POLAROID SETS INSTANT ONE-TIME CAMERA

JOEL ELSON

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Polaroid Corp. here is planning a national rollout of a new 10-exposure, single-use instant camera to supermarkets, drug stores and mass merchandisers.

The rollout, slated to begin next month, follows on the heels of a limited test in selected Atlanta stores of A&P, Ingles Markets and Kroger Co. Polaroid said the test, begun last Thanksgiving, generated good fourth-quarter movement.

"Sales appear to be doing well, despite the price being virtually double" that of other single-use cameras, said Andy Carrano, vice president of marketing and corporate affairs at Montvale, N.J.-based A&P. "People like the idea of getting prints right away, and so they seem willing to pay the higher cost." He said it was unclear whether naturally high-volume holiday shopping spurred sales, and whether the product will sell well on an everyday basis.

The camera, called Pop Shots, provides a finished color print in seconds, no processing required. Suggested retail price is $19.99.

Atlanta-area Target, Kmart, Wal-Mart, Costco, Sam's Club, Eckerd and CVS stores also had shippers full of the cameras. Some retailers discounted the camera -- to $16.99 in Costco's case, said Polaroid spokeswoman Arlene Henry.

Radio spots and newspaper ads in November and December in the eight-county Atlanta area bumped up sales, Henry said.

Kroger's Douglasville, Ga., store displayed Pop Shots for $17.99 near other single-use cameras at the service center. "Sales did well at Christmas but slowed down after New Year's," said a store-level associate.

"Although Pop Shots is priced several dollars higher than most other single-use cameras, it's moving, but not quite as fast as a month ago," said the Kroger associate. "It should do well at graduation and other holidays like Mother's Day and Father's Day because there isn't any processing."

Polaroid is backing Pop Shots with a national TV ad campaign and a $4 mail-in rebate offer, good when consumers return the empty camera for recycling.