FOOD GIANT TESTING GAME DEMO FIXTURE

DAN ALAIMO

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Food Giant Supermarkets here is testing a video game demonstration fixture in one of its freestanding video stores, according to Tim Harrison, video supervisor. The retailer, which has 100 units and 75 video departments, began testing the fixture in mid-March. It is so pleased with preliminary results that it may install it in its four other freestanding video stores, and even some of its 75 supermarket video departments, said Harrison.

"Once we have the proven success in the freestanding stores, it will be easier to justify putting them into a supermarket," said Harrison. The unit provides 10 minutes of play for 25 cents. It rotates four different game systems -- Sega 32X, Sega CD, Sega Genesis and Atari Jaguar -- throughout each week. Sega 32X, Sega CD, and Atari Jaguar each run two days a week, while Sega Genesis runs for one. Other systems can be incorporated into the schedule as they become available, said Harrison. It has been averaging 16 to 28 players each weekday, and 25 to 40 each day on the weekend.

"It's a revenue generator," Harrison said.

Additionally, Harrison said, it will help the retailer increase store traffic and increase interest in its game systems.

"Our plan is to get kids who don't have Jaguar, Sega 32X, Sega CD or any of these other new game platforms to come in and play them in our store," said Harrison. "We hope that, in turn, will build up the market to a point where we will be able to sell the game units in the stores and increase the rental and sell-through of the software titles." The fixture was purchased from Specialty Store Services, Morton Grove, Ill. It comes with a timer and a coin changer. Food Giant provides its own television monitor, game hardware units

and software. One or two players may use the unit at a time, depending on the game being played, he said. "It's like an arcade unit, but we can switch the game and the format to whatever our customers prefer. That keeps it very fresh, and it's ours. We don't have to share the profit. We don't have to deal with an arcade game company who might leave us with something that we don't really want." It will also enable the retailer to increase store promotions. According to Harrison, it will allow Food Giant to run a game tournament promotion for kids.

"It will probably be a summer event because that is when most kids have the leisure time to hang out in the store," Harrison explained.

Food Giant plans to roll out the fixtures to its other video stores within the next few months. It looks forward to the summer, when school is out and more people will use the machine.