Kosher customers object to stores' fowl offer
By Cheryl Orson
Nov. 23, 2007
Kosher customers are crying foul over stores' free Thanksgiving turkey offers saying these deals discriminates against them.
These stores' offers, specifically ShopRite and Pathmark, for customers spending $300 before Nov. 24 include a choice of: 1) a free store-brand frozen turkey or a certain amount off per pound on any other frozen or kosher turkey, or 2) a free select frozen turkey breast or a certain amount off per pound on any other fresh, frozen or kosher turkey breast, or 3) a free select ham or a certain amount off per pound on any other ham, or 4) a free Stouffer's 96-ounce party-size cheese or vegetable lasagna.
The problem is while non-kosher turkeys and turkey breast, as well as ham, are free, kosher customers are forced to pay for a kosher bird or breast, being left to take the certain amount off per pound deal. This has ruffled feathers among kosher customers.
ShopRite kosher customers like Juwal Krausz are particularly crying foul as he and others, who have spent the majority (if not all) of their qualifying $300 on kosher products in ShopRite's Kosher Experience section, which lures in and keeps the kosher customer clientele, cannot benefit from the store's free turkey offer open to the general non-kosher buying public.
"If they're gonna offer a free turkey, it should be across the board," said Krausz.
ShopRite and Pathmark representatives though, see thing differently. They maintain having an option of getting so much off per pound on other choices, including kosher products, is fair to all customers.
"You get an equal value," said ShopRite Spokeswoman Karen Meletta stating the price per pound offer "is open to all our customers" and "it's all equitable depending on what you want."
Pathmark Spokesman Rich Savner also had a similar response stating customers get a fair deal getting so much per pound on other choices offered.
Meletta said the problem is that kosher customers, like others opting not go with the store brand, simply "choose to buy a more expensive bird."
When further examining these stores' offer by the cost per pound per product though, these explanations just doesn't add up.
A ShopRite or Pathmark frozen turkey, being offered for free in their Thanksgiving offers, retails for .99 cents per pound. An Empire kosher turkey retails for $1.99 per pound. These stores argue to make up the difference between the .99 per pound store brand and the $1.99 per pound Empire retail price, kosher customers must pay .99 cents per pound for a kosher bird that is not offered for free. However, a Cook's ham which retails at $1.29 and over per pound (depending on the store) is free to non-kosher customers taking this offer, and without their being forced to pay a per pound price difference.
Further, if this theory was applied "equitably" as Meletta said should be done for customers simply "choosing" to buy more expensive products, vegetarians should also be paying a price for their Thanksgiving meal.
Vegetarian customers taking advantage of these stores' offers can get Stouffer's 96-ounce cheese or vegetable lasagna retailing for $12.99 at ShopRite or $15.99 at Pathmark Looking at the per pound cost of this product though, it retails between .14-.18 cents per ounce, or $2.24-$2.67 per pound, way over Empire's $1.99 per pound retail price. And these vegetarians can get this more expensive per pound product for absolutely free. They are not being forced to pay the per pound difference between this more expensive product and the store-brand turkeys, as kosher customers are.
So kosher customers who spent $300 by Nov. 24 (and the majority of ShopRite's kosher clientele spending this in ShopRite's Kosher Experience department) and who now qualify for this offer, are forced to spend additional dollars for something that should get, by these stores' own per-pound-price logic, for absolutely free.
And this fowl logic has ruffled the feathers of many kosher customers who are now questioning how they spend their future food dollars.