Walgreens

The only tobacco that I ever saw and purchased at a Walgreen's when I started with MY MM Legend from that same 'establishment' was the Captain Black White. I had first tried some of their Blender's Gold stuff, but although any of that was an improvement over my cheap RYO bagged tobacco, it was just a step toward what I deem to be much better tobacco from online retailers.

If your 'Green's' has any Prince Albert, Sir Walter Raleigh,or Carter Hall, that's what I would recommend.

I've heard different locations are a hit or miss when it comes to pipe tobacco and their selection. But three blends I've seen consistently around the ones I've gone to are Carter Hall, Half and Half, and Prince Albert. Those would be the only three I would personally recommend trying if they have them. I'd also recommend going through the forum and read some reviews and suggestions others have made about some of their favorite blends (ones you can't normally find in drug stores) and go and purchase them online or check your local smoke/pipe B&M.

+1 Carter Hall

Buy what looks good to YOU. There won't be much choice anyway. Another way though, is go to P&C,(pipesandcigars.com) and look at their samplers of both cobs and tobacco.

I think the Walgreens chain is getting out of tobacco altogether, so their pipe tobacco selection is likely limited. You could get a pouch of whatever they have; if you were lucky, Carter Hall or Prince Albert. Missouri Meerschaum has a selection of moderately priced tobacco, both aromatic and non-aromatic, so you might want to order a bag or two of that online and have that on its way. I haven't tried it, but I've heard it's good, and certainly cob compatible.
I don't blame the drugstores for getting out of the tobacco business, or groceries either. However, the smoker shops that regularly carry cigarettes, papers, and other consumer tobacco products should carry a better selection of pipe tobaccos and at least MM cob pipes. That's their business, what they do. So, I say do it. My closest shop does carry two or three pouch/tub tobaccos, and they do better than most, some of which carry none. No pipes at all at mine, or severe junk. No MM cobs.

I don't blame the drugstores for getting out of the tobacco business, or groceries either

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I do. Their reasons for leaving are pure pretense.

Tobacco products take up expensive square footage. I suspect they no longer pay their way. If they paid for the space and turned a nice profit the shareholders would not stand still for dropping them. The news releases with the purported reasons simply cater to the anti-smokers. The remainder of the public, as a whole, have no interest in whether or not Walgreens, or any other entity, carry these products.
If such really bothers a person they should purchase a majority of the stock. They would then control the inventory decisions through their choice of CEO, as they would control the the Board of Directors. An expensive method of scratching a minor itch.

I thought Walgreen purchased Rite Aid pharmacies? If so, Rite Aid once had some, uhm, decent Rite Aid house tobaccos. I'm not sure who manufactured them, and in fact, P&C may have picked them up and are now offering them.
I'm just saying. Anyway, not surprised if Walgreen has dropped its pipe tobaccos, but why would they continue to carry MMs if they aren't going to sell pipe tobacco? That seems a little hypocritical to me. Or greedy.
Anyway, my thought is if you have a good B&M go there. You should find MMs as well as a few pouches or tubs of the over-the-counter tobaccos of yesteryear.
I can recall when Granger was in a pouch. Now, you have to buy it by the tub. Or, that is the way it is at my B&M. No pouches, just tubs.
My 2.

The Walgreens I see down here in Louisiana really don't have much of a selection. They seem to have paired down the once great pipe section down to an MM corn cob, one model of Grabow, regular Capt. Black in the pouch, and three or four different Blender's Gold pipe tobaccos in cute little tins. They also only bristle pipe cleaners no regular ones.
If your selection is like that go for some Blender's Gold, it's not bad. I definitely agree with Newbroom, if your Walgreens has Carter Hall, Prince A. or Sir Walter those would be a no brainer. The Rite Aids I've been to all seem to have Half and Half and Prince Albert but no pipes or other tobacco.
It is really getting hard to find anything at these drug stores. Seems like your best bet for pipe tobacco is to go to one of those trashy discount cigarette places. Most that I've been to have all the old main stream tobaccos that you used to be able to find in the drug stores. You might feel dirty going to one but it is the best game in town if you don't have a real tobacconist around. It's definitely not the pipe shop crowd in there but don't worry the shame will wash off with a couple of hot baths and a lot of hard scrubbing.

This is why drug stores are getting out of tobacco. The general public sees a disconnect with their message vs their actions.

They will still probably continue to offer flu shots though.

What's Walgreen's message? Too much square footage dedicated to cigarettes. Or, too wide a load wearing the tee shirt?

The PR created message vs real world economics? Cigarettes, gotta love 'em, even as you hate 'em if they have a positive impact on the bottom line of a company your retirement plan is invested in.

Getting ready to go have my last smoke so not going to look it up, but recently read an article that Walgreen's stated they would not stop the sale of tobacco. Proceeded to mention that they would use the money from sales to raise awareness/provide other services. They basically said drug stores only accounted for like 4% of all tobacco sales, so what good would it do to stop, why not use the money from it for useful things.

It's CVS that stopped selling tobacco and made the big public noise about it. Walgreens still does.

If they paid for the space and turned a nice profit the shareholders would not stand still for dropping them.

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First, in response to the anti-smoking lobby, they moved them behind the counter out of sight where you must ask the person behind the counter, who is often not the most useful of people, to see each item while ten people are in line behind you.
Then, sales dropped.
Surely there's no connection!
In my experience, companies do a lot of things as a PR move, including marginalizing tobacco products.

I suspect a very limited, if any, connection. The anti-smoking lobby may have changed certain laws but, cigarettes are heavily targeted by shop-lifters. So, if stores can placate a segment of society while protecting profits, that is good business. Money and government mandates are likely the cause of your angst.
Safeway in Alaska moved cigarettes behind the counter to cut down on heavy loss from theft. I do not know if they sold fewer because of the move but, I was told that loss was greatly reduced, so the bottom line was enhanced. Cigarettes and meat being an attractive target for thieves, it makes sense. The number of beef cuts on display has also been severely reduced. If less sales is more than offset by reduced loss through theft does it not make sense to product the product from loss?
Also, many jurisdiction have mandated that cigarettes are out of sight, out of mind. Cigarettes must not only be behind the counter but, hidden from view. That's a government mandate not a company response. When tobacco products become unprofitable they will disappear completely from retailer's shelves.
Publicly traded companies do not react to social trends unless doing so will improve value. If social trends can be used to increase value and dividends okay. If not, stockholders and even privately owned companies are not going to sacrifice financial health in order to be trendy. There must be an economic incentive.
It is always the money! Successful companies do not make knee jerk or stupid mistakes. If they do they disappear. If a company can tie in a move which increases profits to a social trend so much the better.
We tobacco users are having less and less of a positive impact on profits. We are, in some areas, becoming too expensive to cater to. We are fast becoming a liability to the bottom line, not an asset. Specialty stores, liquor stores (booze and tobacco seem to go together), and internet sales are the way of the future.

Buy what looks good to YOU. There won't be much choice anyway. Another way though, is go to P&C,(pipesandcigars.com) and look at their samplers of both cobs and tobacco.
Absolutely :lol: There is an unlimited selection from P&C and all the other online vendors found on the home page here. Best of luck in your voyage.

I suspect a very limited, if any, connection.

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Businesses are responsive to public opinion. In fact, they spent billions on it. Walgreens has for years been moving its tobacco away from areas where people will see it to places they have to ask for it. This allows them to eventually can it, or reduce it to the very lucrative forms only, without getting too much flak from the anti-smoking lobby and governmentals. Rite Aid has caved entirely, as have some of the grocery stores. The pressure seems consistent across businesses although each company has had different responses.

Tommy rot! A business, to be successful, yields only to economic stimulus. Cigarettes are no longer worth the most expensive square footage in the building. Sales drive business, not social responsibility. If a company can increase profit by siding with popular opinion they will. The "antis" are diminishing the demand for tobacco products. Demand is driving the decisions to discontinue tobacco products. Rite Aid just reacted, correctly, to lack of sales and tied the decision to a popular movement. If cigarettes made a decent contribution to the bottom line Rite Aid would have them prominently displayed, if legally allowed to do so. Taxes, government regulation and propaganda, etc. have driven demand for tobacco products ever downward. The "antis" only indirectly deserve the credit you want to shower on them in that they have worked hard to reduce demand therefore making tobacco products insufficiently profitable to carry on the shelves.
I would be hesitant to blame Rite Aid for making a sound business decision. If I had stock I would stand up and cheer. You give the "antis" credit for way too much power and not enough credit to simple economics.