Monday marked the two-week anniversary of Richard Bowman's "sting operation" - pulling beer and cigarettes from the shelves of his two grocery stores in Davis County Aug. 19 - and he has only one regret.
"I just wish that we had done it sooner," said Bowman, president of Bowman's Markets in Kaysville and Farmington.Bowman said more than 90 percent of the feedback he's received has been positive, and he has compiled a book with letters praising the store for its actions. The letters include thank-yous from an 11-year-old girl and from a pastor of the First Baptist Church in Layton who told his congregation to support the store.
Bowman was also praised Monday by the Davis County Board of Health at its regular meeting. The board presented him with an award for his contribution to community health.
But Bowman said he doesn't want public praise. Rather than make it a moral issue, he's trying to make it a health issue instead.
"It absolutely is not a church issue," he said.
The company's board of directors voted to pull the products to discourage teenagers from drinking and smoking. This action followed an undercover enforcement program that found the chain's Farmington store led all others in the county in sales of tobacco to underage teenagers.
Bowman said he has considered making this move for years because of its impact on teenagers.
"I had youths approach me and say, `If this is hazardous to our health, why are you selling it?' " said Bowman, who justified himself to these youths by telling them that if they could come back at age 21 and tell him they've never used tobacco, he would give them $100.
Bowman is trying to get a list of all food and drugs items that have been made illegal because of their health threats. One example of an item he knows has been banned is the red food coloring in maraschino cherries.
"I find it humorous that they pull those kind of things from the shelf and leave these other things on there," Bowman said.
By pulling beer and cigarettes from his shelves, Bowman said he is sending a message to the general public and Congress that they shouldn't subsidize these products, which are hazardous to one's health.
Since discontinuing the sale of such products, the stores have had only a slight decrease in business. "But that wasn't even part of the consideration . . . I was sorry we even talked about how much we were going to lose."
Bowman said for years his only worry with discontinuing cigarettes and beer was offending longtime customers who buy groceries as well as cigarettes and beer.
"I like people, and I don't want to offend anyone," said Bowman, whose business started when he bought the Kaysville store from his mother after his father's death 40 years ago. "That's what I like about the grocery business - trying to satisfy customers and be fair with them."