Some Massechussetts malls going smoke free www.privateofficer.com
HOLYOKE MA March 21 2012 – The Holyoke Mall at Ingleside and the Hampshire Mall in Hadley are both going completely tobacco-free at the end of May.
The same goes for the Berkshire Mall in Lanesborough or any other property owned by Syracuse-based Pyramid Companies.
That means no cigarettes, no cigars, no chewing tobacco or snuff anywhere on the property, inside or outside, said Brian D. Niland, general manager of the Hampshire Mall.
Short-term tenants in the mall will also be banned from selling tobacco, he said. Long term -tenants with leases will be asked to decide for themselves whether they continue to sell tobacco or not.
Niland said stop-smoking classes will be offered to employees at all the Pyramid malls.
“We just think it is going to be a better shopping experience for our customers,” he said. “That’s why it is being implemented. We think its what most of our customers want.”
One common complaint is that smokers tend to congregate near doors, forcing others to walk through their smoke to get in and out of the building, Niland said.
Mall security will be in charge of enforcing the rule, Niland said.
“You handle it on a case by case basis. If someone is unaware of the policy then you educate them,. If someone takes a different stance, you handle it differently.”
Malls are private property, he said.
Source:MAAlive.com
