Tuesday, March 11, 2008

I Won?

Have you ever won anything from a raffle?

I have a long history of having absolutely no luck when it comes to winning raffle contests. I never win. Never. As I child I remember spending hours filling out booklets upon booklets of raffle coupons my parents would redeem after their weekly grocery shopping for supplies - and I never won a single thing even once. Apparently my mother knew something I didn't - that the exercise was a waste of time - which is why she left all the filling out to me and my sister.

My rotten batting average with raffles extends to even those giving away door prizes at a party. You know the kind where you put your name inside a fishbowl as you enter a Christmas party? I never won in any of those things either. There was one party I attended where only 5 of about 50 people DIDN'T get any sort of prize whatsoever. I was one of them.

Being naturally inclined to cynicism, I eventually reached the same conclusion, and sometimes even wondered if ANYONE really won - especially the retail store sponsored ones. Raffles were just a marketing ploy to get foolishly optimistic costumers to push their spending budget higher in order to get more tickets, for more chances to win the cash/car/house and lot/trip or whatever else they were giving away at the time. I was thinking that maybe all those winners - since we never really got to see them anyway - were just a figment of retailers' imaginations. So I'd end up half-heartedly filling up coupons and dropping them in drop boxes... then absently chucking out the stubs.

But that attitude is about to change because - get this - I finally won!



Okay, okay... so it's not a car or a house or a trip. It's a bottle of Red Jeans Verseace perfume. Well, it was a raffle from the women's accessory section of a small department store near my house so the prizes weren't anything big - but that's beside the point. The perfume can smell like gasoline, for all I care, but the point is that I won. I won! I finally won something from a raffle. People actually win these things after all.

My mom already mentioned it to me this morning, but I was half asleep when I got the message and didn't quite believe her. The registered letter arrived this afternoon, have a look see:



It's true! My losing streak has finally been broken! And I am now a BELIEVER. Now only if my romantic losing streak were as easy to break, I'd be sublimely happy. But maybe the fact that my luck has turned is a good omen for other good things to come. Maybe.

Okay, I'm going to have to find that stub now... due to my oh-whatever attitude I had been using it as a bookmark for one of the paperbacks I brought with me to Amanpulo last week. I think the last time I saw it was on my quarters' apartment floor... uh-oh. Maybe I should just get started on that affidavit of loss.

Do you have any retail raffle-winning experiences? Let's make believers out of these cynics, people!

9 comments:

MerryCherry said...

Hahaha! I can totally relate to this.

In fact, the ONLY thing that I won from a contest is, err, are, 4 glasses with the Coke logo in them when I was in grade 4!

It's just funny how some people, like us, don't have a streak of luck in raffles. Hehe. :)

docemdy said...

Claire, sorry to burst your bubble but the joke is if you're lucky in raffles, you can't be lucky in love.

I've won a lot of raffles and somehow I think that saying is true. Let's hope it isn't true in your case.

He he. I don't really believe in this stuff.

Anonymous said...

Well, hey! Congratulations!

Oh and thanks for the comment on Maria Finds. Guess what, you were just entered into my Free Ad Spot giveaway since you commented. Good luck!

dr_clairebear said...

@merry cherry: my luck is slightly better at bingo. no big prizes, but i've been known to win small from time to time. and my aunt likes to make me tag along with her when she plays black jack at the casino - says i bring good luck.

Good luck? where? :P

@em dy: oh, yeah, i've heard that one, too! lucky in cards, unlucky in love - or something like that. hmmm... fate owes me, then, because i'm sordidly unlucky at BOTH!

@maria: thanks for the visit! :) maybe my luck will hold. *lol*

now if i could only find that stub...!

Anonymous said...

I never win anything but my husband wins things all the time. Not the lottery, but really great prizes like concert tickets, a weekend trip to Boston, a stereo receiver, a digital camera, an iPod...it's really quite amazing!

Even if I didn't love him with all my heart, I think I'd be tempted to stick around for the prizes!

dr_clairebear said...

@gina: great luck is a nice reason to stay with someone. :)) he just might win the lottery someday. *lol* thanks for the visit!

Ruby said...

Wow Versace!!! Those things are rare now, you're so lucky! Congrats dr.claire

Anonymous said...

not lucky either. i think i only won once. i got a bag of grocery items. haha.

but if what emy dy says is true and you reverse it, then i should be happy. hehe.

Mary ;) said...

I'd never won anything in my life neither. But now I'm a believer too because I won a competition not too long ago - a short holiday!

Which I'm very pleased about, obviously X]

So now I spend a couple of minutes each week entering random competitions....... never know, might get lucky again!