GGW has the details of a contest that requires you to place a sticker on your car's windshield. But Mrs. Washcycle walks to the Safeway (when she goes to the Safeway at all), so we cannot win. Best line is from the comments in reference to their free gas promotion.
I asked the manager, "do you really think anyone in a position to drive to a supermarket would drive to this one?"
They have one out here in CA where for every $100 you spend at Safeway, you get a 10 cent per gallon discount on your next fill. That not only leaves out cyclists and pedestrians, but rewards people with bigger gas tanks.
Posted by: Rich Wilson | September 18, 2009 at 01:17 AM
Life is unfair!
Sometimes you can win a car in a sweepstake (what about people who don't have a drivers license), sometimes you can win a bicycle (What about people who don't know how to ride or are in a wheelchair?)
It's how they mix it up. Harris Teeter had a promotion for a $25 gas card some time ago which was fine. We could use it but even if we had not we could have given/ sold it to someone who could have.
If all promotions are for car drivers, then the promotions department needs some fresh blood.
Posted by: Eric_W. | September 18, 2009 at 10:29 AM
Eric W: That's the problem. All of the Safeway promotions are for car drivers. The last one before this: free gas, the same thing Rich Wilson saw in CA. That's two in a row that are driver-only.
If Safeway did a bike promotion next, that'd be one thing. But I doubt it, because despite having a large number of urban stores, they're a national chain mostly in suburbs, and they plan the promos nationally.
Posted by: David Alpert | September 18, 2009 at 11:57 AM
And how about the "Buy two, get two free" promotions for Coke 12 packs??? Who's going to carry those anywhere but their car?
Posted by: Dan | September 18, 2009 at 12:42 PM
@Dan: I think that by definition soda sales do not target active bicyclists.
@David: Hmmm... We used to go to our local safeway all the time until we moved. Now it is mostly Harris Teeter. In 2006, Safeway promotions were nothing I really noticed... But clearly, they need to come up with something that is not just the same old same old...
And the $.10 discount on gas is a promotion that costs them virtually nothing because the take rate will be miniscule.
I admit that I mostly drive to the grocery store; I rarely carry a bike lock and don't want to risk my bike just to pick up milk and peanuts on the way home. ;-) I am thinking about the cargo bike once in a while but I am not sure that is cost effective for me (no matter how cool I think it is).
Posted by: Eric_W. | September 18, 2009 at 01:17 PM
Dan, that's too funny you mention the Coke 12-pack promo. Yesterday I managed to fit three 12-packs into my XXL courier bag and a few days worth of groceries into the panniers. Luckily I only live a little over a mile from the store. Not exactly comfy, but far easier than listening to my gf complain about not having any Diet Coke in the house :)
Posted by: ontarioroader | September 18, 2009 at 05:39 PM