This is a practice I have been familiar with all my life. The first time I realized it was odd was when I heard it disparaged by a pastor speaking scathingly about (either South African blacks or ghetto black Americans) "one at a time cigarette sellers". At the time, I couldn't see why he would be against the practice. And even now that I understand it as a sort of lament about petty traders, I think it is an unjustified lament. This is because I find it rather odd to look down on the choices that economics forces on people. If that were acceptable, today’s filthy rich tech bros would not be able to see anyone given how high up they would be.
As lopop said, buying and selling single cigarettes is a poor people thing. Because when incomes decline, units of sale shrink proportionally. There is even a fancy name for it - "satchetization"; a strategy adopted by companies to sell to poor people. Ironically, this strategy also applies when incomes are high. Consider the tiny, individually wrapped pats of butter, cubes of sugar and servings of honey or jam in hotels. Unfortunately, shrinking sales units cost the poor people more. Because while the unit sales might lead to less upfront spending, the unit prices will be higher, leading to higher total cash spent.
However, even if one could afford to buy a pack entire, buying cigarettes one at a time is a wonderful way to limit one's intake. For those who lack self-control, having a pack available would lead to binge smoking, which is unpleasant. I had a smoker roommate in university who said that he would decline if he was offered a carton of cigarettes – about 20 packs.
300.
Brevity Quest 2023.