Free petrol for shoppers!

From a Noumea corresoondent

As international airline and shipp i n g compan i es began curtailing their

operations and raising prices to face

the q jj cr j s i s? certain business houses j n N oumea were ac tually offering free petrol and free plane rides to their clients.

The Supermarche Week-End store on the outskirts of Noumea suddenly made a sporting offer: every customer purchasing as much as 3,000 francs at a CEE worth ot goods ISAibj at a certain date would receive a free . . f ?0 f t , ot 20 lltres ot petrol . , )^ lth , Pans en l.°y m f s J* ch favour- % re at ,l l on D W ur c °!JJ ltries ’ the f" ren ch Republic shares little ot some other nations crisis over the rationing ot oil supplies. And so, while local air services remained unthreatened, a Noumea furniture store, Central Meubles, tempted clients j om mland New Caledonia to ny dp'Y ll and choose a new lounge or dining suite.

The store offered to repay the return airfare or car expenses of any

person making a purchase to the value of almost SASOO. If the pur chase was double this value, a free meal was thrown in, while two meals and an overnight hotel room were added for a buyer spending $1,700.

In addition, the company offered to P ick PP and set down customers travelling through Magenta domestic airport, on the outskirts of Noumea.

These were not the only recent temptations set before Caledonian One building company consumers, une nuiiamg company was offering a free air-conditioner in each bedroom for prefabricated homes ordered during the month be fore Christmas. Prisunic supermarket advertised free goldfish to children w ho v j s hed the store accompanied by t h e j r paren t s . Finally, a newly launched hairdresser offered a money back guaran tee to clients undergoing his hair-straightening technique, ] n a u ? while Noumea business houses search for new devices to get through the nickel island’s current economic gloom, there is plenty of oil fuel and other goodies to give away.