SHOPRITE PROMOTION FEATURES FREE HAMS

LAURA KLEPACKI

NORWALK, Conn. -- Free turkey at Thanksgiving is nothing new. But free hams at Easter?

A ShopRite store here that is part of the Wakefern Food Corp., Elizabeth, N.J., offered customers a free ham this season for a minimum purchase. The store offered customers a free 7-pound to 9-pound branded shank portion ham with a coupon and $40 minimum purchase, or a 5-pound to 7-pound butt portion ham with a coupon and minimum $50 purchase.

Supermarket retailers often sell turkeys at or below cost or hold special giveaway promotions at Thanksgiving to lure consumers in the hopes of getting their full holiday food order. And while Easter hams have also traditionally been specially priced to draw holiday traffic, free offers have not been the norm.

"It seems to be a common offer for Thanksgiving with turkeys, so conceptually it's not a new idea. But you typically don't see it with ham, so it is unique in that respect," said John Lewallen, director of marketing for the ham supplier.

The supplier did not fund the give away, Lewallen said. Mary Ellen Gowin, spokesperson for Wakefern, said the free ham promotion was not a company-wide offer. Company officials at the Grade A Co., Stamford, Conn. which operates the store, did not return phone calls for comment.