HARRISBURG, Ill. – On Tuesday, a branch of Casey’s General Store in Harrisburg, Illinois, hosted U.S. Representative John Shimkus for the morning, part of the NACS In Store program that brings legislators together with convenience retailers across the country.
The event received news coverage from local sources like the Southern Illinoisan, which spoke with NACS Director of Government Relations Paige Anderson regarding the myriad issues that affect the convenience and fuels retail industry.
Rep. Shimkus (R-Collinsville), spent several hours at Casey’s General Store, gaining first-hand experience with day-to-day store operations discussing the key issues that affect both c-stores and their customers. In Shimkus’ district of Illinois, for example, there are 436 convenience stores employing 6,500 workers—and more than 5,400 stores throughout the state of Illinois.
He had the chance to learn firsthand from Casey’s employees and NACS staff, regarding a range of industry issues that impact a retailer’s bottom line, from environmental fuel standards, to menu labeling, credit card fees, and excise taxes on fuel, tobacco and alcohol.
“You pick an issue, it involves our industry,” Anderson told the Southern Illinoisan. “We agree that we want to sell fuel in an environmentally safe, responsible way, but sometimes the folks in Washington, D.C., haven’t been at a convenience store and don’t realize there are some practical issues.”
Shimkus told the news source that said the experience was educational for him, particularly when it comes to the technology that stores invest to protect consumers and taxpayers. “You can get an appreciation of how public policy across the spectrum affects a small business operation, though Casey’s is not really small,” he said.
Casey’s General Stores, a publicly traded company, generates about $7.8 billion in revenue, Brian Johnson, vice president of finance, told the Southern Illinoisan from the chain’s corporate headquarters in Ankeny, Iowa. He explained how extra fees, such as credit card fees, are ultimately passed on to consumers, adding to the importance of guarding against overbearing legislation that can raise prices. Casey’s can pay up to $100 million a year in credit card fees.
“That always creates a challenge for us as we try to deliver whether it be fuel, whether it be food or beverages inside the store, all those things that we are trying to deliver to the customer at a value,” Johnson told the news source.
See more coverage of this week’s NACS In Store events on Facebook and Twitter.
