Or he's just been going to cheap places. I am informed by various customers that we are the only tobacconist in Ithaca that offers matches as a matter of course. Other places you have to ask for them, and may not get any even then. *shrug* We do charge for matches if you haven't already bought something else, because we don't get them for free ourselves, but otherwise, we give them away -- it's a way to make people feel good about the store and come back to spend more money. (And anyway, a box of 50 books of matches costs about 50 cents, so we're essentially giving away one penny. It's not a huge financial drain.)

If he comes back, I will ask him what part of California he lived in. *grin*