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 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE: GREETINGS & SAL-UTATIONS! 

POST OFFICE PARTNERSHIP, CREDIT CARD SCAMS, AND E15

The United States Postal Service has been having some serious economic problems.  You may have noticed how stamps cost a lot more now than used to (of course gas used to cost 50¢ a gallon, but who’s counting).  The advent of the internet has caused mail volume to drop by 25% over the last 5 years.  80% of post office buildings aren’t able to turn a profit.  As a result, the USPS is likely to close up to 10% of its post office buildings starting next year.  50 of the offices that may close are located in New Jersey.  You can see a list of them HERE.

But the Post Office’s loss can become your gain!  While there is less mail being sent than there used to be, this year they still expect to deliver over 170 billion pieces of mail.   And with fewer post offices to use, consumers will be looking for areas close-by where they can buy their stamps and ship their packages.  That’s where you come in, and the USPS knows it!  They are looking to partner with gas stations, convenience stores, and supermarkets to fill in the gap being left by post office closures.  Consumers love one-stop-shopping and you can use that to your advantage.

Personally I have done Post Office business like shipping and the purchasing of stamps at a pharmacy that I pass on my way home from the office.  There are 3 post offices that are considered local to me, but even the closest of the 3 is inconvenient.  I save lots of time and gas by stopping at the Pharmacy/Post Office.

There are several ways you can become involved with the Postal Service and its products.  The newest way, is the Village Post Office.  These would likely be a postal station located at a retail establishment which would provide for basic post office services, like buying stamps and flat rate shipping.  Village Post Offices will only be located in areas with no post office, or that will be losing one.  There will also only be one allowed per zip code.  While that means it might be difficult to get to get the contract to have one of these postal stations, getting one will provide your business with a huge competitive advantage.  You could literally be the only game in town when someone needs to use the services of a post office, creating a big boost in customer traffic to your location.  Because this is a new service, there isn’t yet a single Village Post Office anywhere in the nation.  You’ve got the chance to get in on the ground floor, I say that you should look in to it to see if this works for your business!  You can get some more information on Village Post Offices HERE and HERE and you can contact the USPS about applying for a contract HERE. 

If you’re unable to set up a Village Post Office or don’t want to wait to start using the Postal Service to your advantage, the simplest thing you can do it apply to sell stamps at your locations.  There are over 70,000 businesses nationwide which sell stamps.  Stamps are an easy way to increase your foot traffic and require little space or upfront investment.  All you have to do is printout the forms found HERE and send them in to start selling and co-marketing with the USPS.

If you’re looking to draw in customers with more than just stamps, and you have the resources, you might want to look into setting up a Contract Postal Unit (CPU).  This is the type of facility I just mentioned that I use located in the pharmacy.  There are already more than 4,000 CPUs in the US and they are actively looking to expand into more c-stores.  They offer all the regular services available in a post office with the exception of post office boxes and money orders.  It is staffed by your employees and needs at least 150 sq feet to be set up.  The USPS supplies all the equipment for you and will train your employees.  As far as money goes, in addition to an increase in foot traffic, there is a performance-based contract in which you earn a percentage of total sales of postal products and services at the location.  If you’re interested in more information or would like to contact USPS about this, click HERE.

With high gas prices inevitably come more people trying desperately to get something for nothing, and at your expense!  We’ve heard several similar stories from around the country about people trying to steal from station owners, the latest is from Ohio.  Three morons from Detroit were driving around with a ladder and some tinfoil scamming small businesses, mainly gas stations.  They had learned that if the satellite dish on top of your business gets covered in tinfoil, it prevents the credit card info from being sent until the tinfoil is removed, at which point the transaction gets declined.  By then of course, it’s already too late.  These criminals were distracting the attendant and then using an actual ladder to climb on the roof and cover up the dish.  Even though the credit card system appears to be down, temporary authorizations are still allowed for the first $50 of a gas sale.   After the crooks disable your credit card transmission dish, drivers that are in cahoots with them begin lining up for gas and driving off with $50 worth of your inventory.   Please be suspicious of gimmicks like this any time that your credit card system appears to be malfunctioning.   Thankfully, some undercover police who happened to be in the area were able to catch them, but they admitted to getting away with this many times before.  If you or your employees aren’t paying attention it can only takes a few moments for some creep to rip you off, so be alert! 

Finally, I want to talk about E15.  We’ve talked before about my opposition to the EPA’s decision to allow fuel made of 15% ethanol to be used in cars model year 2001 or newer.  It’s a recipe for confusion that will likely leave you stuck holding the bag when things go wrong.  Recently, many in Congress have made clear that they oppose the EPA’s decision as well.  There were hearings on the issue earlier this month which made it clear that many members of Congress agree with my concerns.  Back at the beginning of the year, the House voted to prevent the EPA from implementing the decision, a vote which had the support of nearly every Republican as well as many Democrats.  Now the sponsor of that amendment, Rep. John Sullivan (R-OK), seems set to try again.  However, it still has long odds to pass the Senate and survive the President.  Nearly every major car manufacturer also came out and stated that they oppose the use of E15 in older cars and their warranties will not cover any damage that occurs as a result of E15.   My opposition to E15 does not stem from my belief that ethanol is not a good idea.  Quite contrary, I think the more ethanol that we use as a nation rather than gasoline will be better for us all.

I always come back to this very simple point….SOMEDAY……SOMEDAY….there will be a last drop of oil that is pumped from the earth.  Experts disagree on when that SOMEDAY will be, but all experts agree that SOMEDAY will definitely arrive.    Ethanol is completely renewable, and although there are many who oppose its use, I believe they are WRONG!   My opposition to E15 is simply because YOU will be responsible for making sure that E15 is not dispensed in to the wrong vehicle.  Until EPA and car manufacturers can agree that E15 is safe in all cars, or that retailers are indemnified if human error causes a problem with a customer’s car, then I will oppose the use of E15 in order to protect you.  I sent a letter recently to several members of Congress laying out why I think E15 is a bad deal for consumers and why it is an especially bad deal for the gasoline retailers.  You can read that letter HERE.  

Thanks for listening - See you next week!

Regards,
Sal Risalvato
Executive Director

NEWS AROUND THE STATE

7/28/2011:
US Automakers, Obama Administration agree to new mpg rules
After weeks of talks and negotiations with domestic automakers, President Obama is expected to release new fuel economy numbers this week.  The revised numbers would raise fleetwide fuel average efficiency numbers to 54.5 mpg.  The Administration softened its proposal from its initial 56.2 mpg by 2025.  The increase represents a 3.5% annual increase in light trucks, with 5% annual increases for passenger cars.  Click above to read more on this.

7/27/2011:
Northern New Jersey hit hard in planned US Postal Office closings
With news that the US Postal Service is planning on closing nearly 3,700 of its approximately 32,000 stations, residents were amazed to discover that 50 locations in northern New Jersey may face closure.  Could this create an opportunity for you to better serve your members?  Click above to read more.

7/22/2011:
Few school districts will used state aid hike for property tax relief
With the amount of state education aid increasing for the 2011-2012 fiscal year, state officials are urging local school boards to use the additional funds to offset any property tax increase.  However, only 20 out of the state’s 600 school districts plan on using the funds to offer property tax relief to homeowners.  Click above to read the full article.

7/21/2011:
Governor’s energy master plan emphasizes natural gas, nuclear power
Worried about New Jersey’s ‘green energy economy’, state environmental leaders are concerned that the Governor’s proposed Energy Master Plan could put solar energy jobs on the back burner in favor of natural gas and nuclear power.  Click above to read more. 

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ARTICLES IN OUR “NEWS AROUND THE STATE” ARCHIVE 

MEMBER BENEFIT PARTNER MESSAGE

TMP Energy Solutions
Another Way to Save on Your Energy Bills

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