Re: Why Pubs Close
The "smoking ban" itself is not to be blamed for pubs closing. That's ridiculous !
If pubs have suffered it is because of actual smokers themselves.
Every smoker had, and still has, the choice to go into a pub and buy a drink. Nothing has changed there.
The fact that they decide not to is their business and it is presumably their decision not to go, that has reduced business demand for some pubs.
That leads to 2 conclusions:
1. Smokers never really cared about the drink in the first place, all they wanted was a public place in which to conduct a filthy addictive habit
2. The pub business was founded, not on the purveying of drink, but on the provision of a public place for smokers to conduct a filthy addictive habit.
No-one NEEDS to have a smoke whilst they have a drink. It is quite possible to have a nice relaxing drink without smoking.
Unfortunately many smokers refuse to deal with their addiction, and can't go for more than a short period without giving in to the craving for a puff. Hence they tend to steer clear of ANY place where they won't be able to smoke frequently. They hate for example long train or plane journeys where they know they won't be able to smoke.
That's their choice. They can freely go for a drink or not, it's up to them.
Interestingly a similar thing has happened in the world of cruising over the past few years. Many ship bars and lounges were utterly filled with smoke and the stench of it seeped out into other areas of the ship which was simply awful for the vast majority for other passengers. All your nice evening clothes would reek with the stench when you got back to the cabin and were unusable until they were laundered.
That situation HAD to change. It was ridiculous that it ever existed! So cruise lines gradually shouldered the same laws as the mainland. It began with No smoking in public indoor places but the selfish smokers then continued to smoke in their cabins, fussing and grumbling all the way believing it was their god given right to fumigate the cabin and leave the stench engrained in the wallpaper, furnishings and carpets ready for the next hapless passenger that would have to inhabit it. One wonders what went through the minds of these horrible people.
So then smoking was banned in cabins because people couldn't be trusted not to do it out of basic moral decency and social responsibility.
So then smokers moved to their balconies which are of course right next to neighbouring balconies. They cared not one jot for the neighbours, again thinking it was their god given right to fumigate the balcony levels. They cursed and grumbled all the way complaining that they couldn't smoke in the bars or lounges or their cabins so they were bloody well going to smoke on the balcony!
So then balcony smoking had to be banned leaving only the prom deck on one side and the very top deck as designated smoking areas on some ships.
At this point the smokers frequenting forums were spitting fireballs and saying they would stop cruising and that this would herald the collapse of the cruising market. They somehow thought that they were in such a majority that by choosing NOT to cruise, the cruise lines would crumble without them ! Go figure !
You have to chuckle.
Cruise lines are now more buoyant than ever. The market is booking and cruise lines are adding ships to their fleets. Ships are packed tight and the cruising business has re-focussed towards families and cheaper fun cruises to maintain the market share.
Smokers had a simple choice. If you like cruising, wise-up and get rid of your nasty addictive habit. I'm pleased that many did just that. Pleased for them in being honest with themselves and having the strength and determination to do it instead of making endless excuses as to why smoking should be acceptable and catered for.
I guess if you look back at pubs the same is happening. The market has re-focussed on no-smoking family pubs and they appear to be doing very well. The traditional pubs are sadly dying out due to profit margins and less demand but everyone has a choice to use their services or not. That is and always will be simple business mechanics. If smokers want nice old fashioned pubs then they have to support them, simple as that. The fact that many smokers no longer support them says much about whether they really wanted a drinking pub in the first place!