The moratorium , but Thursday it becomes a reality: no more smoking on property.
For shoppers, it means not lighting up on theway to or from the parking lot. For employees, it means no smoke breaks at store exits or loading docks—if a retail worker wants a nicotine fix, they'll now have to smoke in their car, officials said.
The new policy was put in place by the Pyramid Management Group, LLC, which owns the Palisades Center, along with several other malls throughout New York and Massachusetts.
"We strongly believe this new policy will not only support our employees and guests who are sensitive to secondhand smoke or are trying to quit smoking, but it also will provide a more enjoyable and healthier shopping experience to the millions of visitors who come through our doors each year," said James L. Soos, director of asset management with the Pyramid Management Group.
At first, no tickets or fines will be dished out—only warnings. No new stores in the mall will be able to sell tobacco products, but the two existing ones , officials said.
Pyramid officials said no-smoking signs will be posted around the property, and mall employees will have opportunities to receive counseling to quit smoking.
Still, mall workers are not pleased. Patch spoke with several—none of whom wished to share their name, for fear of it affecting their employment—.
The decision also resonated with Patch readers. , about half of voters said the new rule is too restrictive. The other 50-percent of voters hailed the change as "a great thing for the community."
This is a case of the right to smoke vs. the right to smoke-free air. Tobacco is a legal drug, smoking is a legal thing to do, but if people who go to the Mall want to smoke, they can do it in their car without bothering anyone else. In terms of too much Nannyism, I find that the loudest complainers about Nannyism are often the very same "libertarians" who oppose marriage equality and support putting the government between women and their most personal and private of decisions. Why do they get so upset about a smoking ban and not utter a peep about speed limits on our roads, the requirement to wear seatbelts, or helmets while bike riding? P.S. I support Mayor Bloomberg on this soda business.
Maybe. That's debatable. We're sure not as free as we were 200 years ago.
Taking a smoke break in one's car remains an option, though "We're not going to go in people's cars," said LeeAnn Dell'Accio, the mall's director of marketing. What's rediculous is the fact that they try to ban smoking, but still all the tabacco products listed as baned are still being sold there? Want to help protect the public? Ban alcohol sales in the mall. Walk by Chilies on a Friday night and look at all those drunk idiots. You think they all walked there ? Just saying.
Maybe the funds that are going to be spent to enforce this ludicrous ban should be redirected to their housekeeping budget- have you ever tried to use the public restrooms in that mall? I think those are more of a public health hazard than a few smokers in the parking lot.