Asian American Convenience Stores Association (AACSA) will approach the major credit card companies – MasterCard, Visa, American Express and Discover Card – on the issue of the high credit card fees they charge for transactions at convenience and gas stores across the United States, which significantly eat into profit margins, AACSA officials announced at the third annual AACSA convention at Tampa, Florida on December 1.

AACSA has decided to partner with the National Association of Convenience Stores to fight against credit card fees, Satya Shaw, AACSA president said in a statement after the day-long conference held at the India Cultural Center in Tampa.

“This is the issue of our survival. We have to bring down these high credit card fees, otherwise either we would have to close down the shop or shift to some other business," Shaw said.

“Because of the high credit card fees imposed by these companies, the profit margins of almost all the convenience stores have come down significantly in the last few years. We are poor people. We work very hard to run our businesses. It is time that these credit card companies should consider our request and review their fees for the convenience and gas stores," Chandra Kant Patel, Chairman of the AACSA said.

Shaw said details of how to fight it out with the credit card companies is being worked out and would be revealed soon after discussion with key leaders from the convenience store community.

During the day-long conference, convenience store owners who had come from all over the country to attend, identified other major factors responsible for their declining profits: increasing rentals, utilities fees and other government taxes.

The convention was also attended by senior government officials and key players from the industry. Mike Zielinski, president of RBG, Michael Davis, VP of NACS and Dan Carpenter of US Benefits made power point presentations on issues related to convenience stores.

The convention felicitated several Indian Americans for their contributions to the society. Prominent among them being Renu Khator, Provost of the University of South Florida, who was recently appointed as the President and Chancellor of the prestigious Houston University; industrialists Chandra Kant Patel, for donating Rs. 1 crore for tribal education in Chhatisgarh; Mahesh Shah, for being the pioneer in Indian-Americans taking up the business of convenience stores. Among other awardees include, Aziz Haniffa, managing editor, India Abroad, and Vijay Gandhi, vendor for store owners.