PRO PROMOTIONS: BUCKET SALE

Last year PRO Hardware began printing its logo and name on five gallon buckets.  Retailers have given away hundreds of buckets at anniversary sales and other major events and now those PRO Hardware buckets are gracing backyards and construction sites across several states, silently promoting PRO Hardware.  The bucket idea came directly from PRO Hardware retailers, said PRO Group Managing Director Shari Kalbach. The PRO Hardware buckets have become popular with retailers because they have seen a return on their investment. "I think it's more than just selling buckets.  It's really driven by the in-store promotions.  The way the retailers are using the buckets helps drive sales in their stores," Kalbach said. "Having the buckets out there helps spread the brand among their target customers and we hope that will bring new customers in.  We encourage our retailers to make sales and promotions into events.  Instead of just selling the buckets, they incorporate them into a memorable experience that their customers will remember."  The bucket promotions have been a great success for PRO retailers. As several store owners attest, it's a win, win, win situation.  "The customers were excited, it was something everyone could use," said Steve Price, owner of PRO Hardware in Morristown, Tennessee, which gave away buckets to customers as part of a sale.  Poultry Electric PRO Hardware in Winchester, Tennessee decided to give away buckets at an anniversary sale. The store's aim was to increase their customer base with do-it-yourselfers and home owners and spread the brand before the opening of a big-box hardware retailer opens in town at the end of summer.  Kuhn's Bros PRO Hardware in Milton, Pennsylvania used the buckets to promote its grand opening, offering customers 20 percent off anything they could fit in the bucket, except high-ticket items like power tools.  Brian Basham of Don's Lumber PRO Hardware in Greensburg, Kentucky said that after hearing the success stories at other retailers, he is considering using the buckets as a promotional tool.  "We have been selling the PRO Hardware buckets since they first became available," Basham said. "It's good to get the PRO logo out into the neighborhoods with our contractors and 80 percent of our business is to contractors who love using the buckets. We stock them and sell them."