Tuesday, August 19, 2008
I Won!
You know those mailers that car dealerships send out when they're having a blow-out sale? Well, last week I plucked one of those out of my small, metal apartment mailbox. I was just returning from spin class and as I stretched on our floor, I unfolded the advertisement. "You Could Win!" it boasted. The directions indicated I should scratch off the little silver circle, find the number underneath, and if it matched the number inside, I would win a fabulous prize. Usually I throw these things away, but today I was in no hurry. So, for my own amusement, I scratched away the silver and checked...and the number was the same! Being cynical both of prizes and car dealerships I read the fine print, but it seemed for real. So I picked Dan up from work and we enthusiastically headed for the car dealership. On the way, Dan read the possible prizes: a huge flat-screen t.v., worth thousands of dollars, a new lap-top from Dell, a $50 gas card, and a small luggage set worth $25. We had the same odds of winning any of these items. As soon as we parked, our car was flooded with salespersons. Apparently, we were the first people to visit this sale of epic proportions...We quickly explained we were not here to buy a car (no purchase necesary) that we won...something. So, one frazzled young man led us inside, checked a printed list of numbers, reached for our prize without bothering to ask for identification and handed us....the small, crappy, shrink-wrapped bag of luggage which looks like it will fall apart upon first use. Usually free things are not dissapointing, but in this case, with all the other prizes being so tempting, and the equal chances, we just had to walk back to our car and laugh. Just as you will laugh, when you see what we've gotten you this Christmas....luggage, anyone?
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3 comments:
I thought for sure you were going to say you won a car! I thought, "wow that's great, especially after the smoky vent fiasco with their last car."
I say you put the luggage tag on your bags, use it, pray it falls off (along with that sticky identifier tag), that the airline loses your bag, then you could sue the dealership for giving you a crappy tag that made you lose all your personal belongings. Convoluted? Maybe. Worth a try? Definitely.
In the words of good ol' Yoplait.
You lose. Eat more.
I just can't help but smile at the glimmer of hope/anticipation that you two had that maybe, just maybe, you would win something that could make your life better... but I would argue that the experience of being in the used car lot, and actually showing up to claim the prize, and leaving with something more than a PENCIL is making your life better... May you laugh each time you pack your luggage or when you see a loved one open it with glee...
What a let down...luggage??
Hope y'all are doing well! Miss you!
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