Convenience Stores Expect to Sell News, Not MakeNews.

Business Editors/Hi-Tech Writers

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 30, 1999

The nation's 97,000 convenience stores are girding up for expected increased sales on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1, including as much as a four-fold increase on newspapers sold those two days as customers snap

In planning to meet consumers' last-minute preparations against potential Y2K glitches, convenience store retailers across the country began stocking up in late November on other anticipated goods that would be in increased demand. Retailers such as 7-Eleven are reporting brisk sales, with sales increases of 20 to 40 percent, for bottled water, champagne, batteries, and first-aid kits.

Convenience stores, which sell roughly 60 percent of the nation's motor fuels, have also increased gasoline supplies.

While some stores will close early on New Year's Eve to allow employees to take part in millennium festivities, others will be open, assuring customers that they have contingency plans in place to deal with any Y2K glitches.

The National Association of Convenience Stores, the trade association representing the U.S. convenience store and petroleum marketing industry, is monitoring the Y2K transition. Reporters interested in finding out more about the industry's plans are encouraged to contact NACS spokespersons: