An Easy, Grab 'n' Go Slab

Convenience stores scream coffee and gasoline, but a slab of ribs? Well, that’s unexpected, but that’s exactly what Country Fair Inc. and the National Pork Board did, to the surprise and delight of C-store shoppers in the summer of 2018, who ate up the promotion and drove up sales.

Country Fair bought 3,700 slabs (full and half) of Curly’s heat-and-eat smoked, seasoned, bone-in pork ribs to sell from their chilled cases. Full slabs sold for $11.99 and half slabs were $5.99. Country Fair is a Pennsylvania-based chain of about 70 convenience stores in operating in northwestern and north-central Pennsylvania, western New York and eastern Ohio.

Stores featured full-color pole signs, measuring 30 by 45 inches, along with door and window clings, shelf signs and pole wraps, all featuring enlarged images of juicy ribs with an Americana color palette, and a red, white and blue pig symbol. The displays were visible to customers as they drove up to the stores.

Country Fair experienced a 35 percent sales increase compared with its previous point-of-purchase promotion. After the success of the ready-to-eat ribs, Country Fair is considering a limited-time offer of pulled pork in the first quarter of 2019.