Meijer Makes Shoppers 'Very Merry' for 5th Year

Meijer is continuing its heartfelt tradition of paying for the entire shopping cart of a customer at each of its stores and gifting each cashier that handles the transaction with a $100 Meijer gift card. 

Started in 2014, the one-day Very Merry Meijer event has bestowed the gift to more than 1,150 customers at the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based retailer's 241 stores and Bridge Street Market, totaling more than half a million dollars

Meijer co-Chairman Doug Meijer said that after five years of the tradition, Very Merry Meijer is still his "favorite day of the year. There’s nothing quite like playing Santa with our Meijer team members and revealing the big surprise for our customers."

This year's event on Dec. 15 helped out a range of shoppers at the checkout, including a first-time Christmas party host who was starting to panic about the cost as she filled her second cart and a woman who lost everything she owned in a fire and was trying to replenish her belongings while Christmas shopping. The Very Merry event also came to the assistance of a Marysville, Ohio, family who had filled three carts with items to donate to the Common Ground Free Store in Delaware, Ohio, which helps those in need to obtain essentials for free. When the family realized Meijer was paying for everything, they decided to donate the total amount—$1,595.18—to Common Ground Free Store on top of the items.

“Christmas is the time to celebrates hope, joy and kindness, and we were so excited to continue our Very Merry Meijer tradition and share the spirit of the season with those we hold dear: our customers and team members,” said Executive Chairman Hank Meijer. “Our family has always believed that our customers don’t need us, but that we need them. That philosophy still guides us today, which is why we wanted to find a special way to say Merry Christmas.”

Meijer President and CEO Rick Keyes was also gratified to help spread holiday cheer. “We strive all year long to put our customers first and provide them with a great shopping experience through the quality products we sell, the service we provide and the many ways we offer savings,” Keyes said. “The Very Merry Meijer event continues to be that extra special way we express our appreciation to them and our team members. That is what the holidays are all about.”

See a video of this year's event below: