Source: Malicki’s Piggly Wiggly Facebook page
Does it pay for grocers to give free fruit to kids?
A Piggly Wiggly in Racine, Wisconsin has caused bit of a social media stir by handing out free fruit to kids who are shopping with their parents. A fruit stand in front of the store reads: “One free piece of fruit from the selection for kids 13 and under.”
The move promises to help parents entertain their kids with a nutritious treat during their shopping visit and perhaps distract them from crying out for candy or some other less-healthy treat. Part of the game is letting the kid pick out their one piece of fruit.
A Facebook message posted on Jan. 30 announcing the arrival of the fruit stand has received over 700 likes and more than 65 positive comments. Said Sarah Krewal, “That’s such a wonderful idea. And it might keep a child from going hungry! Thanks Piggly Wiggly!”
The idea came from a shopper seeing a “Fresh Fruit 4 Kids” display at a Kroger store in Ohio. Overseas, Tesco last fall trialed handing out free fruit to kids at 15 stores in Glasgow, Scotland.
“As a father myself I know just how much of a challenge it can be to navigate the aisles with hungry children in tow,” Josh Hardie, corporate responsibility director for Tesco, told the Guardian at the time. “As well as helping make sure children get their all-important five a day, we’re hoping this new plan will help instill some healthy eating habits that will stay with children as they grow up.”
In Australia, Woolworths’ “Free Fruit for Kids” campaign, launched last year across its stores, has incurred some criticism, with a few parents calling it “unhygienic.” But according to news.com.au, others applaud the program. The chain expects to give away a million pieces of seasonal fruit a year.
- Free Fruit at Piggly Wiggly for Kids Shopping with Parents – Racine County Eye
- Malicki’s Piggly Wiggly – Facebook
- Kroger Supermarket in Ohio Gives Free Fruit to Kids – Natural Society
- Greenville Kroger offers free fruit to youngsters 12 and under – Daily Advocate
- Tesco to trial free fruit for children – The Guardian
- Woolies’ ‘free fruit for kids’ PR stunt backfires – news.com.au
Discussion Questions
What do you think of the idea of giving away fruit to kids who are shopping with their parents? Do you see more of an upside or downside in such schemes?
Poll
BrainTrust
Zel Bianco
President, founder and CEO Interactive Edge
Tom Redd
Global Vice President, Strategic Communications, SAP Global Retail Business Unit
I believe this is a great way to increase sales, loyalty and the health of their customers. Piggly Wiggly will create more goodwill by this move than they could ever dream of doing by promotional pricing or just about any other marketing or advertising campaign I can think of. This is a fantastic loyalty play that will pay dividends for years, perhaps generations. This probably reduces what they need to give away or dispose of rather than costing them margin. Truly a genius marketing play!
My local grocer gives out cookies to kids under 13 and has done so for years. I have to say, I like the fruit idea much better. I know even as an adult I try to avoid going to the grocery store hungry — that makes for a blown shopping list and a cart full of things that really should not be coming home with me. I gotta imagine it’s about the same for kids, which means less hassle for parents.
I guess the downside is the retailer may lose out on some sugary impulse items for those baskets. But I gotta think the long term good will — and solid loyalty from grateful parents — will pay off much more.
I really can’t see a downside to this (apart from maybe losing some revenue when parents don’t have to buy their child a treat to stop the screaming). A healthy and happy customer base is good for the shoppers and the retailer. It is this kind of small but thoughtful thinking that builds trust and loyalty to a retailer.
To me it’s a lateral move. I’ve seen this at several other stores such as Whole Foods. It’s a good way to get rid of fruit before you have to throw it away or donate it. So there is certainly no added expense. You can’t lose.
My initial instinct was to applaud, and I do love the intent, but for the lawyers and increasingly rampant consumer paranoia. Check out the final link above, “Woolies ‘free fruit for kids’ PR stunt backfires.” Amazing how no good deed goes unpunished.
“WOOLIES’ “free fruit for kids” initiative has backfired, with shoppers complaining the basket of apples and bananas is unhygienic.”
“The supermarket giant announced the program in November, claiming it would help children eat their recommended two serves of fruit a day and is part of Woolworths commitment to inspire a healthier Australia.’”
“But customers have raised concerns that kids often have dirty hands and encouraging them to touch and eat fruit in-store could spread worms or other infectious disease.”
For more of the sad details, including the lady who fell on a banana peel just before Christmas and broke her knee in four places, click on the link.
I believe this is a good idea but similar to Warren’s comment there is some responsibility on the retailer’s part to insure that problems are minimal. Getting kids to eat more fruit is a good but this has to happen from home. I would also try small bags of vegetables like carrot sticks, etc. I think kids eat many more fruits than veggies.
FOOD FIGHT! It’s a nice spin, but depending on the fruit we may have sticky hands, sticky carts and chunks of spit out fruit in the aisles. Maybe a free beer for a parent is better?
Let’s assume the downside is the loss of some candy sales which many mothers often refuse to buy. The upside is a major plus with the added health benefits. Another win-win!
This is good for all parties. A successful trial with kids is good for them and will undoubtedly please mom. For the retailer, a favorable snack experience in-store for a young consumer/purchase influencer (“Mom, please put an orange in my lunch bag”) will boost sales on a high margin item for the retailer. The potential ROI is strong — plenty of “juice for the squeeze” figuratively and, possibly, in a literal sense.
PCC Markets in Seattle (a consumer owned cooperative) has been doing this for years. They usually hand out the fruit at checkout, so no messy aisles. The program is brand-aligned for PCC and one factor driving preference in our household.
Like so many good ideas, the success of the fruit give-away comes down to execution. Take some cues from the sampling and demo pros on this.
Distribution should be supervised and only with parental permission. Waste baskets should be easy to locate so peels and cores don’t land on the floor. Hand wipes should be available. Cut pieces in cups or plastic baggies may sometimes be preferable to whole fruits, especially for younger kids.
Safety and hygiene should not be compromised, even in the name of healthier food choices. If this proves too complex, then maybe this nice idea is not really all that practical.