October 24, 2007
RediClinic Tests Kids for Lead Poisoning
With every week bringing more stories about recalls of a children’s products because of unsafe levels of lead, it was perhaps only a matter of time before some business stepped up to help put concerned parents’ minds at ease.
RediClinic, the operator of in-store health clinics, has announced it is offering lead testing for children at a reduced price as part of National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, which runs through Nov. 4.
The firm, which operates clinics in portions of Virginia, Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma, is encouraging individuals, especially those living in older homes to come in for testing. The fee for the test during the promotional period is $49 compared to its standard price of $64.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 310,000 kids in the U.S. have elevated levels of lead in their blood. Those most at risk are children below the age of six.
Discussion Questions: Will the recent spate of recalls over lead paint in toys and other products result in a rush to have children tested for lead levels? What is your take on RediClinic’s offer? How will it reflect on the stores with RediClinics inside them such as H-E-B, Walgreens and Wal-Mart?
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I’m sure that quite a lot of parents will want their children checked out but I can see several further opportunities here–group discounts for families, advice on what to do about elevated levels, follow-up checks after action has been taken. Who will be first to market with a pill or potion to lower lead levels?
This moves shows “I care about your children” and I’m sure many parents will take advantage of it. It’s a great example of responding quickly to a social issue with a service that carries positive business opportunity.
Phase 1 for in-store clinics was “Here we are.” Phase 2 will be “Here’s why we’re better than the others.” Promotional activity will ramp up now that multiple providers exist in many markets.
There was a time when we associated lead poisoning with smelter workers and poor, unattended children left alone in houses and apartments who were so hungry that they began to eat the paint off of the baseboards. True story.
I’ve gone on record in publications and elsewhere that major retailers must establish testing facilities for everything they sell. They simply can’t count on others to perform this task. For instance, if Wal-Mart were to announce the multi-million-dollar creation of a “Customer Confidence Center” or “Shopper Safety Laboratory,” it would be a PR bonanza and reinforce their perceived leadership in the area of putting the customer’s needs first. I knew Sam, and he would have wanted it that way. A feature of this initiative, of course, would be free testing for lead as a way to help customers and solidify WM’s reputation as a retailer invested in consumer well-being.
I think today’s consumer wants answers, and whether it is a testing facility or health screening center like so many of the drug store chains are rushing to install, retailers can serve a very important role; replacing the difficult to schedule or reach medical community. Yes, coming into one of these facilities is self serving by exposing shoppers to other products which may entice them, but in the end, the consumer can get the answers they need, and that may be well worth the exposure to potential unplanned purchases.
I think Laura is right on. This is how the best businesses are formed: identifying a need (and, in this case, a major social concern), and going after it. Well-done and kudos.
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I’m sure that quite a lot of parents will want their children checked out but I can see several further opportunities here–group discounts for families, advice on what to do about elevated levels, follow-up checks after action has been taken. Who will be first to market with a pill or potion to lower lead levels?
This moves shows “I care about your children” and I’m sure many parents will take advantage of it. It’s a great example of responding quickly to a social issue with a service that carries positive business opportunity.
Phase 1 for in-store clinics was “Here we are.” Phase 2 will be “Here’s why we’re better than the others.” Promotional activity will ramp up now that multiple providers exist in many markets.
There was a time when we associated lead poisoning with smelter workers and poor, unattended children left alone in houses and apartments who were so hungry that they began to eat the paint off of the baseboards. True story.
I’ve gone on record in publications and elsewhere that major retailers must establish testing facilities for everything they sell. They simply can’t count on others to perform this task. For instance, if Wal-Mart were to announce the multi-million-dollar creation of a “Customer Confidence Center” or “Shopper Safety Laboratory,” it would be a PR bonanza and reinforce their perceived leadership in the area of putting the customer’s needs first. I knew Sam, and he would have wanted it that way. A feature of this initiative, of course, would be free testing for lead as a way to help customers and solidify WM’s reputation as a retailer invested in consumer well-being.
I think today’s consumer wants answers, and whether it is a testing facility or health screening center like so many of the drug store chains are rushing to install, retailers can serve a very important role; replacing the difficult to schedule or reach medical community. Yes, coming into one of these facilities is self serving by exposing shoppers to other products which may entice them, but in the end, the consumer can get the answers they need, and that may be well worth the exposure to potential unplanned purchases.
I think Laura is right on. This is how the best businesses are formed: identifying a need (and, in this case, a major social concern), and going after it. Well-done and kudos.