From lower prices on every day staples to highlighting the ‘grilled to order’ option at the meat counter, The Save Mart Companies President Jim Perkins was in town recently to host a Shop and Talk event.
Joining him on a roughly one-hour tour of the Save Mart store, 1449 E. F St., Oakdale, were Mayor Cher Bairos and Mayor Pro Tem Christopher Smith, in addition to the Oakdale Save Mart Store Manager Robert Alton.
Helping facilitate the early afternoon event on Friday, June 13 was Kristin Galloway, Senior Manager, Community Relations.
The goal was to showcase ways the supermarket is looking to be a good neighbor, lowering prices on some items and adding even more weekly specials, with deals in nearly every aisle.
Covering a lot of ground while walking around the expansive store, Perkins shared some of the company’s philosophy and welcomed any questions from the city officials. Bairos, utilizing social media, had previously announced she would be going on the Friday afternoon tour and invited people to send her comments and questions. She in turn passed those messages on to Perkins.
Comments ranged from finding the store a bit hard to navigate to feeling as though the younger clerks and cashiers don’t make as much of an effort to engage with customers as the more experienced workers.
Bairos also asked about the possibility of coordinating more with local senior citizens, perhaps having a stack of weekly flyers delivered to the Gladys Lemmons Senior Center so those attending the programs there would have easy access to see what items are on sale.
The mayor shared some of the unique features she appreciates about the store, including the grilled to order option at the meat counter, where you can order a steak and have it grilled before you leave. She also said she feels the ‘5 for $25’ deal that is sometimes in effect for a variety of meats is beneficial for shoppers.
A stop at the deli gave those on the tour a chance to sample some of the freshly made items there.
Perkins also pointed out that almost every aisle and end cap now have sale items and signage to direct customers to them. Most of those will change weekly, offering more value.
Along with serving as Mayor, Bairos is also the CEO for the Oakdale Chamber of Commerce and, in that role, she said she wants to bring some chamber members in for a similar tour, getting somewhat of a behind-the-scenes look at the store.
Ultimately, said Save Mart officials, they want to present the best shopping experience they can, with ease of use, customer appreciation and value for the money spent among the top priorities.
California stores of The Save Mart Companies include Save Mart, Lucky and FoodMaxx.
