It's a drag!
Choosing the right facilities for the smoking ban
Smoking Bans in Northern Ireland and Wales come into effect on April 2nd 2007. By the middle of next year England
will have followed New York, Ireland and Scotland in banning smoking in enclosed spaces and the bastions of personal
freedom, the French, will follow. That alone tells you how far we have come.
We have the first country to ban the sale of tobacco; the move is part
of a Government strategy for predominantly Buddhist Bhutan to eventually
become a smoke-free nation. Bhutan has a tiny population of 750,000
people; 20 years on they may be viewed as the pioneers who had the wisdom
to start a world trend.
We predict the smoking ban in the UK will increase outdoor smoking by as much as four-fold and possibly more. Trying to make
a solution to fit today's habits could be a costly mistake. There is more than meets the eye in providing a long-term solution
while not offending the customers who smoke.
Choosing the right ashtray bin
It is easy to underestimate the sensitivities of the smoker and the subtleties of placing the right facility in the right location
to ensure that it is effective and does not impact on the presentation or security of your business.
Smokers are being marginalised by society and continually made to feel uncomfortable. In your business, it is easy to leave the same
impression - that you are prejudiced against smokers, after all you are desperate to promote the highest standard of presentation of your
business. This is why, so often, the cig bin is around the corner, usually where the elements are at their most fierce. It's commonplace
to see a bedraggled, nicotine dependant customer returning from his or her last fix looking like something the cat dragged in. Pubs and
bars in particular need to get it right; the price of getting it wrong could be very costly on the bottom line.
Smoking ban in pubs
JD Wetherspoon has won a host of awards for their initiatives. They have been preparing for the imminent ban for a long time, turning
a problem into an opportunity. They are providing the right facilities that are easy to use, simple to clean and fit in with the
surroundings. Although that's a tall order, they have a loyal customer base and not unlike their beer and their food. The customer
knows what they are getting; such as what facilities to expect - this can be immaculate toilets, ultra smooth surroundings, or even
dependable cigarette and chewing gum bins. Your customer takes a reading on many levels to score the overall customer experience,
maintaining brand loyalty has never been more fickle or more difficult to retain.
Employees should not be using customer facilities primarily because it does
not look professional - you don't want to see the chef smoking a Capstan
Full Strength (age evaluator trap) before you order your gourmet food.
Employees are exactly the same as the customer and equally important,
they do not want to feel they are not part of the team and outcast to
the refuse bin area for a quick gasp. The thoughtful consideration of
location and facilities will generate mutual respect and appreciation.
No employee wants to feel he or she is being marked and potentially
less motivated just because he/she smokes. The psychology is very subtle
and empathy is required to maintain an overall sense of wellbeing to
all staff.
Who said the solution was a metal box with a hole in it!
Points to consider when sourcing litter bins
There are many factors to consider and this simple list of questions may guide you to make an informed choice.
- What is the usage?
- What is the access?
- What about security?
- Will it be recognised?
- What about location?
- Can you make it attractive in appearance?
- Can you use the facility to promote in-house attractions or provide local advertising?
- Is the product guaranteed to last?
- Is it easy to use and will it look clean whilst being used?
- Is it simple and hygienic to empty?
- Should we standardise, at national level, to create continuity and recognisable facilities for our customers?
- Does your supplier do on site surveys?
- Does your supplier do nationwide installations?
- Can your supplier support education and information programmes?
- Can your supplier develop advertising revenue?
First and foremost, why not do simple surveys of your surroundings? See where the current unofficial smoking points are.
You can adopt these points if all the conditions are met with regard to safety and security and, of course, customer comfort.
Make sure you do not undersize the facility, this will only lead to the overflow of cig butts and ash. Make sure the facility
is included in your waste management programme. Do not go for an open type ashtray that will fill with water and will spawn a brown
liquid that is horrendous to empty and visibly very unattractive.
Consider dual purpose bins which can handle chewing gum waste and cigarette butts - this waste tends to be used together.
It is not unusual to see lots of chewing gum patches beneath a cig bin, it is unsightly and the gum is very expensive to remove, often
leaving an oily residue. Ideally, try to ensure that odour does not leak out of the unit; this is unpleasant for other customers.
Make sure you can only use the cig butts and gum bins for the purpose they were intended.
People will place paper litter into the facility if the opening is too big, this could be a potential fire hazard or even a
terrorist target to conceal a bomb. This should be a real consideration today.
Your employees will be emptying these bins; it is not a pleasant task and therefore it is essential that the emptying process
is simple and hygienic.
You can purchase bins with a poster frame to the front of the product. These can provide valuable space for promoting in-house
events or alternatively provide advertising space for local companies. This extends the services to your customer, and provides profit
from a problem area.
If you manage a national chain of hotels, restaurants, bars or pubs, national media companies can manage your advertising and
provide you with a small profit. Managing local advertising generates more income but also more work. Again this can be managed
externally and will probably generate the most profit overall.
Ensure your product is low maintenance and has a long guarantee; you do not want to re-visit the same problem after a couple of
years. This means making sure the product of your choice is robust enough to combat the drunken reveller as well as general, every day
wear and tear.
There are many suppliers of external ashtrays, but that is only part of a litter
solution. There are many things to take into account. Cut corners or
underestimate the complexity and size of the problem at your peril.
Respect the smoking customer and do all you can to accommodate their
needs as well as non-smokers. You do not want your smoking customers
attending your establishment with the feeling that they are day visitors
from the local leper colony.
We all have a duty of care to protect our employees from harmful fumes
as much as we have the commercial interest to promote positive customer
experiences for both smokers and non smokers alike. It will be a bigger
drag if you have to re-visit the problem time after time. It is also
worth noting that any down-turn in business, which is greater than the
national figures, due to an under-estimation and lack of understanding
of the complexity of the forthcoming legislation or the ramifications
of getting it wrong, could be extremely costly to any business.
Contact us to discuss a better solution
to cigarette and gum litter.