Question: What do you get when you walk from Target to Books-A-Million? Answer: A face full of smoke. Confused? Stay with me here, I’m about to explain. In one of my favorite shopping centers, smack-dab between Target and Books-A-Million, sits Circuit City. Now, I’m not here to blast Circuit City per se (not today, anyway), but on every trip I’ve made to that shopping center, I have seen at least three employees smoking on the sidewalk in front of the store. And not just employees – managers, too. There they stand with their massive clumps of keys chained to their pants, puffing away like there’s no tomorrow and throwing their butts on the sidewalk and into the landscaping. Some customers, those fortunate enough to spot the break-in-progress in advance, detour into the parking lot to avoid the billowing smoke. Not so lucky are the customers enjoying a cup of coffee and a scone on Books-A-Million’s patio. That smoke has to go somewhere, and it always seems like the wind is blowing west (guess which direction BAM is located in relation to Circuit City?). Smoking is a personal thing. It’s not for me, but if you want to do it, go right ahead. But not in front of the store! I’m obviously not alone either; here’s a look at a few comments I
found on the Web:

“…the front reeks like a dirty old ashtray and cigarette butts litter the entry way.”

“You would think that [this store] could at least provide their employees with a decent smoking area so that the non-smokers do not have to navigate through the fog to gain entry to the store.”

“I defy anyone, smoker or not, to tell me seriously that having half a dozen employees smoking (with all the attendant garbage and inevitable littering) outside the main entrance to a public place/business projects a positive image.”

How many customers do you suppose Circuit City has lost because they didn’t want to “navigate through the fog”? All things being equal, I can imagine hundreds of customers over the course of a year would decide to go across the street to Best Buy where the air is cleaner. Take heed, Circuit City, before your ashes turn to dust!