WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS/pharmacy this weekend will begin offering shoppers a gasoline gift card for buying a certain amount of essential items.
CVS/pharmacy this weekend will begin offering shoppers a gasoline gift card for buying a certain amount of essential items.
The drug store chain said Wednesday that from May 22 to Aug. 28, 2011, members of its ExtraCare Rewards program can earn one $10 gift card to Exxon/Mobil, Shell, BP Amoco or BP Arco each week by spending $30 on specially marked items listed in the weekly CVS/pharmacy circular.
The retailer noted that with gas prices rising to $4 a gallon nationally, the program will "allow customers to earn free gas all summer," and they can shop at CVS/pharmacy to "fill up the cart, fill up the tank."
Customers can find the qualifying products on the front and back pages of the weekly CVS/pharmacy circular beginning this Sunday, as well as online at CVS.com and on Facebook at Facebook.com/CVS. Those products will be tagged with a "get free gas" icon. The company said the eligible products will rotate each week so consumers will get more choice in their regular shopping trips.
When ExtraCare customers reach the $30 purchase threshold, a special coupon will print on their receipt that can be redeemed immediately in store for the $10 gas card. They have 30 days to redeem the coupon. The limit is one redemption per week for each ExtraCare cardholder.
"We designed this program in an effort to offer our ExtraCare cardholders with an easy way to earn free gas while simply shopping for essentials each week when they visit CVS/pharmacy," Judy Sansone, vice president of merchandising for CVS/pharmacy, said in a statement. "Our new gas card offer helps to simplify the lives of our customers by providing them with an additional way to earn money back when they shop using ExtraCare at CVS/pharmacy."
The move continues CVS Caremark Corp.’s efforts to build on its ExtraCare customer loyalty program as well as ramp up shopping trips and basket size in the front end.
For example, the retailer has introduced Just The Basics, a private-label line of essential household items designed to offer customers "everyday value." It also has launched the ExtraCare Beauty Club, which provides rewards on beauty purchases and other beauty-specific benefits to loyalty card members. According to the company, the initiative is the first-ever chain drug beauty club program.
CVS, too, has tweaked its front-end layout and expanded its selection of groceries and convenience items in many stores. That strategy includes a new urban store format, which features more products not related to health care plus a revamped floor plan. Those outlets have much larger grocery, baby and household departments as well as a grab-and-go section, which has fruit, salads, sandwiches and other prepared consumables.
In addition, CVS is pushing ahead with its store clustering strategy, in which the retailer is tailoring its stores and product assortments to better match the needs of the customer base and neighborhoods they serve.
