Australasian Association of Convenience Stores | Businesses

Australasian Association of Convenience Stores

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22.01.2022 COMPETITION ALARM BELLS SOUND When the banks have an agenda to consolidate platforms, history suggests competitive concerns are warranted. The proposed merger of tap-and-go payments systems providers is the latest red flag moment. AACS joins other small business advocacy groups including the Council of Small Business Organisations Australia in warning against the big bank-driven proposed merger of electronic payments systems which could lead to the emergence of a single payme...nts option for Aussie retailers and a rise in the cost of processing transactions. No competition means no pressure to keep prices down, no impetus to improve the customer service offering, and even more power to the major banks. All retailers, small and large, should have the option to process tap-and-go payments through the lowest cost option. For convenience stores, instead of being able to use Australia’s own eftpos Australia network, which is significantly cheaper, many of these small businesses are still forced by banks to use more expensive international networks such as Visa and Mastercard to route tap-and-go transactions. The difference amounts to thousands of dollars each year. This article in the Financial Review highlights the issues at play: See more

16.01.2022 As more businesses open up again, it’s important to remember the basics around trading in a COVID-19 environment. The convenience industry has performed very well over past months and we do need to keep up the work and standards. As research commissioned by AACS and carried out by Convenience Measures shows, consumers are comfortable shopping in our stores. Ensure all staff are trained in working safely in a COVID-19 environment, and that appropriate measures are taken in and around stores. Make sure the correct signage is in place, that sanitisers and wipes are available, and that high touch areas are constantly cleaned. Importantly, ensure that your COVID-Safe plan is up to date and available.

15.01.2022 Are we about to see common sense prevail? The Senate inquiry on vaping has received thousands of submissions which, The Sydney Morning Herald reports, are overwhelmingly supportive of vaping as a smoking cessation tool. Ampol has argued the case for nicotine-based vaping products to be able to be sold in the same way as cigarettes at its Caltex Australia and Foodary Australia stores. We can only hope Government is listening. We must make it easier for Australians to access products that are safer for them. Read the SMH report here:

14.01.2022 HAVE YOUR SAY: SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESSES & HEALTH OUTCOMES TOO AACS has been informed the closing date to have your say on the absurd decision to make vaping products available to people only through pharmacies, and only if they have a prescription, has been extended. We encourage everyone to make their views known. The notion that products safer for Australians to use should be harder to obtain is so deeply flawed it beggars belief. Around the world, Governments are helping t...heir citizens by making vaping products - which are 95% safer than traditional tobacco more readily available for people to have the choice. Australia is clearly behind the times. We need to provide Aussies a safer choice through responsible retailing channels now. The outcome of making people pay to visit a GP, then visit the pharmacy, just so they can buy a safer product, is obvious. It just won’t happen. It’s common sense. Yet here we are. The closing date for public submissions on this decision has been extended to 12 November 2020. Make your submission here: https://consultations.health.gov.au//copy-of-copy-of-copy/

09.01.2022 MORE EVIDENCE VAPING HELPS PEOPLE QUIT The evidence actual evidence by qualified researchers without an agenda that e-cigarettes can help people quit smoking is growing. A recent review by the independent The Cochrane Library Tobacco Addiction Group has found that e-cigarettes with nicotine can give people a better chance to quit tobacco compared to nicotine gum or patches, and behavioural support. People who smoke often buy tobacco from convenience stores. In more progr...essive countries (the UK, US, Canada, the 27 European Union member states, plus every OECD nation except Turkey and Australia), those people have the choice to purchase vaping products at the same place. There and then, they can choose a product that is safer for them, which can help them quit smoking. Why are we making it harder for Australians to make a better choice? To the Australian Government: regulate e-cigarettes now, ensure they are sold by responsible retailers, collect your tax dollars, and help people quit smoking.

09.01.2022 Reports of the spiralling black market for e-cigarettes which contain nicotine being sold with impunity to anyone, including minors, highlights the urgent need for Government to regulate the sale of vaping products through legitimate, responsible retailing channels. A headline today read "Poisons lines inundated with calls about nicotine poisoning from vapers". There is clearly demand for these products but at the moment they're being supplied by criminals who have no interest in quality control, don't provide an ingredients list, and don't check the age of their customers. We must catch up to the rest of the world now.

01.01.2022 LAST CHANCE: HAVE YOUR SAY ON SAFE VAPING NOW Anyone interested in better health outcomes for the community, and better economic outcomes for small business, should make a submission to the Therapeutic Goods Administration’s consultation on vaping products now. There’s only two days left to make your voice heard. If we don’t speak up, the dangerous plan to make vaping products available only to people with a prescription through pharmacies will become the norm. Anyone with a ...basic level of common sense can guess the outcome here. To force someone looking for a safer choice to pay to visit a GP, then visit a pharmacy, just to buy a safer alternative to tobacco, is clearly flawed. Talk about a wasted opportunity. Most western countries help their citizens by making vaping products - which are 95% safer than traditional tobacco more readily available. We can do the same for Australians by providing a safer choice through responsible retailing channels now. Public submissions close 12 November 2020. Make your feelings known here: