Help Isom IGA recover from devasting floods
Jay's IGA, Alma, GA, dedicated fruit cake aisle
Mt. Plymouth IGA, Sorrento, FL, BOGO pumpkin pies.
First, the food
From yule log cakes and the ubiquitous fruit cake, to Christmas hams and eggnog lattes, IGA retailers know how to put holiday food front and center. A display dedicated to candied fruit and other baking ingredients for whipping up delectable fruit cakes welcomes visitors to Jay’s IGA in Alma, Georgia. At Mt. Plymouth IGA in Sorrento, Florida, shoppers took advantage of a recent BOGO pumpkin and sweet potato pie deal (put them in the freezer and save them for special occasions). And people who aren’t up for spending a whole day in the kitchen can order an entire Large Ham Dinner, which serves 12-15 people with all the sweet Southern fixings. Dinner includes: a 17-19 lb. Smoked Whole Ham, Sweet Potato Pecan Casserole, Green Bean Casserole and Ambrosia Salad.
Cookies, cookies, cookies
Inspired by a similar event held at Schild’s IGA, Kishman’s IGA in Minerva, Ohio puts on a two-day “Cookie Walk” aimed at providing an endless variety of “pick-and-choose” treats to get you through the holiday season. Growing bigger every year, the 2019 event will feature 35 feet of cookies baked on site, including: Ginger Molasses, Wedding Cookies, M&M Sugar Cookies, Raspberry Burst, Lemon Shortbread, Mint Chocolate Chip, No Bakes, Gingerbread Men, Chocolate Chip, Coconut pecan, Christmas Shortbread, and more. It’s easy to fill up a holiday-themed box and then pay by the pound ($7.99).
Staff get into the festivities too, dressing up in Christmas sweaters, elf/Santa hats, and holiday-themed aprons.
Get in the spirit
Look for holiday-themed displays, designed to make it easy for you to decorate your home or find a quick gift for a friend or loved one.
- Outside the store, Better Val-U Supermarket in Plainfield, Conn. showcases beautiful evergreen centerpieces and wreaths for sale in an eye-catching array.
- At Gary & Leo's Fresh Foods in Havre, Montana, the store set up a “Holiday Express” train themed display last season, stocked with snacks as well as some quick gift ideas.
Special guest appearances
Nothing like some face time with old Saint Nick, aka Santa, to show your Christmas spirit.
Reese & Ray’s IGA in Sidney, Montana, participates in an annual holiday parade in late November, which ends at the store and features a visit from Santa, who hands out candy. As part of the event, the store decorates and donates a Christmas tree to get auctioned off, with the proceeds from the sale going to the local Boys and Girls Club.
Granite Falls IGA in Granite Falls, Washington, transforms part of their store’s cafe into a holiday display worthy of Santa’s big visit. Kids are invited to visit with Santa, and get their picture taken for free (it’s a digital file sent via email). The event is paired with holiday cookie decorating for extra family fun. This year’s event takes place Saturday Dec. 7.
Fans of the movie “Frozen” love the chance to meet Elsa and Olaf in person, along with an appearance from Santa, at Village Farms IGA in Massapequa Park, NY. For the past few years, they’ve hosted a “Winter Wonderland” event at the store, where shoppers can pose for photos with man in red and his celebrity guests.
Helping the hungry
Village Farms pairs its Winter Wonderland fun with a more serious cause: Giving food to people in need. For the past 18 years, the store has organized an annual food drive around the holidays, asking customers to donate non-perishable items.
Way up in north in Alaska, helping the hungry get through the long winters is critical. So far this year, the Southeast Alaska Food Bank in Juneau has distributed 212,000 pounds of food to its member agencies and another 129,000 pounds to individuals on its Saturday distribution days. Now in its 23rd year, the “Sharing is Caring” food drive is the Food Bank’s largest event of the year, and takes place over one day at Juneau’s Super Bear and Foodland IGA stores. Shoppers can buy pre-made bags of food and then donate them, which is similar to how food drives are done at other IGA stores.