Circle K and Mac's Convenience Stores sign agreement to not sell tobacco products to N.J. minors
Settlement involves 40 states, District of Columbia
The state government has signed onto a multi-state settlement agreement with Circle K Stores Inc. and its sister company, Macs’s Convenience Stores, that is designed to prevent the sale of tobacco products to youth under age 19, Attorney General Paula T. Dow announced Tuesday.
Called the Assurance of Voluntary Compliance, the agreement calls for Circle K to engage in training its employees, periodic “mystery shopper” checks to ensure proper sales practices, the cautioning of franchise operators that selling tobacco to underage buyers will result in serious consequences, and other measures.
Circle K voluntarily agreed to pay the 40 states and the District of Columbia that are part of the agreement $225,000 to be used for such purposes as consumer education, public protection, or the implementation of programs protecting against tobacco use by minors.
In New Jersey, there are 25 Circle K stores currently operating. Circle K is the nation’s second largest operator of convenience stores, with approximately 3,000 company-owned outlets across the country and 1,000 franchise locations. Circle K stores operate under the trade names Circle K, Dairymart and On the Run.
It is illegal in New Jersey to sell tobacco to persons under age 19.
“This agreement is about a corporation taking responsibility for what occurs on its premises, and about the private sector working cooperatively with government toward a common objective – namely keeping cigarettes and other tobacco products out of the hands of minors,” Dow said.
The settlement is the product of an on-going effort involving attorneys general throughout the United States, and incorporates “best practices” developed in consultation with public health experts and tobacco control officials.
The agreement with Circle K calls for:
Identification must be checked on all persons who appear to be under 30 to protect against mistakes by clerks in evaluating a person’s age by appearance alone.
In-store advertising of tobacco must be limited in ways intended to reduce the effect on young people, and outdoor advertising is to be eliminated at stores within 500 feet of playgrounds or schools.
Employee training will focus on the mechanics of eliminating underage tobacco sales, and will also emphasize the serious health issues that give rise to the legal efforts to restrict youth access to tobacco.
Circle K will test itself on the effectiveness of its own safeguards against underage sales by conducting mystery shopper compliance checks at 500 of its stores every six months.
Previous tobacco sales related multi-state settlements in which New Jersey has participated have involved gas station convenience stores selling fuel under the brand names Conoco, Phillips 66 or 76, Exxon, Mobil, BP Amoco, Shell Oil, Valero and Chevron, as well as the retail and pharmacy chains Kroger, 7-Eleven, Walgreens, Rite Aid, CVS and Walmart.
The Circle K agreement notes that the great majority of adult smokers started smoking before they reached age 18. It also notes that young people show signs of addiction after smoking only a few cigarettes.
Deputy Attorney General Glenn T. Graham and Assistant Attorney General Carol Jacobson handled the matter for New Jersey.
—TOM HESTER SR., NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
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