SILVER COUPONS FOR GOLDEN AGERS BRINGING LONG GREEN TO RANDALLS

RICHARD TURCSIK

HOUSTON -- Randalls Food Markets here has been successfully courting senior citizen shoppers through an innovative Seniors Savings Coupons program that ties into the chain's Seniors Silver Card Club frequent shopper program.

Every Tuesday, Randalls prints a sheet of 10 coupons good for items in various departments throughout the store exclusively for its shoppers aged 60 and over; the perforated coupons are even printed on silver paper.

In recent weeks, coupons and grocery items featured included 20 cents off a 64-ounce bottle of Top Crest bleach, 20 cents off a box of Food Club cake mix, 50 cents off an 18-ounce jar of Simply Jif peanut butter, 55 cents off a 6-ounce package of Food Club dried apricots, 15 cents off an 8-ounce can of Hunt's tomato sauce and 25 cents off an 8-ounce can of mushrooms.

To receive the discount, shoppers simply present the coupon at the time of purchase, along with their Randalls Seniors Silver Card.

The Seniors Silver Card offers a host of its own benefits, including free cups of coffee or tea upon every visit to the store, free blood pressure checks at any time, a 10% discount on all prescriptions up to $50, exemption from all check cashing fees, and an exemption from maximum purchase requirements on all advertised specials, except when noted.

Cindy Crane Garbs, vice president of public relations at Randalls, told SN the senior citizens merchandising program has been very successful since the chain first launched it in 1987.

"We very much value our senior customers and they love it! And they love us! They realize that we value their business and there is a real nice loyalty factor because of the special attention that we direct towards them. The seniors are a real wonderful segment of our market," she said.

Garbs said Randalls merchandises the program at its courtesy booth.

"Our seniors all know the program and they count on it. We put the coupons in a very prominent holder right by the courtesy booth. The coupons are visible right where the seniors can nab them," she said.

Local observers told SN the program has been successful for Randalls and is perfectly suited for the chain's upscale clientele.

"Randalls attracts an upscale clientele and so in some of the areas they get a lot of the old rich people who certainly appreciate those seniors coupons," said one observer.

Another Houston market observer noted, "Randalls is happy with the program; that is why they continue to do it. With their Flagship operations, they attract a lot of seniors, and they reap some benefits from it."