Traditional cigarette sales continued to slump, with more consumers opting for lower-priced options rather than top brands during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the latest Nielsen convenience store report out Wednesday.

Overall sales volume for traditional cigarettes was down 2.2% for the four-week period that ended Sept. 5. "Given ongoing uncertainties around federal government stimulus, we are interested to see what the potential impact may be on the nicotine category," Goldman Sachs analyst Bonnie Herzog said.