by Amanda Galloway, special correspondent

With gas prices on a roller coaster ride this summer, buyers are increasingly cautious when a deal seems too good to be true at the pump.  Fortunately for Ukrop’s and Uppy’s customers, the fuelperks! program is a great deal.

For almost a month, the two businesses have been sponsoring the free program, known as fuelperks!, that allows you to save money on gas by shopping for groceries.  “With fuel costs out there today, people know what they pay for gas – and they don’t like it.  It’s incredible timing for our program.  We don’t appeal to a specific crowd – we appeal to everybody.  And fuelperks! couldn’t be easier,” Jeff Ukrop said. 

Ukrop was not exaggerating when he stressed the ease of the fuelperks! program.  For every $50 you spend on groceries with your Ukrop’s Valued Customer card, you receive 10 cents off each gallon of gas you purchase from an Uppy’s gas station.  The discount works for up to 20 gallons of gas, and the savings easily multiply.  “Honestly, very few people spend $50 when they come to the grocery store.  If you spend $200, like an average person, you will earn 40 cents off each gallon, up to 20 gallons,” Terry Johnson, Uppy’s director of marketing and purchasing said.

Fuelperks! will also remember your balance if you do not spend $50 dollars in one trip.  At the bottom of your receipt, it will let you know how much you will save or how much more you need to spend to reach $50. 

Fuelperks! follows the trend of many northern stores that offer such programs.  Instead of owning their own gas station, Ukrop’s borrowed the idea from industry partners that have already proven that such programs increase sales.  “At our grocery store we want to focus on fresh food and customer service.  Some grocery stores opt to have gas stations in their parking lots – but we didn’t want to get into that.  Getting this program is one way to offer gas for the customers without being fuel experts.  Uppy’s is our fuel expert,” Ukrop said. 

Since its June 30 debut, fuelperks! has been growing at an alarming rate.  Through July 19, in the Richmond area alone, 26,000 people took advantage of the program.  While the program is great for shoppers, it has also been beneficial to Ukrop’s and Uppy’s.  “Some of Uppy’s customers are going to [Ukrop’s], and some of their customers are coming to us.  So it’s been really beneficial for everybody.  It’s all been positive – it’s a win-win-win situation – us and the customers,” Johnson said. 

The only minor difficulty shoppers may face comes in the form of the Valued Customer card.  To access the program, you must slide a full, wallet sized Valued Customer card at the gas pump, keytags are not accepted.  Fortunately, Ukrop’s offers the cards at customer service at your nearest store.

All Midlothian area Ukrop’s are involved in the program, and the number of Uppy’s locations involved grows daily.  Currently, there are participating Uppy’s on Midlothian Turnpike, Huguenot Road, and Courthouse Road.  “For a lot of people out there, traditionally the gas station they go to is the one closest to them or the one on the way home from work.  Now people are rerouting to save the money,” Ukrop explained.

For details on the fuelperks! program and to locate an Uppy’s and Ukrop’s near you, visit http://www.ukrops.com/fuelperks or http://www.10centsoffgas.com.