In Good Form - Part 1

When you’re at a loose end and don’t know what to do, why not go on an entry form safari. Or after reading this, perhaps you’ll decide not to bother.

Now you’ve heard of hunting for elusive forms, but my latest safari takes some beating. Unless you know different of course.

Wearing my “Sherlock Holmes” hat, I set off to track down some elusive entry forms,  to maximise chances of winning prizes.

Searching  on top of freezer cabinets and peering in between display racks or the side of the check out, is all part of “the fun of the chase”.

The more “elusive’” a competition, the less entrants, therefore the better your chances of winning a prize.

My friend won a fabulous holiday to Egypt by being observant combined with a bit of luck.   She noticed some tiny forms tucked down by the side of the check out till in her local store.  Reading the text, all she had to do was complete her details and pop into the in-store box.  Finding the box was like searching for a needle in a haystack.  Eventually, she located it – on top of a high shelf.

Donning basketball player skills, she retrieved the box and noted there were about nine entries in there. Obviously another nine “would-be winners” like herself.  She dropped her form in the box.  The next day the store manager phoned.

“Do you remember entering our competition to win a trip down the Nile?” he quizzed.   ”Yes.”   “Well I’m delighted to tell you you’ve won first prize.”

Now the interesting thing about this story is that there was a holiday to be won every day for ten days.   By the tenth day, the prize box was located at the front entrance to the store, where you couldn’t possibly miss it - and there were literally thousands of entries in there.   

My friend’s odds of winning were ten to one. On the tenth day her odds were several thousands to one.

But back to my entry form safari.  Having toured up and down aisles, looking in obvious and not so obvious places for entry forms, it never crossed my mind to include the manager’s office or “out of bound” drawers under cosmetic display stands.

I could just imagine his or her face, if you poked your head round the door, and grabbing a pile of papers off the desk, said with a cheeky grin: “Don’t mind me. I’m just looking where you’ve hidden your latest competition.”

Probably at some time or other, you’ve asked staff at the customer care stand if they have a particular entry form, only to be met with blank looks as though you’re from a different planet.  Or perhaps a helpful member of staff has ventured forth into the manager’s office to “have a look for you”, only to return empty handed.

Now I was aware that a well-known cosmetic manufacturer had organised a free prize draw to win a fantastic holiday to Brazil in a promotion which featured a new movie at cinemas.

Be sure to visit eMenang.com, next week on Saturday to read the 2nd part of this article. In the meantime, Happy Win-ning!

 

-Lynne Suzanne-

About the author
Lynne Suzanne is a consultant, freelance writer and author of Win With Lynne Intaslogans, Pun-ch Lines! and Win Your Fortune in Prizes. FREE Win With Lynne - How to Win Competitions guide. www.win-with-lynne.co.uk