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Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/94351
GAS STATIONS IN SANDY'S AFTERMATH Here is a list of some news items that were reported at gas stations after the super storm, prompting gas rationing: ABC reported on Nov. 1 that some New Jersey motorists roamed for hours looking for a gas station that had both power and gasoline. But when found, the line sometimes lasted two hours or more. Reuters reported that before dawn on Nov. 2 drivers in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut confronted a shortage of gasoline, with long lines of cars snaking around gasoline stations in the areas. Police had to be stationed in many places to keep the peace between frustrated drivers. The New York Daily News reported on Nov. 8 that after the storm, panicked consum- ers unnecessarily filled up cars and gas cans adding to the fuel shortage problem. The Associated Press reported on Nov. 8 some station owners were receiving steady streams of consumer calls asking if their stations had fuel and how long the lines were. • • • • "This settlement has fatal legal defects. We look forward to presenting the problems we see in this proposal to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals," said Jeffrey Shinder, managing partner, Constantine Cannon LLC, counsel to the merchants objecting to the pro- posed settlement. The named class plaintiffs opposing the proposed settlement of the case, which is known as "In Re Payment Card Interchange Fee and Merchant Discount Antitrust Litigation," are NACS, Affiliated Foods Midwest, Coborn's Inc., D'Agostino Supermarkets, Jetro Holdings LLC, NATSO, National www.npnweb.com n NPN Magazine Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA), National Cooperative Grocers Association (NCGA), National Grocers Association (NGA) and National Restaurant Association (NRA). "The merchant community is deep- ly committed to reforms that bring transparency and competition to the broken electronic payments market. The volume and diversity of those objecting to this flawed proposal are remarkable and continues to grow," said Shinder. The only issues considered at the preliminary approval hearing were whether there are legal defects in the proposal—the overall fairness of the proposal will not be fully considered until later. "This battle is not close to being over, and NACS and the other objec- tors will fight at every opportunity to either scuttle this flawed settlement and begin earnest negotiations, or take the case to court," said Armour. n Research shows 71 percent of convenience-store shoppers willing to use mobile wallets More than 70 percent of convenience- store shoppers would be willing to pay for items using mobile payment applications on their mobile phones and tablets, according to market research firm Paradigm Sample, Port Washington, N.Y. The firm said it conducted a mobile survey designed to help companies understand the receptivity of frequent convenience-store shoppers to mobile banking and mobile payment options. It found that 71 percent of respon- dents would be willing to use mobile wallets to pay for items, the research firm said. Sima Vasa, president of Paradigm Sample, cited "increasing consumer receptivity, and a greater sense of secu- rity when using their mobile devices for financial transactions… C-store shoppers are already comfortable mak- ing online purchases, so using their mobile phones as a mobile wallet just doesn't faze them. "In the convenience-store setting, mobile wallets can only expedite the shopping experience and provide even more convenience to consum- ers," Vasa continued. "Even so, while c-store shoppers are already willing to use mobile technology to purchase products there is a ways to go before the technology, security, and mobile- wallet infrastructure catches up to con- sumer demand." According to earlier research from Paradigm Sample, mobile financial activity is growing. Not only are con- sumers shopping and checking bank balances, but they are also increasingly engaged in other financial interactions via mobile phones. The firm said that, among 3,738 respondents, 15 percent used their mobile devices to verify bank account balances; 11 percent to verify posted transactions; and 10 per- cent to check credit card balances. The survey also found that 10 percent made purchases from their phones, and 9 percent received account alerts. Still another survey showed that mobile users in the Northeast and West are most likely to use their mobile devices to conduct financial transactions. Paradigm Sample's data show "healthy" levels of early adoption across all major U.S. Census regions, it said, based on responses from 865 people. In the West, 77 percent of those respondents were likely to use their mobile devices to conduct finan- cial transactions, the firm said. In the Northeast, 71 percent were likely to use their mobile devices to conduct finan- cial transactions; in the Midwest, 69 percent; and in the South, 68 percent, the research firm reported. n API licensing effort aims to ensure right motor oil for vehicles The American Petroleum Institute (API) has launched its licensing efforts for motor oil distributors and oil change locations as part of its expanded "Motor NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2012 7