In the spirit of back to school, Peninsula Co-op in Saanichton is offering its own type of shopping spree. Except, this spree will be 77 seconds long and for one lucky winner only, everything they grab off the grocery store's shelves will be free.
"Getting free groceries is absolutely awesome, but this is a fun and different way to do it," said Lindsay Gaudette, director of marketing and community relations.
Until Sept. 1, customers at the Co-op at 2132 Keating Cross Rd. who make a purchase could win '"the most thrilling 77 seconds of their life."
"You take a picture of your receipt and upload it to the online form, and you're automatically entered to win," Gaudette said. "It's really, really easy."
Ben Hopkinson, food operations manager, is excited to see how the winner tackles the challenge. He has his own idea of what he would do if he were the winner.
"I'd grab meat and expensive cheeses. High-value products. Toilet paper, protein powder, laundry soaps ... I do a lot of laundry, I've got two kids," he said.
But then Hopkinson paused with consideration.
"Nothing perishable. I'd want to be able to stockpile. I'd be in the frozen area."
The race will take place the week of Sept. 9 at 7 a.m. before the store opens and will be filmed so it can be posted on the Co-op's social media page.
There will be some restrictions and limits on certain things, but Gaudette said that will make it more exciting.
"Part of it is also the fun of them going around to different departments and racing through the store," Gaudette said. "It adds to the excitement."
"I want to see them fill multiple carts," added Hopkinson.
The reason why the time limit is 77 seconds is twofold, said Gaudette.
"Peninsula Co-op started in 1977," said Gaudette. "It literally was a group of residents on the Peninsula that put the co-op together. We've now grown to 120,000 members. So what [being a co-op] means is that we share our profits with our members and the community."
The second reason has to do with the store's expansion. Peninsula Co-op now owns 10 liquor stores, with the expansion into liquor starting a couple of years ago. This past fall, they bought a few stores and rebranded to the Liquor Co. 1977.
"So the contest is a play on our history, but also connects with our liquor store, which is actually next door."
Gaudette said the contest is a way to give back to the community.
"It's meant to be a thank you to our customers and our supporters for supporting our local food store," she said.
"And it's something that's meant to be fun ... Generally costs are expensive right now. This was something nice to do for our members and have someone be able to win their groceries."
