I recently received a promotional mailer from a local business which had a scratch-and-win game on the back.  Well, as you can see above, there wasn’t a whole lot of mystery to the game in this particular case.  I scratched it off anyway, and voila’ – I was a winner of one of many potential prizes…even $25,000!

Well, I could certainly use a new vehicle right now, and $25,000 would buy a pretty nice Toyota Tacoma or something.  So I figured it might be interesting to visit the local business and see what the catch was.  I’m a born skeptic with this kind of thing.  I didn’t plan on any special trips, but kept the mailer in my truck in case I was in the neighborhood.

For years I’ve had a unique opportunity, as I have received mail at multiple addresses…PO Box, rental property, that sort of thing.  So I was amused when I got my hands on a couple more of the mailers.  Either this was really my lucky week, or something strange is afoot.

As I’d planned to do anyway, I perused the fine print.  It looks like each “WINNER” receives a chance to choose an envelope which may or may not contain a prize.  Makes sense.  The odds of winning each prize are clearly stated on the mailer if you are curious.  They’re far better than the PCH or Powerball, by the way.

I never did venture down to this business; I was simply too busy.  It’s too bad, because I missed a chance to grab a winning envelope.  While you might suspect that I’m ranting against this business for deceptive use of the word “WINNER”, that’s not the case at all.  In 2016, if someone reads a mailer like that and thinks they’ve really struck gold by scratching their way to a big win, then I need to sell them the Grant Marsh Bridge.  It’s just a ploy to get you to pay attention, and by reading the details it’s easy to surmise what’s up.  They want to get you into the store, they’ll give you a chance to pick a prize (at no cost to you, by the way), and along the way see if they can sell you something.  Hard to be offended by that, although I’m sure many would try.

It’s remotely like the Publisher’s Clearing House – if they can keep you busy adhering labels, scratching off “game cards”, and hunting through all sorts of product listings in search of that stamp you need to send back, there’s a good chance they can play on human nature and get you to buy something.  I mean, after all, if you have to do so much to even qualify to win, doesn’t that mean the Prize Patrol could be right around the corner?

I’m of the mindset that if someone offers me a free chance to win something, I’ll take them up on it.  I don’t have any illusions about it, but I don’t mind taking advantage of the opportunity if I’ve got the time.  No hard feelings if I don’t win, and as long as we’re both understanding what’s going on with the contest there’s no reason not to simply take it for what it is: a business trying to attract customers and sales, and a consumer taking a crack at winning free stuff.