BY TOM CAIAZZA
Staff Writer
PHOTOS BY CHRIS KELLY staff Cathy Amore-Crescibene grabs brand-name razors (above) and races down the aisles as onlookers hurry to get out of her way (right) during the five-minute shopping spree, courtesy of Penn Federal Savings Bank and ShopRite of Aberdeen on April 25. April 25 was a day just like any other for early-bird shoppers at the ShopRite of Aberdeen. But for one Old Bridge resident, it was a day she will long remember. It was “spree day.”
Cathy Amore-Crescibene, a mother of two, was the winner of a five-minute $500 shopping spree through the supermarket’s aisles. Penn Federal Savings Bank and ShopRite of Aberdeen sponsored the event as part of Penn’s one-year anniversary celebration.
Amore-Crescibene was chosen out of more than 500 entrants to test her mettle among the meat, produce and frozen food sections.
The ShopRite regular sped through the supermarket, garnering cheers from fellow shoppers hurrying to get out of her way, as she collected $510 worth of merchandise.
Lauren V. Fazio, the marketing manager for Penn Federal, said they came up with the idea of a shopping spree because it was a unique way to include ShopRite, which houses the bank, and celebrate the anniversary.
“We wanted to do a different promotion for the first anniversary,” Fazio said. “We wanted to work with ShopRite.”
The spree, which was part of a larger celebration including a prize wheel and other promotions, was a hit, according to Jean Moelius, the Penn Federal branch manager.
“We had a great response to that,” Moelius said. “Even after it was over, people were asking for them [entry slips].”
ShopRite Manager Debbie Dee said that the store and the bank have “a good interaction.”
From the word “go,” Amore-Crescibene took off through the baked goods and into the meat department, where she filled up on steaks, chops, cold cuts and lobster tails.
“Veal cutlets,” she exclaimed as she breezed through the aisles with the confidence of someone who had already cased the joint.
Amore-Crescibene, known by many ShopRite employees as Cathy, is a self-proclaimed regular.
“She knows what she’s getting,” Fazio said. “She’s here all the time. Not only is she a customer, she’s a great shopper.”
When all was over, Amore-Crescibene was presented with flowers and was guided to the checkout with a cart topped with olive oil, deodorant, groceries and a Beanie Baby for her 10-year-old daughter, Jenna. She also has a 17-year-old son named Joe.
“I’m exhausted, speechless,” an out-of-breath Amore-Crescibene said as the checkout teller added up her items. “I was racing like a maniac. I did pretty good. I can’t believe it.”
When she received word that she had won the spree, Amore-Crescibene had all but forgotten about the contest.
“I didn’t even know I won because the drawing was a month later,” she said. “My son thought it was a joke. He said, ‘That’s a hoax.’ “
Amore-Crescibene went home with $510 in ShopRite goods. One onlooker quipped that she would not have to be back for a while, to which Amore-Crescibene replied, “I’ll probably be back on Friday.”