WEGMANS STARTS SCHOOL SEASON WITH BOGO

RICHARD TURCSIK

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Wegmans Food Markets here rang in the back-to-school season with a buy-one-get-one-free sale.

The sale featured a wide variety of grocery, frozen, general merchandise and perishable products. For several of the items, shoppers had to use their Wegmans Shoppers Club Discount card to receive the discount.

The sale was promoted on the first three pages of a 20-page circular. The chain also built massive displays and used point-of-purchase advertising.

Buy-one-get-one-free items featured included: Sealtest ice cream, half-gallon, save $2.25; Brawny paper towels, save 87 cents; Nabisco Oreos, 20-ounce package, save $3.29; Coca-Cola, 16-ounce bottle six-pack, save $3.89; Wegmans spring water, one gallon jug, save 49 cents; Solo plastic cups, save 99 cents; Hormel frozen chili dogs, save $1.39, and Soft Paw cat litter, 25-pound bag, save $3.99.

Officials at Wegmans declined to comment on the promotion. But local industry observers told SN the chain holds BOGO sales approximately once every month, and that the sales have good results.

"These sales have been very successful for Wegmans; they are already planning their event for January 1995. When you move product there, you are probably moving three or four truck loads -- at least," one Buffalo-area source told SN.

"Usually when Wegmans runs an ad, there is a large display associated with it. In order to run an ad like that, they don't expect to do anything less than large numbers, especially with a BOGO," said another observer.

The industry sources said Wegmans uses heavy display activity to support the BOGO event.