Convenience store personnel are generally pretty good at answering customers’ questions and speaking knowledgeably about the products they sell, but they have a harder time doing so when it comes to the varieties of smokeless tobacco — for example, the differences between moist and dry snuff — if they don’t understand how they work.

Indeed, confusion over the various types of smokeless tobacco is not unusual, which is unfortunate considering that the stakes for convenience store retailers are so high. Approximately 5.2 million Americans use some form of smokeless tobacco, according to the Department of Health and Human Services’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Part of what is fueling that growth is the increasing volume of smoking restrictions elsewhere, as well as the ongoing rollout of new smokeless products.

Moist and dry snuff are forms of smokeless tobacco that have traditionally been marketed in two varieties: chewing tobacco and snuff, including snus.

Aficionados have their preferences and cite a variety of reasons for them. If the tobacco is too dry, some argue, it can lose much of its fragrance and present a more or less bland flavor.

Dry snuff is loose, finely cut or powdered dry tobacco, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and it’s usually sniffed through the nostrils. Moist snuff and snus, on the other hand, are cut tobacco that are loose or pouched and placed in the mouth. FDA stated that dip is a common form of moist snuff.

Moist snuff comes in small teabag-like pouches that are positioned between the lower lip or cheek and gum. Nicotine is absorbed through the tissues of the mouth. Users swallow the juices that result, and manufacturers seek to differentiate their brands by adding a variety of flavorings. Common flavors include coffee, chocolate, Bordeaux, honey, vanilla, cherry, orange, apricot, plum, camphor, cinnamon, rose and spearmint.

Understanding these differences can assist staff members greatly when they’re helping customers. Employee knowledge, even on a cursory level, makes suggestive selling possible. This can create more meaningful and ultimately profitable interactions with consumers. Additionally, tobacco category managers who understand the nuances of smokeless tobacco can use their knowledge to better choose the products they wish to sell based on customer purchase data.