The Just Try to Collect Your Prize Award

I would like to congratulate the Piggly Wiggly for coming up with the most hard to collect promotional offer ever.

When I heard that it was a Cuisinart promotion, I figured it was going to be a big one, in the sense of it would be easier in the long run to just go on out and buy a Cuisinart.  When the prizes are that big, I pretty much tune out the spiel.

But needing a distraction from the everyday horrors of work and the biennial horror of the elections, I decided I would investigate.

Now, I am an older woman who lives alone, on a limited income, so I don't spend a lot at the Pig.  When the cashier asked me if I was collecting coupons, she looked suprised when I said yes.  She handed me two teensy-eensy little rectangles with a teensy-eensy little picture of the Pig on each.

"Is there a book or something to put them in?" I asked, wondering why she wouldn't have offered that too.  I think she was skeptical, given I had just spent under $30.  But she gave me a folded 8 1/2 by 11" "Sticker Saver" to save my two stickers into.

I careful tucked the teensy-eensy little coupons into the folded over "Sticker Saver" and place it carefully in my purse, in a separate compartment.

But when I got home and attempted to retrieve the items, I could only find one of the teensy-eensy coupons.  I'll have you know that was worth $10 of groceries.  A bit like a gem, tiny but dear.

Nonetheless, I attempted to put the one remaining teensy-eensy coupon into the little spot in the "Sticker Saver".  Gone are the days when you can just lick a stamp and slap it on.  So with slightly arthritic fingers, I had to find the plastic that was covering the sticky part of the stamp and peel it off.  I could hardly believe that it split down the middle, requiring me to find and peel both halves!

Once I had successfully installed the stamp, I checked out the prizes.

Remember the Corning Ware promotion a few years ago?  There was a kind of a booby prize for us small shoppers:  it was a two-cup measuring cup, which I was fairly happy to get.

The low budget items on the current promotion are the 1 qt. Open Pour Pan, and the 7" Open Non-Stick Skillet.

Don't get excited, though, because they aren't free.  With 15 stickers, it'll cost you another $9.99.  So, if you're following this carefully, you will note that 15 stickers means you have spent a whole lot more than $150 at the Pig, because if you spend $19.99, you still only get 1 sticker.  Even if you spend $20.01 next time (2 stickers), you can't apply that $.01 to the $9.99.

The grand prize, the Blender or Processor, is actually free with 160 stickers.  So let me do the math... you would have to spend more than $1,600 to get a "free" Cuisinart.  But if you only have 80 stickers, fear not -- you can get it for $44.99.

And here is the best part.  For $44.99 you can get a $90.00 Cuisinart from Amazon without having to save all those silly little coupons.  OR spend $1,600.

So, smart shoppers, next time you're at the Pig, congratulate them on their Just Try to Collect Your Prize Award.  And, while you're there, tell them thanks for discontinuing the AARP double greenbax during these tough times.