Table 2

Reasons for store exclusion for irregular branded substudy by month

 Preplain packagingImplementationPostplain packaging
Jun '12
n (%)
Sep '12
n (%)
Dec '12
n (%)
Feb '13
n (%)
Apr '13
n (%)
Jul '13
n (%)
Total stores visited (n)299*302*303303303303
Stores closed or no longer sold tobacco1 (0.3)2 (0.7)6 (2.0)8 (2.6)7 (2.3)10 (3.3)
Data collection error0003† (1.0)1 (0.3)0
Retailer refused to cooperate with task00002 (0.7)0
Pack purchased298 (99.7)300 (99.3)297 (98.0)292 (96.4)293 (96.7)293 (96.7)
  • *Stores not visited were mistakenly excluded from the procedure by the fieldworker. This issue was rectified after the second fieldwork month.

  • †Packs from three stores were irretrievably lost by the postal service in February 2013.