Dear Editor,
This week I saw an advertisement in the Maple Ridge News that flashed me back into nostalgia mode – “$1.49 Day Tuesday.” Can you hear the jingle?
Back in the day and even before I was born, a big department store named Army and Navy and another big department store named Woodwards, featured $1.49 Day sales on some Tuesdays. Another big department store named Eatons featured an occasional sale called Eaton’s Surprise Sale.
All three events became the talk of the town and of the dinner tables across the regions in which those stores existed. People would come from far and wide – by foot, bicycle, car or public transit.
It was ‘the’ sale of sales and not to be missed. It was ‘the’ time to stock up on toilet paper, Kleenex, hosiery, underwear, socks, Spam, canned goods, light bulbs, cleaning supplies and so much more. Amassing the bargains was an amazing experience for the shoppers and the businesses – a win-win all around.
At some point in the 1980s, those experiences ended — until now!
What we have experienced this week is like the phoenix rising from the ashes and bringing new life to a long lost treasure: $1.49 Day. We have been gleefully caught off guard with a pairing of very fine wine and aged cheese – namely, a Surprise Sale and a selection of incredible healthy items for $1.49 combined for one day: Tuesday!
Raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, ham, milk, and almost a dozen other items. Supplies were advertised to be limited but the stores were well stocked and the people, those who knew about the sale and those who did not, were stunned and amazed as they loaded their baskets with that “start the car, start the car” look.
Kudos to Save-On-Foods for taking a giant step forward (or some might say backward) and bringing back a spring in the step of shoppers during these tough economic times.
This is the right time for corporate giants to show leadership even if it is only going to happen on occasional Tuesdays. It not only benefits the pocketbook, but helps get healthy, often expensive foods, on the table.
It only takes one to make a snowball and turn it into something bigger. Thank you Save-On-Foods. Such a sale is a win-win – let’s hope other businesses catch on!
Antoinetta DeWit, Maple Ridge
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