Thank you to U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin for shining a light on the issue of credit card swipe fees, as mentioned in your recent editorial (Credit card swipe fees raise costs for businesses, consumers. Congress should lower those fees. — Dec. 12).
These exorbitant fees let credit card companies get rich off the backs of independent retailers who are already struggling to make ends meet and provide customers with the service they deserve.
As a small, family-owned grocer in the city of Chicago, we cherish our role as an anchor in the neighborhoods we serve, employing 70 of our friends and neighbors — many of whom have been with us for decades.
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But it is getting harder and harder to keep prices down, in large part because of rising credit card swipe fees. While customers rely on the convenience of paying for groceries with credit and debit cards, they don’t always realize that 2% to 4% of the cost of their transaction is automatically taken off the top and sent to credit card companies, not the store where they are making their purchases. And that fee is included in the sales taxes.
Stores like ours have no choice but to pass these fees on to consumers if we want to continue to operate. That’s why Sen. Durbin’s Credit Card Competition Act is so important, and we are proud to stand with him in support of the legislation.
It would increase credit card competition, giving retailers a choice in which processing networks we use. This competition would help lower fees for retailers and drive down prices for consumers.
As a family-run grocer, I understand competition. We set ourselves apart by offering customers different choices and better service. It’s time the major credit card companies did the same.
Art Potash, CEO, Potash Markets
The importance of crisis intervention
I must write to thank you for your outstanding editorial on suicide prevention on Dec. 13 (“Everyone can play a role in preventing suicide”).
This article succinctly described the staggering statistics of suicide in the U.S. and interventions for prevention. I am a retired psychiatric nurse and daily worked with my patients contemplating suicide. Our role was to build on the person’s wish to stay alive through protection, listening and exploring changes the person recognized they needed to make.
The 988 crisis hotline is a great tool. We can all help our friends and family who are suffering by asking about suicidal thoughts. Believe me, you are not planting the idea and your actions can save their lives.
Patricia Warman, Des Plaines
