If supermarket executives have their way in the fourth quarter, shoppers will be surrounded by photo and film promotions in virtually every section of the store.
To capitalize on the period, which can bring in between 30% and 40% of annual film and photo volume, retailers are planning an array of beefed-up promotions. Several said they plan to place heavy emphasis on: camera displays; cross-merchandising campaigns in baby, produce and floral sections; processing discounts, and tie-in rebate offers on items such as film, single-use cameras, videos and batteries.
"The fourth quarter is a time when you promote as much as you can," said Randall King, nonfood buyer at Byrd Food Stores, Burlington, N.C.
Some retailers plan to double and even triple the amount of camera and film displays set up throughout the store. They're also going to promote the category by offering second sets of prints free or for a 1-cent charge, free film with developing and $2 to $5 rebates.
"The fourth quarter is one of the busiest seasons for film and photo items," said Allen Booth, assistant director of general merchandise and health and beauty care at Jitney Jungle Stores of America, Jackson, Miss. "We make sure our promotions are out there, since this is very much an impulse sale that people don't have on their shopping list."
The fourth quarter is the biggest time for the category for some 300 to 400 retailers that Fleming's general merchandise division, Sacramento, Calif., supplies with film and photo products, according to a division source, who asked to remain anonymous.
"It can represent 30% to 40% of total annual film business at some retailers," the source said.
At the Fleming division's August nonfood trade show, retailer interest and curiosity in fourth-quarter film and photo merchandising was high, the source added.
"They're enthusiastic about the merchandising opportunities in the upcoming holiday period," the source said.
Last year, many Fleming retailers merchandised disposable cameras on clip strips and multiple film packs in floor dumps. This season they plan to offer a wide range of rebate promotions, the source noted.
Fleming retailers also plan to run a variety of promotions that Kodak is offering between now and November. For example, several different Kodak films are available with rebates on any of Disney's Masterpiece Collection videos, the source said.
Fleming stores also are expected to promote a $5 mail-in rebate on a three-pack of Fuji film or QuickSnap single-use camera with the purchase of Warner Home Video's "Batman Forever." Store displays will feature eye-catching point-of-purchase materials, including counter cards, danglers and header cards.
Other promotions will include a $2 Konica film rebate, and Fuji tear-off $2 instant coupons on three-packs of film for batteries or photo finishing, the Fleming source added.
With fourth-quarter sales generating "a very large percentage of the year's photo business," Jitney Jungle will merchandise single-use cameras as stocking stuffers. It also will run specials on single packs and multipacks of film.
"There will be more emphasis on film floor stands at this time than the rest of the year," Booth said.
Byrd Food Stores plans to focus attention on its year-old photo processing program. The chain may run a flat price for developing any size roll in the fourth quarter "to attract new film and photo customers," King said.
Additionally, he said, Byrd may offer a free second set of prints with incoming developing orders and promote photo Christmas cards more visibly.
Byrd also may roll out a Konica three-roll, multifilm pack with $1 and $2 in-pack coupons as a fourth-quarter holiday feature, King said.
Many retailers at Associated Wholesalers, York, Pa., will highlight film and photo services more aggressively with a photo processing special of $1.99 for a 24-exposure roll. They also may set up film floor dumps at strategic locations, and promote specialty products, such as Christmas photo greeting cards, according to Charles Yahn, vice president of general merchandise.
Film dumps will increase to a minimum of three per store, up from none or one to two in prior years, Yahn said. They will be arranged away from the film rack at the front end, by floral in produce and at the rear of the store. The front-end display will have batteries and single-use cameras J-hooked on either side.
Associated retailers will promote a $2 Fuji mail-in rebate for blank video tape with the purchase of Fuji film. They also plan to run several $2 to $5 Kodak rebates tied in with Disney children's videos.
Abco Foods, Phoenix, will make sure film clip strips are fully stocked at secondary displays for the expected fourth-quarter holiday surge, according to Doug Daniels, nonfood merchandiser.
"We clip strip as much film as possible at the point of purchase -- at checkstands at the front of the store -- to keep it in front of customers. The way to move it is to keep it at the secondary displays," Daniels said.
Angeli Foods, Iron River, Mich., plans to repeat traffic-building promotions that have been successful in the past. These include charging a cent for a second set of prints, and giving away a roll of film with each photo processing order.
"These work well in attracting customers and pump up our photo and film sales," said Joe Beyer, photo manager.
In another effective promotion, Angeli offers a free 24-exposure roll of Polaroid or Agfa film for new photo processing customers. In the past, about 300 rolls of film, which run between 89 cents and $1.15, have been given away. Angeli includes a 50-cent coupon with each roll of free film to act as an incentive and reminder for customers to return to the retailer for processing it.
"This sparks about 20 to 30 new fourth-quarter developing orders weekly at two stores," Beyer said. "It brings film back to us for processing and gets people to the counter, which gives us time to interact with them."
Seaway Food Town, Maumee, Ohio, will strengthen a promotion that offers a free second set of prints with each photo processing order. The campaign will be promoted with larger store signs and color ads at Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
"We do this type of promotion all the time, but it heats up at the fourth quarter, which represents 35% of the year's total photo category business," said Bill West, director of nonfood.
Seaway "will take advantage of promotions our photo supplier, Qualex, offers," he added. A leading Texas chain, which did not want to be identified, will begin promoting photo post cards in September and October so that shoppers have enough time to send them out for the holidays, said the chain's nonfood director, who asked to remain anonymous.
