PLEASANT PRAIRIE, Wis. -- Open Pantry Food Marts of Wisconsin Inc. recently teamed up with the MS Society for the 2007 MS Racine/Kenosha Walk and along the way tackled pin-up sneaker sales.
The fifth year of Pleasant Prairie, Wis.-based Open Pantrys involvement in the MS Walk began with the lofty goal: sell more sneakers in 2007 than in 2006. The 2006 sneaker sales saw Open Pantry sell more than 15,000 sneakers, a 250% increase from 2005 sales. So Open Pantry store managers set out with the following challenge to their staffs"offer every customer to [image-nocss] the register a sneaker.
The result"more than 22,000 sneakers sold at 28 Open Pantry locations.
Writing a check to a charity is always helpful,VbCrLf said company president and CEO Robert Buhler. Adding value by profiling a charity at our sites daily for three monthsto generate the money is better.VbCrLf
Buhler lost his mother to MS after her 40-year battle and understands that others share his connection. Once the topic of MS is brought up with the customers, it is surprising how quickly a personal connection is made,VbCrLf he said.
Along with the money generated at store level by Open Pantry employees, the Open Pantry team provided walkers for the event on May 6 and requested food donations from vendor partners including McLane, Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Neptune Sandwiches, Red Bull, and Frito Lay, a value in excess of $10,000.
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