The 30-plus years that I’ve spent at the corner of North Dearborn and Maple streets as a 7-Eleven franchisee have been some of the greatest of my life. Since I first opened the doors of my store, I’ve been to able to support my community through thick and thin. But now, I’m finding it more difficult to keep my lights on and serve Chicagoans due to increased credit card swipe fees.
This issue has been a long time coming. On every purchase, credit card companies will impose a processing fee, or what most Americans know as a “swipe fee.” Unfortunately, the credit card processing market is unfairly stacked against small businesses, as just two companies — Visa and Mastercard — are able to monopolize the rules.
