Stew Leonards Grocery Store Newington, CT March 20, 2010

Stew Leonard's (Stew's as it is known locally) is a small chain of supermarkets in Connecticut and New York that Ripley's Believe It or Not! has deemed "The World's Largest Dairy" and that Fortune Magazine has deemed one of the top "100 Best Companies to Work For".
"Anyone who comes from Connecticut or thereabouts knows this landmark chain of grocery stores where mechanized cows sing and roosters crow," according to a writer for the Sun-Sentinel of Florida. A typical Stew Leonard's store will attract customers from a wider geographic area than a typical supermarket because customers are willing to drive longer distances.[1] The store's fame comes from its innovative in-store marketing, which includes a barnlike wood decor, a winding path for shoppers instead of straight, parallel aisles, and animatronic singing animals perched above the shelving.
The New York Times called Stew Leonard's the "Disneyland of Dairy Stores." The store has taken tips from educational practices, were they implement visual, auditory, and kinesthetic strategies into their sales. Stew Leonards have created animatronics characters called the farm fresh five. These animatronics are life like, which perform songs and dance that entertain the customers from all ages. This has made the shopping experience more engaging and exciting for families. It provides an area for kids to have fun while the parents shop. This new concept of selling has taken away the stress from long lines at the grocery store.{{[2]} The stores are not set up like traditional grocery stores; one must walk through the entire store (though there are short cuts). As customers walk through a path of aisles, they are greeted by different employees dressed up in costumes and by animatronic favorites such as Twinkie the Kid, the Chiquita banana, and Clover, a cow's head that moos when one pulls its rope. The stores also feature petting zoos and outdoor cafes in the warmer months and sell a variety of prepared meals year round. Customers are also offered an unusually large number of food samples for a supermarket, as well as free drink samples.

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• Grocery
• Supermarket
• Connecticut

[mattdent145]

Animatronics

[sjm4unow5]

remember when they first opened how they had tons more free samples? omg. I LOVE THAT STORE. The best food. The best store around.

[1americanidol11]

i love stew lenards!

[MOMOBUFFY]

I love that cow!