Although today's grocery stores rely on loyalty programs (such as Giant Eagle's myPerks) to retain customers, decades ago there were other ways to keep shoppers coming back. Of course, some stores gave out Top Value Stamps, which could be redeemed for a variety of gifts. But there were other more creative efforts as well. These included encyclopedia promotions in which a different book was offered each week until the whole set was complete, and similarly,
dinnerware offers in which you could piece together a set dish by dish.
And then there were the contests and giveaways, such as the Pick-N-Pay "Spot-O-Gold" promotion. Here's the two-page spread from the Journal of April 29, 1964.
The contest was a cash giveaway. Shoppers received a free "Spot-O-Gold" Dividend Card, which they were instructed to bring with them on their shopping strips to Pick-N-Pay. When their card had been "properly punched," the store manager removed the gold spot to reveal their reward. (The rules don't make it clear how many punches were needed.) At the very least you would win a buck.
I like the illustrations in the ad. The store manager is depicted as they usually are in newspaper ads, smiling, with a white coat and bow tie.
I like the other grocery guy with the basket of loot. I hope he wasn't going to take it on the
lamb lam.
The late
David Howat was a big fan of Pick-N-Pay, as he cherished the memories of shopping at the W. 21st Street store with his mother when he was a tyke. He sent me this photo of an employee hat he had in his archives.
David also sent me this 1958 photo taken inside a Pick-N-Pay store. It's labeled as being the 'Lorain' store, but I suspect it means Lorain Road in Cleveland. The back of the photo indicates that the store manager (Don Wilcox) lived in Lakewood, and the Maher family lived on W. 181st Street.
But it's a nice little slice of life, showing a typical family out buying groceries. Dad looks kind of apprehensive, though.
Contrary to today, when men do just as much shopping for food as women (or possibly more), my own father never went grocery shopping. It was Mom's job, usually on Friday nights when I was a kid.
I wrote about those days back
here in 2011.
Shopping was a Thursday thing back home (shelves were re-stocked Wednesday nights).
ReplyDeleteSome light buying was done Sunday morning, after church, when we stopped to pick up the Sunday paper. That's how I discovered I got car-sick. Trying to read the funnies on the way home.
Dad only went in if he needed smokes and that's all he ever bought.
Yes - Dave really loved that store - thanks for including!
ReplyDeleteI love hats like that. When I worked in a Sohio station, I came across an old captain's hat with the logo on it. I wore it proudly while pumping gas and doing oil changes and grease jobs, back when suspensions had grease fittings.
ReplyDeleteI never worked in a grocery store, but my sons worked for Tops, which I think was a Pick-n-Pay successor.