PRICE CHOPPER'S AD SWEETENS CAKE DECORATING

ROSEANNE HARPER

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. -- Price Chopper Supermarkets has been inviting children into its in-store bakeries to decorate cakes for the folks.

"We had tried this for Mother's Day and were happy with the results. So we decided to do it again for Father's Day," said Joanne Gage, vice president of public and consumer relations for the 91-unit chain.

"We did sell more cakes, but the main reason for doing this is that it adds a lot of excitement. It creates a fun, family atmosphere in the department," Gage added.

The Price Chopper executive said customer response was slightly better for Mother's Day, but the Father's Day project this year was successful enough to warrant a repeat.

The chain used its ad circular to gather attention to the in-store event. It devoted a full page to bakery and featured cakes for Father's Day in the circular, which was disseminated the second week in June.

The page was headlined, "Kids, Come Join Us and Decorate a Cake for Dad." Underneath the headline were illustrations of decorated cakes. One was a heart-shaped cake decorated with a necktie and suspenders. Also shown was a sheet cake with a necktie decoration and an inscription that said, "Happy Father's Day, Dad." The illustrations of Father's Day cakes occupied more than a third of the page.

Next to the cake illustration, a paragraph said, "Saturday, June 15, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. All children will be able to decorate a Father's Day Cake. Decorating will be done on fresh baked Father's Day cakes purchased from our bakery. Limited to children 5 to 12 years old."

Father's Day cake prices touted in the ad were: white, chocolate or marble quarter sheet cake, $7.88; white, chocolate or marble bar cake, $4.88; and white or chocolate heart-shaped cake, $3.88.

Drawings of muffins and bagels cascaded down the center of the page. On the same page, a prominent spot was devoted to "fresh baked, low-fat Danish" for $2.88. That was underneath a headline that said, "Eat Wise-Healthwise."