less gnarly than skoal, but not by much. For an addicted smoker I'd say it's like getting half of as much nicotine as you really need, just enough, barely. I'd say they are offering it because it's one eighth as deadly as smokes (just a spitball estimate there, not a real fact) and they know that they are behind the eightball.

posted by Divine_Wino 13 November | 22:25

Wait, you get tips working at a book store?

posted by hellojed 14 November | 01:40

Snus is a national habit in Sweden, it was one of the biggest questions when we debating joining the EU "will we keep our SNUS even though it causes untold cases of really awful mouth cancer and is totally bad for you?" Once the "Yeah fine, you crazy Swedes can keep your snus even though it's banned in most of Europe" thing was sorted, we joined.

That's how addictive that shit is. ;)

It's pretty clever of Camel to ride the "people think it's a road to quitting ciggies" idea that people have now by giving away their brand with cigarettes. If you're going to witch nicotine delivery systems, you can stay with your brand.

Before smoking bans in Sweden, snus was a low-class thing. Now I have quite a few girlfriends who do it (this also began because smoking rooms in hospitals were banned first, so all nurses began using snus instead)

posted by dabitch 14 November | 04:38

I read today that in 2007 for the first time since 1960, the number of smokers in the US went under 20% of the population

posted by matteo 14 November | 15:36

(you're an elitist, giovanni)

posted by matteo 14 November | 15:36

Snus are pretty big here on base because we can only take smoke breaks at lunch on school days, which means two >four hour smokeless periods, and even longer if you do your studying right before or after school. I don´t smoke, but it seems pretty easy to go back and forth between cigarettes and snus, so it looks like a pretty natural brand extension for Camel.

posted by concrete 14 November | 17:29

The swedish snus has nitrites and other carcinogens removed. Sure some mouth cancer, but it's mainly gum and teeth problems, minuscule damaged compared to tobacco. There have always been various packaging of chewing tobacco in the US, some with a teabag container. That shit is full on poison. My cynicism say the US product is snus in name only.

Jon, I still have that stash I offered you. I'll drop one buy the store someday.

posted by StickyCarpet 14 November | 19:53

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