TEENAGE ASSOCIATES HELP WITH IDEAS

BARBARA MURRAY

HALEYVILLE, Ala. -- Teenage workers at Tom Williams' four Piggly Wiggly units are helping store managers cater to teen shoppers -- with merchandising ideas that will appeal to their demographic.

For example, a Fourth of July display that includes charcoal, lighter fluid and ice cream salt (to make homemade ice cream) was the idea of a teen associate. Ricky Hicks, supervisor of the four stores, said the display took a circular form in the corridor of the Village East store here, one of two Piggly Wigglys Williams owns in this town. The shape and location of the display are new, and management was willing to give the teen's idea a try.

It's part of the teen-friendly attitude at the stores, which, like many supermarkets, are about 40% staffed by high school and college students. Ice cream demos, timed for when teens are out of school, appeal to them as customers. So do the Pepsi giveaways, in a 6-ounce cup, dispensed from a wagon once or twice a month.

"It's hard to say how much kids spend in stores. When a kid comes in with a parent, at least 10% of the parent's food bill is in snacks and items that teens like to eat," Hicks said.

Each store just gave away a Dr Pepper gasoline-powered Go-Kart that looks like the NASCAR vehicle sponsored by the vendor. This attracted a lot of teens, who registered for the July 3 drawing when they came in to buy groceries.

The stores also target teens with displays of Center Store products such as soft drinks, sports drinks and chips. But more than that, they target them by means of partnerships with the communities of Haleyville, Heckleburg and Phil Campbell, which lie within a 15-mile radius, in the northwest part of the state.

The stores also support teens' activities, giving them use of the parking lots for fund-raising sales and car washes, and hosting annual steak dinners at two high schools for the athletes and cheerleaders.

Young workers know that if they do a good job building a display, they can qualify for better hours, or more hours, Hicks said. Hiring young workers usually brings their friends in after school to say hello and pick up some snacks.