Meijer customers ready to gobble up bargains

NOVEMBER 6, 2015 | BY MIKE TROY

Meijer is practically giving away roughly 1 million turkeys this thanksgiving to help generate store traffic and boost transaction size.

The Grand Rapids, Mich.-based operator of 223 stores said it planned to repeat a turkey promotion from last year that involved selling birds at half off as long as shoppers spend at least $20. The pricing discount applies to any size, brand or type of turkey. In the case of Meijer brand frozen turkeys, that means the price will be 52 cents a pound.

"A Thanksgiving meal isn't complete without the turkey, and with these great prices, Meijer wants to ensure that our customers can provide their families with the best holiday experience," said Jerry Suter, vice president of meat and seafood. "Not only is Meijer able to deliver a delicious meal to our customers, but we're able to do so at a tremendous value."

Meijer said it expects to set a new seasonal sales record with one million turkeys sold this year compared to 900,000 turkeys last year. Roughly 75% of the birds will be purchased in the five days leading up to Thanksgiving, according to the company.

Last year, the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based retailer sold 900,000 turkeys.

Aside from discounted turkey prices, the retailer also expects strong demand for premade meals and is offering sharp pricing on a range of offers. For example, one option for a deluxe turkey dinner ranges in price from $54.99 to $59.99 and includes enough food to leave a family of eight to 10 people passed out for most of the afternoon. The deal include a 10-12 pound prebaked turkey, home-style stuffing, roasted turkey gravy, cranberry salad, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole and a dozen Kings Hawaiian dinner rolls. A deluxe ham dinner for the same price 7-9 pound spiral cut ham, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, roasted turkey gravy, cranberry salad and a dozen Kings Hawaiian dinner rolls.

Meijer said customer demand for premade meals at Thanksgiving is a trend that has been growing for the last several years among individuals looking for convenience or as a great gifting solution by companies, clubs and organizations.