Curious about how cigarette cartons are affecting modern lifestyles?
Are you one of the millions of Americans that buy your cigarettes by the carton? If so, you’re part of a major trend that has changed how people think about and purchase tobacco in the 21st century.
Let’s face it: there was a time when smoking was simply about grabbing a pack at the corner store. However, in recent years purchasing a carton of cigarettes has become a way of life, and with that come different considerations and changes in behavior.
Here’s the lowdown:
Smoking cigarettes by the carton can change the way you and your household deal with smoking, finances, shopping and social interaction.
In this article you’ll learn:
- The reasons for Carton Purchasing as a Lifestyle
- How Carton Purchasing Affects Finances
- Carton Purchasing as a Social Factor
- Convenience as a Factor
- Price Sensitivity
- The Future of Carton Purchasing
The reasons for Carton Purchasing as a Lifestyle
Allow me to elaborate…
It may seem strange that buying cigarettes in bulk by the carton would even be a “lifestyle” consideration, but let’s break down what’s going on.
The carton purchasing trend began to pick up momentum when the price of cigarettes started to rise at a notable rate.
Yearly US sales of cigarette packs dropped roughly 27% between 2015-2021, from 12.5 billion packs to 9.1 billion. But, curiously, this dip doesn’t necessarily indicate a decrease in overall cigarette consumption.
Many smokers have simply shifted their buying habits instead.
Modern carton buyers include:
- Price sensitive buyers who want to get the best value
- Convenience shoppers who prefer not to have to make repeated store trips
- Social smokers who often share with others
- Rural consumers with limited access to retailers
In other words, the carton of cigarettes purchase has become popular for a wide variety of reasons that match with modern consumer attitudes.
And the best part is:
Research found that smokers could save a lot of money by buying cigarettes in carton quantities. The study, which was conducted in 2014, found that smokers in high-tax states could save up to hundreds of dollars per year by buying cigarettes by the carton.
How Carton Purchasing Affects Finances
Here’s a little-known fact…
There is a deeper psychology behind why smokers buy cartons that has to do with the way people relate to their tobacco purchases.
A study on buying behavior found that people who purchased cartons and other bulk items tended to feel a stronger sense of control over their consumption.
When people invest more upfront, they’re also more likely to feel committed to that purchase and plan for it. This is different than the mentality of a single-pack cigarette purchase.
On the other hand:
Having a carton at home also means people are likely to consume more cigarettes, simply because they’re more accessible.
Researchers also found that smokers with cartons at home were more likely to share cigarettes with friends and family. They also noted that carton smokers reported smoking more than when they bought individual packs.
The bottom line is that smoking and purchasing cartons has a significant financial impact. A 10% increase in cigarette price leads to a 9.59% decrease in per capita consumption, so it’s no wonder that bulk buying has become so prevalent as prices continue to climb.
Carton Purchasing as a Social Factor
The sociology behind carton purchases reveals a lot about current consumer culture.
Smokers who buy cartons often become the go-to “cigarette supplier” among their friends and family. This dynamic is similar to a person who buys a large quantity of alcohol to stock their home bar for entertaining guests.
These purchasing patterns have led to a few new trends:
- Sharing cigarettes at social gatherings and events
- Buying cartons together as a group
- Sharing cigarettes at work
- Family and household purchasing
Generosity is an important part of the picture as well. When you have a carton of cigarettes in your home, giving a few away doesn’t seem like that big of a deal. This is different from the dynamic of owning just a single pack of cigarettes, where giving away just one cigarette takes a much larger percentage of your overall stash.
To put it in perspective:
Number of cigarette smokers in the United States fell 45% from 51.6 million smokers in 1980 to 28.3 million in 2021, yet carton sales have continued to rise for those who keep smoking, indicating a more concentrated pattern of purchases among a smaller group of dedicated smokers.
Convenience as a Factor
There’s another big thing that is often overlooked when it comes to carton purchases…
You see, convenience is the new norm for most people. The same folks who buy all their toilet paper at a warehouse club will buy the same number of cigarettes by the carton.
And that’s because of several reasons:
- Cartons require fewer trips to buy
- You always have cigarettes at home
- You don’t have to worry about stores being open or closed
- Lower prices
This convenience trend is actually a very accurate reflection of the modern consumer, who is interested in making household and planning purchases more efficient. The carton of cigarettes fits seamlessly into this bulk-buying culture.
Price Sensitivity
Taxation and pricing play a major role in the carton purchasing dynamic.
In states where cigarettes are heavily taxed, like New York at $5.35 per pack, versus more lenient states like Missouri at 17 cents per pack, it’s no surprise that smokers will be tempted to save money by buying cartons.
In fact:
On average, most cartons are the equivalent of a free pack when you buy ten. That savings adds up to hundreds of dollars each year for continuing smokers.
The Future of Carton Purchasing
The continued rise in cigarette prices and the increasing emphasis on convenience in modern life suggest that the trend of carton purchases is here to stay.
Unless there’s some unforeseen game-changing development in the way cigarettes are sold, the carton of cigarettes will continue to be popular among continuing smokers for many reasons.
Social factors, financial implications and convenience have combined to make purchasing cartons a no-brainer for today’s consumers.
Final Thoughts
As we’ve discussed, cigarette cartons have an impact on modern lifestyles in more ways than one.
The way people purchase thca smalls tobacco is not simply about convenience or cost. There’s also a behavioral component that has to do with how people plan, save and socialize with cigarettes.
The bottom line is that buying cartons is a logical choice for modern consumers for many reasons.
