7-ELEVEN SEIZES OPPORTUNITY AS CVS ENDS TOBACCO SALES IN BETHESDA (PHOTOS)

CVS Pharmacy's announcement that it was ending sales of tobacco products in its stores yesterday sent Bethesda smokers who frequent its area stores to convenience and grocery store competitors. 7-Eleven has posted a sign with warm-welcome vibes for smokers at its River Road store.

7-Eleven welcomes
smokers on River Road
in Bethesda

Obviously, if you're the CEO of 7-Eleven, you're probably an even bigger fan of CVS than you were already just days ago. I regularly shop at several Bethesda CVS stores, and there were always people coming in to buy cigarettes. I've noticed those customers often are there just for the cigarette purchase, meaning they are unlikely to enter the store otherwise. While CVS continues to have all of its other convenience products, and should remain profitable, there's little question its profits will decline in the short term without cigarette sales. As a non-smoker, the change at CVS has no effect on me.

By the way, if you're not a smoker either, there's still a 50¢ small coffee special at 7-Eleven right now, through September 14. The signs are up at River Road and the downtown Bethesda location (at Wisconsin and Fairmont Avenues). Why 50¢? Did you know that 7-Eleven was the first to sell "on-the-go" coffee in America? It launched self-service coffee sales in 1964 on Long Island.

A smoker and a java fiend? It sounds like it's time to celebrate at 7-Eleven.