In 1988, People Could Smoke in Grocery Stores?

I was born in 1980, but I don't remember people smoking in grocery stores. Pretty much anywhere else, though. My grandpa would light up at the mall when he took me, my brother, and my cousins there - though it would only be after we were at least 10 feet away, on our way to the arcade. My aunts and uncles would smoke at their offices. Whenever our family went to a restaurant, we would be asked "smoking or non". Those days are over, and as a former smoker who just quit last year, it's partially because of that that I did quit, because it is cold in Chicago when you have to go outside. And it's great that everyone wants to be healthy, but seriously, do you have to impose on everyone else? I still remember about ten years ago when I was at a bar, sitting on my stool, with my drink and my pack of cigarettes and lighter right in front of me. Two girls sat next to me, and all was fine until I got my drink refilled and grabbed one of the cigarettes and lit up. They went crazy on me, saying do I have to do that in front of them, and what was my problem and they should call the manager to get me kicked out. Seriously? You've been sitting next to me for about 10 minutes, the cigarettes are right there in front of me, it is at the BAR, and I was there first. Actually, I kinda wished they had called the manager. Not only was I in the right, but I was also friends with the owner. They would have been kicked out way before I would.

"Oh my God! You put a living room where the crack den used to be!"

My first job in the UK, in 1991, the woman next to me chain-smoked the whole time.

I had to bring a fan in to work to create a wind corridor between us.

And minors could puchase cigarettes and alcohol.
Of course it was not legal but you could do it.

I don't let anyone hot-comb out my HAIRitage!

Yeah, the anti-smoking Nazi control freaks hadn't gained power at that time


You don't have to stand tall, but you do have to stand up!

In Australia people could smoke in shopping centres up to the mid 90's. Don't know about supermarkets. I remember going to Sizzler and being asked smoking or non smoking. I can even remember little foil ashtrays at McDonalds (even when there were No Smoking signs there, try to work that one out).

You could even smoke in college classrooms. Or in a hospital room. Or in the movie theater. Or in the....

New Jersey was at the forefront of "non-smoking" and "smoking" sections. Visiting an Atlantic City casino during a busy time it was pretty hard to find a seat in the majority of the casinos which were smoking areas, while the non-smoking tables usually had plenty of extra seats. if you wanted a smoke you could just get up, walk a few yards to where you could smoke, have your smoke, and then return the your seat with the "lammy" in your betting square saving your place for you. Best thing was you could also keep an eye on your checks/chips.

Grocery stores, restaurants, public libraries, movie theaters, doctors' offices, and just about anywhere else you can think of.