Key Issues

NJFC President Linda Doherty explains new federal date labeling guidelines with Chairman Eric Houghtaling (D-11) and Assemblyman Ron Dancer (R-12) of the Assembly Agriculture Committee during a store tour.

Liquor License Reform: We continue to educate legislators on the economic benefits of modernizing New Jersey’s liquor licensing laws. Currently a business in New Jersey can only hold a maximum of two retail liquor licenses at one time. This two license limit is an antiquated restriction that stifles economic growth and tax revenues. We are advocating for legislation which would gradually increase the cap over a period of ten years. This legislation modernizes New Jersey’s liquor licensing laws without changing the current three tier system or increasing the total number of licenses issued by a municipality. This change provides food retailers with the opportunity to gradually acquire additional licenses, grow their sales, offer their customers the convenience of buying food and liquor in the same place, and compete on a more level playing field with chain package goods stores that typically have many more licenses.

Self-Serve Gasoline: Currently, New Jersey is the only state that prohibits self-serve gasoline. Gasoline prices are strictly regulated by the State, and New Jersey gas retailers may not sell gas below cost. With the the advances in self-serve technology, and the enactment of the minimum wage law in July 2019, the cost of full-service gasoline will continue to rise. NJFC supports offering consumers the choice to elect self-serve. A consumer could still choose full-service if that is their preference.

Full service gasoline stations are no longer more convenient. Technology has made the self-serve option the most convenient method of obtaining fuel. A motorist in New Jersey must wait until a gas attendant is available and ready to pump the gas. As the labor market tightens and businesses struggle to pay increased wages, there will be fewer and fewer attendants available. Motorists will not only be forced to pay a premium for full service gas, they will be forced to wait for the service. Removing all options is not convenience. Forty-nine states safely operate self-service stations. NJFC members have self-service stations in other states where there have been no safety issues. It is time to join the rest of the nation and offer consumers the option of self-serve gasoline.