By:Nick Buglione
Under the initiative, dubbed the chamber loyalty program, people living in the 11554 zip code will be issued discount cards. Residents can use the cards to get discounts and take advantage of special incentives at participating local stores, Bloom said.
The No. 1 goal of a chamber of commerce is to promote business within a community, said Bloom, of Sir Speedy Printing in Westbury. The idea behind the program is to encourage residents and business owners in East Meadow to stay in East Meadow when they have something to do.
The program is being coordinated by the East Meadow-based company A La Carte, which runs similar promotions throughout the country. The majority of my customers are newspapers who give the cards out to subscribers, who can use them at local businesses, said Paul Sollicito, owner of A La Carte. It-s a way of saying thank you to their subscribers.
Sollicito approached Bloom about starting a program in East Meadow to promote local business, and the idea took off, Bloom said.
The discount cards will be distributed at the end of the year, along with the chamber-s annual business directory, which goes out to about 12,000 homes and businesses in the community. It-s hoped that the cards will be in mailboxes in time for the holiday shopping season, either in late November or early December, Bloom said.
The card will come with a list of businesses that are participating in the program.
Depending on the nature of the business, their offer can vary, Bloom explained, noting that the card could mean a 10 percent discount, an extra slice of pizza or a free checkup. It-s up to the business owner to decide what they want to offer.
Right now, the chamber and A La Carte are courting participating businesses. A letter introducing current chamber members to the program is about to be distributed, and Sollicito will be making calls to local non-chamber members, Bloom said.
There-s really no out-of-pocket expense for a program like this, Bloom said, noting that merchants will more than make up for what they offer in incentives with repeat business. It-s truly a win-win for both sides.
Only businesses that are part of the Chamber of Commerce can participate, a fact that Bloom hopes might coax other interested merchants to join the organization. Bolstering membership has been one of his goals since he took office at the beginning of the year.
Initial response among chamber members appears positive, and it-s hoped that between 50 and 75 businesses will sign up for the program. The idea was received fairly well, said Warren Kalmenson, of Wellcare Financial Planning, a member of the chamber-s board of directors. It works in certain types of businesses, but it doesn-t work in other types of businesses. I can-t discount insurance it-s set by state law. But a diner or a florist can offer an incentive.
The program will run on a one-year trial basis, Bloom said. We-re going to see how it works out, he said. If it-s a success, he added, it could co
