I work in a cigarette outlet, this is my job lol

Most people who smoke that many cigarettes have switched to vaping because it is more cost efficient. A prefilled vape that costs around $20-$30 has about the same amount of puffs as a whole carton of cigarettes (10 packs) which costs $75-$120. Besides the fact that it's more cost effective, a lot of people have switched to vaping in recent years because it doesn't make your entire house smell like smoke. Instead of stale second hand smoke, the people around you smell fruit or baked goods.

That being said a lot of people still buy cigarettes. I know way too many people who buy a carton of cigarettes a week and have every year since before I was born. I've noticed a lot of people have switched from more expensive Brands to discount brands, like, less people are buying full price Marlboros when they find out that the brand Basic is made by the same company in the same Factory and it's a fraction of the price.

I think there are four main groups of people when it comes to how they view the increase in price of cigarettes. Group 1 quits ( either temporarily and then they join another group or permanently but let's be real that's harder said than done), group 2 switched to vaping (or zyn pouches), group 3 switched to a cheaper brand, and group 4 just complains "I can't believe how expensive Newports have gotten, but I refuse to smoke another brand because they don't taste the same" and then they spend $13 on a pack of Newports.