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December 23, 2006

Protecting the Industry

NATO is the only national retail trade association that fights almost every kind of anti-tobacco state legislative bill to protect the right to sell tobacco products and preserve the entire tobacco industry. This is a bold statement, but it’s true. NATO is a unique trade organization because we have a dedicated legislative staff whose only job is to help retailers that sell tobacco products fight numerous kinds of state-level tobacco legislation.

While we will never let success go to our heads, it’s important for tobacco outlet retailers that sell tobacco products to know that we are very good at what we do. NATO’s legislative success rate for 2006 is at 90 percent, which means our work helped retailers defeat nine out of every 10 tobacco-related bills considered by state legislatures across the country.

This success rate is almost unheard of in the tobacco industry, but then it does not surprise our legislative staff. There are certainly those who believe that protecting the right to sell and use tobacco products is a lost cause. We don’t believe in lost causes. As long as retailers are willing to be a part of our group, we will continue to fight for them and the tobacco industry. That’s our mission and we will continue to carry out that mission to ensure that tobacco products can be bought and sold in this country.

The Cost of Protection

With NATO’s 90 percent success rate on state tobacco issues, a retailer may think that it’s not necessary to join the association. They may believe that we will do our job regardless of whether or not they become a member. The problem with this belief is the failure to understand that the anti-tobacco zealots want to usher in a new era of prohibition and put the entire tobacco industry out of business. They want to make sure that family-owned retail stores no longer sell tobacco products.

When you understand the goal of the anti-tobacco movement, then being a member of NATO takes on a much greater importance. When you as a retailer are facing a proposed cigarette or tobacco tax increase, a statewide smoking ban, a bill that would ban the sale of flavored tobacco products, or a new law that would make it illegal for 18, 19, and 20 years to buy tobacco even though they are old enough to serve in the armed forces, then you will understand why getting help from NATO is so important.

The importance of membership is magnified by the examples in Arizona, California, Missouri, Nevada, Ohio, and South Dakota where the anti-tobacco zealots have submitted petitions to place large cigarette and tobacco tax increases or statewide smoking ban questions on the November ballot. By the time this article is published, NATO will already have geared up with industry partners and NATO members to educate the public on why they should vote against these ballot questions. In fact, in a couple of states, there may be more than one ballot question for voters to answer on tobacco issues. NATO is the partner retailers need in their corner to fight these kinds of battles.

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We also understand that retailers are busy and have numerous tasks to accomplish each day. That’s why we contact our members when a legislative bill would impact their store. We’re a legislative watchdog because retailers generally don’t have the time to monitor what is going on at the state capitol.

So, is it worth it for a retailer who operates one store to pay $100 to join NATO for a year? Is it a good investment for an owner of 10 tobacco stores to pay $475 in dues for all 10 stores, which averages out to just $47.50 per store? We think so. There is no guarantee that we will continue to defeat 90 percent of tobacco legislation, but the minimal investment to join NATO may just be one of the cheapest ways to protect your store or stores.

Benefits Greater than the Costs

A store owner should more than recoup the annual dues to join NATO through the benefits offered to retail members. First, the legislative assistance can be invaluable because retailers are provided all the information they need to contact their elected officials and to urge their customers to do the same. Including providing retailers with personalized letters to sign, drafting alerts to pass out to customers, and sending petitions that once filled with signatures are easily faxed to legislators, NATO’s grassroots legislative help is worth more than the cost of annual dues.

Second, there are cost saving benefits like one of the lowest credit card processing rates in the country. According to numerous NATO retailers, the amount they save annually by signing up with First Data for credit card processing services far exceeds the amount of the annual dues to join NATO. By taking advantage of the First Data credit card services, retailers actually make money by belonging to the association.

Join NATO

If you want help to protect your business, you need to belong to NATO. To join, complete and send in the membership application form that follows this story. By joining now, your membership will be extended through December, 2007. To learn more about NATO, contact us at our toll free number which is 1-866-869-8888 and visit the association’s web site at www.natocentral.org and click on the Join NATO button. •

Thomas Briant is executive director of the National Association of Tobacco Outlets. NATO’s toll free number is 1-866-869-8888 and the association’s web site address is www.natocentral.org.•