NEW WEGMANS UNIT USES DISCOUNT, FREE SODA TACTICS

MICHAEL SLEZAK

DICKSON CITY, Pa. -- A new Wegmans Food Market, opened here last month, successfully grabbed health and beauty care and pharmacy business by discounting cosmetics for its shoppers' club customers and by giving away private-label soda to new prescription customers.

The 46-store chain, based in Rochester, N.Y., declined to make an official comment on the promotions.

A full page of the Dickson City store's color circular for the week of Aug. 28 to Sept. 3 heralded buy-one-get-one-free offers on a variety of cosmetics for customers using a Wegmans Shoppers Club discount card. The offer was valid only for the Dickson City store.

A store employee said sales have been "very good" in the store's three-aisle cosmetics department. Products featured in the circular included Max Factor Lipstick and Nail Enamel products; Cutex Polish Remover, Strong Nail and Color Quick Nail Enamel products; Trim Emery Boards and Nail Clippers; Cover Girl Soft Radiants Eye Pencil; Revlon Custom Eyes Eyeshadow and Wegmans Cosmetic Puffs.

The store's pharmacy department succeeded in attracting new prescription customers with a free soda offer, also promoted in the circular.

The circular announced customers could "bring in a new or transferred prescription with this ad and receive a coupon good towards one free case of WPop, Wegmans Brand Soda." A source at the store's pharmacy said the promotion "went very well." "People said 'and I get a free case right? Don't forget my free soda,' " commented the source, who said Wegmans tried a similar promotion at a store in Erie "about a year-and-a-half ago," but that promotion was not as successful as the Dickson City store's.

According to the source, customers received a coupon for the free soda at the pharmacy counter along with their new or transferred prescription. Next, customers could go to the soda aisle and select four six-packs of 12-ounce cans, regular or diet, of WPop. Finally, the customers could "run the soda through the cashier with the rest of their groceries and get the soda for free," the source said.

Wegmans hoped that, with the promotion, it could encourage pharmacy business and draw customers to beverage and other areas of the store, said the source.

Pharmacy business "has been pretty good," since the store opened, the source added.

Additionally, Wegmans devoted space in its circular to draw attention to its Wegmans-brand acetaminophen, children's chewable acetaminophen, nasal decongestant pseudoetabs and antiseptic mouth rinse.