STORE MANAGERS DOUBT SMOKING BAN WILL IMPACT OPERATIONS

Local Cape Girardeau grocery store managers say a new city ordinance banning smoking in their stores will have little effect on their operations.

The City Council tonight will consider final reading of the smoking-ban measure at its 7:30 meeting.

The issue has been before the council since May 6, when a no-smoking law was proposed by a Southeast Missouri State University class. The council gave initial approval to the measure at its June 17 meeting.

The ordinance prohibits "possession of lighted smoking materials in any form," in public grocery stores. A $10 fine will be assessed to violators of the ban.

The ordinance permits grocery stores to establish smoking areas, but doesn't require the accommodation. If the law is approved Monday, grocery store owners will have to post no-smoking signs and ask shoppers seen smoking to refrain.

But managers for Schnuck's, Del Farm National and Storey's Food Giant all said there were few pro~blems with smokers in their stores before the issue was raised in May.

Jim Sturm, manager of Del Farm at 121 S. Sprigg, said the store had a no-smoking policy long before the issue was raised with the council.

"We always had a policy of no smoking, although it's not always 100 percent followed," Sturm said. "It's something that's always been handled on a one-on-one basis, and it will still have to be handled that way."

Dennis Marchi, manager of Schnuck's at 19 S. Kingshighway, said his store also has had a no-smoking policy of sorts for about three years.

"We have `thank you for not smoking' signs at the door of our store, and there hasn't really been a problem of people smoking," Marchi said.

"We didn't really enforce it. We just had the sign, and people have pretty much obliged. It was pretty well curbed."

Bob Uthoff, manager of Storey's Food Giant at 201 S. Broadview, said that although the store never has had a no-smoking policy, he saw few shoppers smoking.

"We've never had a policy here against smoking, but it's never been much of a problem," he said. "I don't know how the law will affect it one way or the other.

"But it's a very small minority of people that ever smoke in here as it is, and I really don't think it's going to make much of a difference one way or the other."

Marchi said the ordinance will give store personnel the authority to enforce the ban, which is something they lacked previously.

But Sturm said enforcement of the law can be a "ticklish situation" is cases where a customer objects to another smoking in the store.

"If you go out and get political for one group over another, then some one will not shop here," he said. "Everyone's our customer, not just one group or another."

Regardless, Sturm also said he doubted the law would significantly impact business at his store.

"I've had very few reactions from customers," he said. "I don't think it's really going to have that big an impact.

"When that one customer walks in and the other customer makes a big issue of it, we'll just have to handle it like anything else. You have to listen to the complaint then decide the best way to deal with it."

First reading of the smoking-ban ordinance was approved by a split council. Three of the members voted in favor of the ban and two voted against it. Council member Hugh White's abstention was counted with the majority, giving the measure the sufficient votes to pass.

Council Member James "Doug" Richards did not attend the June 17 meeting.