Cha-ching! (10-21)

Do you play the garden lottery at your store?

Every week since May, Strange's Garden Centers in Richmond, Va., have held weekly raffles, with some lucky customer emerging each time with a garden gift from the retailer.

Each recipient has a month to visit the company's main store to claim his or her prize, and winners' names are posted both in the stores and on a special page on the company website.

This simple-to-execute program is a great way to reward customers and to create a highly anticipated event, as, no doubt, customers look to find if they are winners -- and, no doubt, tell everyone they know about their victories when they are winners.

This clever marketing tool gives Strange's a brand that is unique to the area. And it can't help but create some "Cha-ching!" in the process.

Looking for a Cha-ching! you might have missed? Go to the search box and type Cha-ching! Items are listed by date.