April 18, 2014

Dear NJGCA Member:

Thank you for reading this week's NJGCA Road Warrior!

RESEARCH PROJECT ON GAS STATION CRIMES
CONSUMER AFFAIRS INSPECTIONS
NJGCA PRE-PAID ENVELOPES
HAPPY EASTER

Hopefully, you all remember that I mentioned a research project that NJGCA is working on with a Professor and research team from John Jay College. By studying crimes committed at gas stations, and comparing those locations to stations that have not been victims of crime, this study will identify how different variables (such as degree of lighting, types of security, accessibility to major roadways, nearby business establishments, and the surrounding area of the station) come together to make a station more or less vulnerable to crime. The results will provide the industry with information and knowledge that can be implemented to reduce economic losses due to crime, reduce personal injury and harm associated with crime and violence, improve quality of life and working conditions, and enhance the relationship between gas station owners and employees and the police.

We've created a short survey for our members to gather information. PLEASE PARTICIPATE. This survey will not go away, and the success of this project depends on a strong response from NJGCA members. Hopefully you can set aside a few minutes over this long, Holiday weekend to get this out of the way! CLICK HERE to take the survey. If you have questions or concerns while filling out the survey, please call the NJGCA office (973-376-0066) and ask for Jacy.

Second, members in Monmouth County should remember that we sent out a Wildfire Alert the other day asking you to be vigilant. We think that the Department of Consumer Affairs may be conducting some sting type audits, through the end of May. Members in the rest of the State should pay attention, too! We don't know if this effort will be extended to other counties!

From what we know, inspectors will be checking to see that ALL products for sale are properly labeled with price tags or checking that prices are properly displayed on the shelves where the product is displayed. This includes motor oil and products other than food items that you may sell. Inspectors will verify that items with bar codes will scan at the price that is posted on the shelves in front of the items. This is especially important if a product has a price printed on the packaging directly from the manufacturer, such as potato chips.

If an inspector visits your site please notify NJGCA by calling 973-376-0066 and speak with Jacy, or jacy@njgca.org

Reminder, please remember to discard any NJGCA pre-paid envelopes. They are no longer marked with the correct postage amount. They will not get delivered to us and will sit in the “dead mail file” at the post office for eternity.

Finally, we would like to wish our members a very Happy Easter!

Thanks for reading -- See you next week!

Regards,
Sal Risalvato
Executive Director

Well established family-owned gas and repair service station in Springfield, NJ. Serving the community for over 30 years, located on a well travelled main street.

We are looking for the following:

If you'd like to list your business for sale, publish a location you're selling, or are seeking a business partner for your establishment, please contact NJGCA at 973-376-0066!

04/17/2014:
NJ gas tax increase wins little support in new poll
Two-thirds of New Jersey residents oppose a plan to raise the state's gas tax in order to repair aging infrastructure, a new poll released today shows. Also, when initial opponents are forced to choose between increasing the gas tax or borrowing money to make the repairs to roads and bridges, they split relatively even among the two options, according to the Rutgers-Eagleton Poll. Of the more than 800 New Jersey adults surveyed in the poll, 66% said that they opposed raising the gas tax, compared to 31% who supported the increase. When the individuals who initially said they were opposed to the plan are asked to chose between increasing the gas tax or borrowing money, 39% support the gas tax and 40% choose to borrow. Another 16% of those individuals said maintenance or repairs were not needed.

04/16/2014:
Local Tobacco Issues Continue to Accelerate: 2014 on pace to top 200 proposed regulations

In 2012, the National Association of Tobacco Outlets (NATO) established the NATO Local Project to track and respond to proposed local tobacco regs. In 2012, NATO responded to some 50 ordinances. In 2013 it more than doubled to 119, and during just the first three months of 2014, already 56 ordinances have been proposed which, if the current pace continues, would mean that more than 200 local tobacco regulations will be introduced this year for consideration by town boards, city councils, and county governments. This expansion of the number of states in which local governments are proposing tobacco restrictions demonstrates that this is a nation-wide issue and will continue to expand in size and scope.

04/15/2014:
State Legislators Question Benefits of Raising Tax on E-Cigarettes
State officials say that public health in NJ -- as well as the state budget -- would benefit from applying the $2.70-per-pack cigarette tax to electronic cigarettes, but the argument is receiving a cold reception among some legislators. Health Commissioner Mary O’Dowd pointed to public health benefits from raising the cost of smoking. However, Democratic legislators said it might be too soon to impose the cigarette tax on the products, which currently are only subject to the state’s 7% sales tax. They also questioned the estimate included in Gov. Chris Christie’s budget proposal that the state would raise $35 million from the tax. This issue is sure to remain contentious for the next couple of months as the budget battle wages on, so please stay informed about the issue and be ready to get involved!

04/12/2014:
NJGCA Members in the News: E-cig tax plan will hurt business, NJ convenience store owners say
Convenience store operators are protesting the Christie administration’s plan to hike taxes on e-cigs, saying it will cut into sales of a promising product that they hoped would shield them from a decline in revenue from old-fashioned cigarettes. The operators of the Mobil station in Neptune City said the proposal adds to what already is a tough business landscape. Competitors Wawa and 7-Eleven are opening stores nearby. “We basically make most of our profit on tobacco,” said Ravi Gill, vice president of Creative Management Inc., a Matawan-based company that owns the Mobil station. “Everything else, we’re making low or non-existent margins.” The stores’ campaign comes as Gov. Chris Christie has proposed taxing e-cigarettes another $2.70 a pack, bringing them on par with traditional cigarettes. Policymakers seeking to raise revenue often resort to so-called sin taxes – on alcohol, gambling, smoking. After all, if taxpayers don’t like it, they can change their behavior – for the better. But convenience store owners say taxing e-cigarettes penalizes smokers who would otherwise resort to tobacco. And it hurts their business. Gill of the Mobil station said e-cigarette sales have provided a windfall in a notoriously difficult business. Gasoline retailers don’t make much money on the sale of gasoline. And his station on West Sylvania Avenue and Route 35 doesn’t have room to expand and add, say, a counter to make sandwiches that could compete with Wawa. To read more, please click the link above.

TRAINING CLASSES!!
-ALL CLASSES WILL BE HELD AT NJGCA HEADQUARTERS-
66 Morris Avenue - Springfield, NJ 07081 (Union County)

We have had a number of NJGCA members successfully reduce their rate per kWh signing up through our energy saving program. We know it's difficult to collect 12 months worth of previous electric bills to get an "accurate" analysis when comparing a variable rate to a fixed rate, but we now have another option available.

This new solution is a power purchase option; the other program is still in full force and has saved members thousands of dollars. If you sign up for the power purchase option, you will be grouped with other NJGCA members until the minimum KW demand is acquired. By pooling the member's usage together, you will be able to take advantage, as large energy users do, and receive a lower kWh rate.

Each member will receive their own contract. Each member is responsible to sign and return the agreement the day it is received in order to secure the price for their group.

Please do your due diligence, so when you receive the proposal and the agreement you will be able to make an intelligent decision.

If by chance, you still want us to assess you bills, to give you a price to compare, we will require12 months of your most recent utility bills.

There are no bills required, but we would still like to have one bill per meter on file to check account #'s, meter #'s service addresses and other pertinent information incase there is a problem.

The term of the agreement is for 12 months. During this term period, you will have price protection against any energy price increases along with a low fixed kWh rate.

If you are interested in becoming part of this power purchase option, please contact Greg Cannon at the NJGCA.

Remember when you sign up your energy through the NJGCA Energy Program, TMP makes a considerable donation to the NJGCA Scholarship Fund through their proceeds. This has no affect on your rate, and costs you nothing out of pocket.

We hope to help hundreds of NJGCA members reduce their utility costs by participating in this and our other cost reduction programs. Our purpose, in the endeavor, is to help NJGCA members lower their energy costs while supporting the NJGCA Scholarship Fund.

Contact GREG CANNON at 973-376-0066 or email Greg at greg@njgca.org. Mention that you are interested in saving money on your energy bills. NJGCA & TMP Energy Solutions will handle all the rest.

POLITICAL PARTICIPATON: THE NJGCA PAC

DEFENDING OUR MEMBERS.
PROTECTING YOUR INTERESTS.
ANSWER THE CALL & CONTRIBUTE TODAY!!

Promoting our agenda in Trenton is of utmost importance to NJGCA and our members.

However, in order to truly affect the debate, we must ensure our friends in the Legislature are re-elected. It is for this reason that your Association has established the NJGCA PAC.

For too long, the weight of funding our Political Action Committee, the arm of the Association responsible for political donations, has rested upon a few. This is not only unfair to those few members who have shouldered this burden, but means we are not utilizing our full strength to affect the debate in Trenton.

To truly understand the importance of supporting our allies, consider our successes in Trenton:

We defeated BELOW COST SELLING
We made history in getting FIRST RIGHT OF REFUSAL signed into law!
We have built large support for RIGHT TO REPAIR and got it passed out of the Assembly
We defended your small business against the false accusations of Attorney General Anne Milgram
We gained wide support to move New Jersey to an all PIF Inspection System and close the CIF lanes
...and MUCH MORE!!

In each instance, we achieved these goals with the help of our friends in the Legislature!

If every member contributes just $100.00 we will be able to provide the help necessary to ensure victory for our allies.

PLEASE SEND YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS TO:
NJGCA PAC
66 Morris Avenue
Springfield, NJ 07081
Please make your donation payable to NJGCA PAC

I understand that times are tough for all NJGCA members, but this is just as important as any battle we have fought in the past.

We have made great progress in Trenton. I hope that you will answer the call.

THE MEMBER TOOL BOX

MEMBER SAVINGS PAGE
Check out all of our MBPs and Programs designed to SAVE YOU MONEY!