The NACS In Store program continued on June 1, as another U.S. Representative spent the day serving in a local convenience store.
As a part of the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) In Store program, U.S. Representative Leonard Lance of New Jersey spent the morning of June 1 getting acquainted with members of the community by serving coffee at the QuickChek fresh convenience market at 410 Route 31 South in West Amwell, N.J.
The event is one in a series of nationwide industry events celebrating the success of convenience stores and their economic, cultural and social contributions to the community. This award-winning program enables elected officials to experience first-hand the community experience at their local convenience store.
Representative Lance, whose district encompasses parts of Essex, Hunterdon, Morris, Somerset, Union and Warren counties, N.J., took a tour of the store with QuickChek CEO Dean Durling, discussed issues important to the business, met with customers and worked behind the counter at the store during a 90-minute period.
“We are delighted to have Representative Lance visit our store and get behind the counter to gain a sense of our business, our total dedication to serving the needs of our customers, and the role we play in our communities,” said Durling, whose family-owned company has 143 locations throughout New Jersey, the Hudson Valley and Long Island.
The NACS In Store events offer members of Congress an up-close-and-personal look at how these vital small businesses address a range of policy imperatives in America: providing a continuous source of entry level jobs, an engine for economic growth, access to competitively priced consumer products and services for underserved areas, and affordable supplies of 80% of the gasoline sold in our country today.
The convenience store industry represents 3-4% of GDP in the U.S. and conducts more than 160 million transactions a day.
“Convenience stores are the anchor of communities across the country and they are also where community conversations take place,” said NACS president and CEO Henry Armour. “More than half of the country visits a convenience store on a daily basis. The NACS In Store program gives elected officials a perfect opportunity to experience how these stores serve the public in their home districts.”