Seriously?! $10.00 for a pack of smokes is now considered a special offer in NYC? Yes, according to this store on 6th Avenue near 32nd street in Manhattan.
When I started smoking, cigarettes were like 65¢ a pack! Now before you start in with the geezer jokes, it really wasn’t that long ago. In fact, cigarettes didn’t go past $1.00 a pack in NJ until the early 90s. When they went above $1.50 by the late 90s, I thought that was highway robbery.
As the years went on, the jumps in prohibitive pricing set by the government as a way to help us stay healthy got larger and more frequent (with NY outpacing NJ). I still contend that I did not quit because of the cost. It was just the right time in my life to reevaluate the state of my health (or lack thereof).
But damn I’m glad I don’t smoke anymore and so is my wallet! Cigarettes in NJ as of today are around $7.50, by the way.
