I will give Valero credit for trying to stop this.
JUST IN TIME FOR THE NEW YEAR
Valero Store Brings Back 'Dope Pipe' Display
A Dope Smoker's Delight
The SAL Political Snitch
Photo By Fredd Bergman
The handwritten sign, by the way, misspells tobacco.
What have these guys been smoking?The display was erected near the "munchie aisles.">Now that's marketing.
The store is located at 4030 Medical Drive, conveniently close to major hospital emergency rooms, apparently in case the "tobaco" is too potent.
Early in December Valero officials called the selling of the pipes "inappropriate," and warned the proprietors to remove them.
They did. For a while.
But soon they had the display back up and when staff photographer Fredd Bergman visited at 8PM Monday he snapped photos. The shutter barely had time to click, before store managers began removing the items in question.
Bill Day, Valero's Executive Director of Media, said he wasn't aware of the new display, and says the store has twice been warned to remove such. He said he would look into the matter and email a report to the Lightning. When that arrives we will post it.
Meanwhile a call to the store got a curious response. A man by the last name of "Sing" -- he wouldn't give his first name -- answered the phone.
He admitted that he knew of the "dope pipes," but said he couldn't comment. Asked who the owners were, he said he "didn't know." He claimed he couldn't contact them because they were "out of the country."
