May 4, 2009 11:34 pm US/Eastern
Save Money On Gas While You Grocery Shop
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
You have to buy groceries, and you have to buy gas. So how does it sound if you can save on one, just by buying the other like you normally would? A new program in Massachusetts lets consumers do just that.
Shoppers at Shaw's and Star Markets in New Hampshire have been able to realize savings using their rewards cards for a couple of years. Now Bay State consumers will be able to do the same.
Shaw's/Star Market president Larry Walhstrom explained how it works. First, shoppers use their rewards card when they do their regular shopping. When they spend $50, they start saving 10 cents off on the price of a gallon of gas, up to 20 gallons.
The savings can really add up as you spend more on groceries.
For example, if you spend up to $300 on food for your family, that's 60 cents off each gallon of gas. We monitored a family of five for a couple of weeks. Each week, they saved about 50 cents a gallon at the pump.
Walhstrom said it doesn't require any effort on the part of consumers. "Honestly, the benefit to us is that we see people coming back and shopping with us more often."
The points can be redeemed at all Irving Gas Stations and at about 300 participating Gulf Stations. So far, consumers have saved about $12 million.
Mike Crosby is with
Override, the company which created the rewards program. He demonstrated how easy it is to redeem your points. He just slid his Shaw's reward card into the pump after his credit card. The savings were instant. We watched the price per gallon drop 30 cents.
Override is continuing to grow. Their next big partner is Dunkin Donuts, starting on June 1.
Crosby said that for every $20 a customer spends there, they save five cents a gallon. He went on to explain that you can "link your Shaw's card to the Dunkin Donuts reward, and then put your card into the pump and you will get the reward from both companies."
Some of the initial customers think it is a great deal. One woman told us that you have to shop anyway, so why not save some money on gas if you can?
There is also a rewards program available atÂ
Stop and Shop stores which have a gas station on the premises.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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