YORK, Pa. – Rutter’s has launched a new Presidential Vote With Your Cup contest for the upcoming 2016 election, where customers are able to select cups with the candidates’ pictures on them—a blue cup for Hillary Clinton or a red cup for Donald Trump—when purchasing a fountain or frozen drink.
Cups will be scanned at checkout for accurate tracking of consumer votes. Rutter’s will also be offering empty cups for sale for 25 cents each. Every Tuesday leading up to the election, Rutter’s will have a Tally-Up Tuesday. Results from the scanned cup sales will appear as poll updates on Rutters.com and the Rutter’s Facebook page.
“This is a great, fun way to involve our customers during a tension-filled election. We decided to create this event to acknowledge the rich history and importance of Pennsylvania as a key swing state. Rutter’s has 64 stores in Pennsylvania. York was the first capital of the United States, and the Mid-Atlantic region where our stores are concentrated is pivotal to elections,” said Derek Gaskins, chief customer officer.
With roots dating back to 1747, Rutter’s 269-year history makes it the oldest vertically-integrated food company in the United States. Rutter’s is recognized as an industry leader in foodservice, innovative technology and customer service, and was the first U.S. convenience store chain to win the coveted NACS Insight International Convenience Retailer of the Year award. The company is guided by the family’s third generation of leadership with Scott Hartman as president and CEO, Todd Rutter as president of Rutter’s Dairy, and Tim Rutter as president of M&G Reality.
7-Eleven has offered a similar promotion since 2000, the Dallas Morning News reports. This year, the company has taken the names of the Democratic and Republican candidates off their coffee cups and introduced a third cup—the "Speak Up" cup—for customers who aren't interested in taking sides. The 7-Eleven cup has a place on it for customers to write what's important to them this election season or write in their preferred candidate.