STORE OF THE MONTH: Savings at Stop & Shop

To appeal to its shoppers, many of whom hail from low-income households, the Stop & Shop in Arverne, N.Y., offers a number of promotions promising substantial savings on supermarket staples when they use their store card, including Weekly Specials involving hundreds of products, and Real Deals on thousands of items for multiple-week cycles. Compare & Save shelf tags at the Arverne store display Stop & Shop’s lower prices on select SKUs alongside those of its nearest competitor, a Waldbaum’s in Rockaway Park.

“We attract a strong value for people, and what’s important is our value goes across the entire store, whether it’s a Weekly Special or a Real Deal or events and promotions,” notes Ron Onorato, president of Stop & Shop’s Fairfield, Conn.-based New York Metro division. “We select a number of items that the consumer uses on a daily basis, and we try to give them a good value on those items. So it’s important to us that people can come, pick and choose, and when they travel across the store, they have a good value in their basket.”

Additional promotions, according to Onorato, include stock-up events throughout the year and a Gigantic Sale. “Throughout the year, we have … promotions that give our consumers the ability to save at a good value,” he says.

The retailer also sends out mailings to area households featuring $5-off coupons on purchases of $30 or more, as well as coupons to get certain popular items like peanut butter or soda free.

To read the full April 2011 Store of the Month story, “Rockaway Renaissance,” visit www.progressivegrocer.com/inprint/article/id1686/rockaway-renaissance/.