The Tribune

By ALESHA CADET

Tribune Features Reporter

acadet@tribunemedia.net

In celebration of the 26th anniversary of Solomon’s Super Centre, staff at the food store hosted their fourth health fair as a way to “give back” to its loyal customers.

“We thought this would be a good opportunity for us to give back to persons who are in the community and who are serving us day in and day out. These are times when persons are really in need. Having an opportunity to get health screenings and check up on their health is a cost, and a lot of persons are not in a position to take advantage of that right now. This is our way of assisting,” said Renea Bastian, vice president of marketing and communications at Solomon’s.

Customers who attended the fourth annual health fair at the store on Old Trail Road got the opportunity to benefit from free health screenings such blood pressure checks, glucose and cholesterol testing, flu shots and free skin analyses.

Solomon’s also partnered with vendors to distribute healthy food samples and display vitamin options available in the store. Vendors included companies such as Island Wholesale, Beth’s Kitchen Bush Tea, F & S Conch Fritter Batter, Lowe’s Wholesale, ASA H Pritchard, Dvanya’s Jam, Bahamas Wholesale Agency, Fun Foods, Thompson Trading, Lightbourne Trading, Nassau Agency, d’Albenas Agency, and BFS.

Monalisa Sweeting, event organiser and Solomon’s brand manager, said in the past customers have expressed their appreciation for the screenings.

She said there were even instances where shoppers who decided to stop for a health check found out that they were “walking time bombs”, and the in-store screening process maybe saved their lives.

Ms Bastian added that in addition to trying to pass on the company’s savings to Bahamians, it is a great feeling to allow locals to take advantage of free healthcare services. She said there is a permanent blood pressure machine in the store which customers can always use free of charge.

“We want to engage with our customers, to let them know that, yes, we want them to come and shop with us, but we also want them to know that this is a two-way street. We want to be able to meet their needs and provide services that are important for them as well, apart from the groceries. It also gives us as a team to interact with our customers and build relationships, to find out even more what they are looking for and what they would like to see when they come into Solomon’s. Relationships like that are long lasting, and that is how you develop life-long customers,” said Ms Bastian.

She recalled speaking to an elderly woman during one of the previous health fairs. The woman told her it was difficult for her to get around the store, and as a result, Ms Bastian said, the Solomon’s team purchased motorised shopping carts that customers can utilise.