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Dollar General employee says tobacco enforcement at store was overly aggressive; coalition explains cease-and-desist
Summary
An assistant manager at Brookfield’s Dollar General described an enforcement visit that removed tobacco from the sales floor and left staff feeling harassed; coalition staff said the store lacked a tobacco permit at the time and that a cease-and-desist and removal are standard compliance steps.
Jennifer Pope, assistant manager at the Brookfield Dollar General, told the Board of Health she was personally shaken by an enforcement visit in which three coalition agents ordered tobacco products removed from the floor during the store’s busiest day. "It was extremely unprofessional," she said, describing staff alarm and customer comments after the incident.
Michelle, speaking for the regional coalition, said the action followed the town’s tobacco regulations: the retailer had no active tobacco permit and the coalition issued a cease-and-desist and provided written documentation and a flyer explaining the reason for the action. Coalition staff said they typically remain until tobacco products are removed and make a record of the interaction.
Board members asked for better communication with retailers and for the coalition to resend updated tobacco-regulation guidance and any relevant letters to the full list of town retailers. Staff noted corporate permit-processing timelines can be irregular for chains and that town records showed Dollar General’s corporate paperwork had been delayed; coalition staff said the retailer later provided evidence of payment but had not been issued a permit at the time of the enforcement.
The board took no formal disciplinary action at the meeting but asked staff to ensure that tobacco-retailer outreach and the updated rule on nicotine pouches are distributed to all licensees.
Next steps: Coalition to resend updated tobacco-regulation notice and any FDA-related letters to retailers; board staff to confirm the local retailer list is current and to monitor compliance.
