ALBERTSON'S GIVING AWAY HOT HOLIDAY TOY ON WEB

STEPHANIE LOUGHRAN

BOISE, Idaho -- Albertson's here is helping to bring holiday cheer to 12 Seattle-area residents who were unable to snag one of the season's must-have items, Sony PlayStation2, manufactured by Sony Computer Entertainment America, Foster City, Calif. Through a joint promotion, www.albertsons.com is giving away two Playstation2 units and Seattle radio station STAR 101.5 FM is giving away 10 of the game consoles.

"We've tried to generate excitement on the site and capture the hot holiday gift items," said albertsons.com spokeswoman Jeannette Duwe. She added that the retailer knew PlayStation2 would be a hot gift this year, so "we camped out at a [toy] store." Duwe described the program as a cross promotion between the radio station and albertsons.com.

Shawna Weber, promotions coordinator for STAR 101.5, said it is a great program for everyone involved. "It's the most popular toy this holiday season. Everyone's trying to get their hands on it." She said albertsons.com has received increased hits since the station began promoting the retailer's site on a daily basis. From Dec. 4 to Dec. 17, listeners could win the game systems by being the 101st caller when the station played the "Sony PlayStation2 Song of the Day."

Seattle residents will be able to register on albertsons.com until Dec. 20. Two winners will be randomly selected Dec. 21 and the PlayStation2 will be delivered the following day.

The promotion was marketed on the air and on the Web, said Duwe, adding that there was no supporting in-store signage.