Great Neck shopper enjoys her free spree

Susan Heinemann went on a shopping spree in tony Great Neck Plaza last week. She bought $275 worth of clothes at Chico's; a $125 gift certificate at the Lola restaurant and another gift certificate, this one for $50, at Jean Marie Patisserie and Bistro; $90 sneakers at Tennis Junction; a $47 bottle of Jameson Irish whiskey for her husband; $60 in candy at Lazar's Chocolate, and $50 for a haircut at Joseph and Co.

The best part about it, Heinemann said: it was all somebody else's money, specifically money from the Great Neck Plaza Business Improvement District.

Heinemann, 73, a retired educator from Great Neck, was the winner of a BID promotion that gave one lucky shopper $1,000 to spend at stores in the Plaza. Shoppers had to spend at least $15 or more at one of the shops in the Plaza during a Valentine's Day week campaign.

"It was lots of fun spending somebody else's money," Heinemann said last week. The thing is, Heinemann said, she is not a shopper and she generally does not win anything.

Her hairdresser, Alberto, at Joseph & Co. on Bond Street, told her to enter.

Jay Corn, a BID vice president, said the Valentine's Day promotion was a success and will likely be held again next year. Retail in the Plaza and elsewhere on the Island, Corn said, remains "under tremendous stress," which makes promoting downtowns key.

Heinemann still has about $300 left to spend and is looking forward to another spree. "They were very sweet about not making me spend all the money at one time," she said.