An effective ma rketing tool

Recently they conducted a big sale and advised all their members through email. Hundreds, maybe thousands, came.

The internet, mainly email and Messenger, is proving to be an effective marketing tool. Take the case of a superstore which has not been using traditional media to promote its activities. That is Landers on Daang Hari, Alabang. We never saw any print or broadcast campaign of this group but have received incessant email messages about their promotions.

Recently they conducted a big sale and advised all their members through email. Guess what? Hundreds, maybe thousands, came and it was almost chaotic, especially at noon.

We made the mistake of planning to have lunch there on one of the sale days. We got to the place and as it was nearly noon, we went straight to the food area called the Central. There was a very long queue, but we took the chance. By the time an hour passed, we got our turkey hotdogs.

Here was where the negatives (of their system) came into play. There were three of us, each with a hotdog, but the counter staff gave us only one glass. We told her we were a trio. No way, one glass only. Huh? Then we asked for water. The dispenser was located a few steps away from the counter. One must bring the empty glass there to fill it up and pay. Our friend went to the supermarket to buy bottled water. There were no individual bottles, only the huge gallons. So we had to endure and suffer from extreme thirst.

At the check-out counter, we gave the cashier our ATM card. She wanted to check our bank balance first. This was one system we fought and won in another chain some years ago. Now there we were having another argument with a cashier. They were blaming BPI for the system, but we checked and found out this was not so. We were going to abandon our purchases until a supervisor named Sonia intervened. She was the saving grace. But even with Sonia, our friend has vowed not to return to this store.

At the end of this encounter, we still went over our usual budget, although we had some disappointments with a few items. The beef selection, especially the steaks, cost much less but quality is not A-1. The seasoned salpicao (P630.75 a kilo) was “walang lasang salpicao parang maalat na tapa,” as a family member commented. We had to enhance its flavor. We also got the t-bone and ribeye steaks. Plus kalbi and sukiyaki beef. So for at least three following days we would have New Zealand steak, Korean and Japanese dinners. Hopefully, the meats would not be disappointing.

We searched for our Korean cookbook for the kalbi jjim recipe. This is an easy one. Slice the meat into serving pieces. Marinate in soy sauce, kirin wine, sugar and crushed garlic. Leave for a while so the flavors will set in. In a casserole, cook the meat with the marinade, adding a little water if needed. You can add carrots and celery when nearly done.

The cake and pastries section had a lot of buy 1-take 1 offers. We got the carrot cake but we did not notice that it was expiring in four days. Thus one must always check the expiry dates of most of the products on sale. Ampalaya, calamansi and tomatoes were good buys in the vegetable section, as well as the honeydew melon among the fruits.

The Caltex gas station beside it gives discounts to car owner-members, a good come-on.

Have a happy Sunday!

E-mail me at [email protected].