DROP OFF AND SHOP ON : GROCERS GIVE FAMILY SHOPPERS CHANCE TO BROWSE UNHINDERED.

Byline: Jerry Nachtigal Associated Press 

The idea sounds so simple that Carolyn Scott wonders why more supermarkets don't offer baby-sitting, so parents can shop in peace without fidgety, fussy children in tow.

Scott watched through a window as her grandsons Justin, 4, and Hunter, 3, cavorted in the brightly decorated Kids Korner play center at a new Fry's Food & Drug store.

While Justin explored a plastic maze structure, Hunter stood transfixed, watching ``The Lion King'' on video. Nearby, a girl sat at a pint-sized blue desk assembling a puzzle and her sister played an interactive video game - all under the watchful eye of day-care professionals.

``You can't shop with those two because they're crying, they want the cookies, they want the candy, they want this, they want that,'' Scott said. ``You put them in (the play center) and they're happy.''

In the fiercely competitive supermarket business, grocers are always looking for an edge over their rivals. Fry's, which operates 54 stores in Arizona, believes it has found one with free baby-sitting.

``We look at it as, what can we do to add convenience for our customers?'' said Frank Bussemeier, manager of retail marketing and merchandising for Phoenix-based Fry's. ``One of the natural things we came up with was child care.''

Fry's in early December became the first supermarket in Arizona to offer child care for its customers. So far the service is limited to the new store in north Phoenix, but it could be added to as many as a dozen other stores if successful, Bussemeier said.

Child-care centers that free parents of little grabbing hands have popped up in at least two dozen grocery stores across the country, but they are not yet an industry trend.

``From our studies, we're finding there are not that many supermarkets that are offering it,'' said Stephanie Rosenblatt, a spokeswoman for the Food Marketing Institute, a Washington-based trade group. ``But if it's being offered, consumers are utilizing it.''

Fry's Kids Korner is patterned after child-care centers operated at 13 Dallas stores by its corporate parent, Cincinnati-based Kroger Co.

Raley's, a Sacramento-based supermarket chain, offers free Play Care centers in seven of its 80-plus stores. A handful of King Soopers stores in suburban Denver charge $3 per hour for child-care services; a Star Market in Boston watches customers' children for $5 per hour, or $2 an hour if parents spend more than $100 in the store.

Why don't more grocery stores offer child care? Supermarket executives cite a lack of space, costs, security and the potential for lawsuits should a child be injured.

Fry's child-care center caught the attention of Bashas' Markets Inc., Arizona's largest supermarket chain with about 100 stores.

``Bashas' strength is customer service, and doing in-house child care appeals to a certain niche. I know it's something Bashas' will take a look at to keep competitive,'' said Nadine Basha, wife of store President Eddie Basha.

Child care is a convenience to parents, but Fry's also has the bottom line firmly in mind: If the kids are happy and properly cared for, it's hoped mom or dad will linger longer in the aisles and spend more money.

Fry's also hopes to encourage repeat business. If the children enjoy the play center, the next time mom ponders what supermarket to shop, ``we think the children will help make the decision for her,'' Bussemeier said.

The child-care center is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, and holds a maximum of 15 children, ages 2 to 8, for up to 90 minutes each. Children must be potty-trained and walking.

The parent or guardian who registers the child must present a valid driver's license with photo when checking the child in and out of the center. Both child and parent also receive matching identification wristbands.

Parents are given pagers so they can be summoned if their child needs a drink, has to go to the bathroom or becomes unruly. Six monitors stationed around the store allow parents to keep an eye on the kids as they play.

All attendants have training in child care and undergo background checks, Bussemeier said. Access to the enclosed play center is limited to a door that can be opened only by an attendant inside.

``What we did is follow every rule and regulation that there is in Arizona,'' said Priscilla Corbin, who runs the Kids Korner. ``We don't have to be licensed, but we follow everything as if we were to be licensed. We've taken every precaution that we can think of.''

John Ludwig, father of a 3-year-old daughter, said he would shop Fry's because of the child-care center.

``With the pager, the wristbands and registration, it sounds like they've answered all our concerns as parents,'' he said. ``In this neighborhood there's a ton of kids. It's going to be a big success.''`

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Photo

Photo: Chris Munoz watches over children at Kids Korner while parents shop at Fry's Food & Drug store in Phoenix.

Associated Press