Joe Frickin' Friday Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 They say there's no such thing as a free lunch. Not entirely true: you just gotta be lucky. When I was in high school I worked at McDonald's. They held a big Christmas party for the staff of several local McDonald's restaurants, and there was a collection of door prizes being awarded at the end of the evening. Somehow I won the big prize, a brand-new VCR. Pretty exciting for a 17-year-old kid. A few years ago I bought a TIG welder. I decided to fill out the customer satisfaction survey and send it in. I ended up being entered in a drawing, and sure enough, I won a $300 Sears gift card. So what cool stuff have you won in a random event? A scratch-off lottery prize over $100? Vacation somewhere? Win a car? Free lunch? Link to comment
Silver Surfer/AKAButters Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 The only thing I ever won was a ceramic "Horn of plenty" cookie jar. Geeez! Link to comment
Dances_With_Wiener_Dogs Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 Valerie and I won a trip to the Winter X Games about 10 years ago. Airfare, hotel, the whole shebang. Up in Mt Snow Vermont (I think). Kick ass time, although I think we were a bit older than the typical demographic. Link to comment
upflying Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 I won an all expense for two, air fare included, 7 day trip to Puerto Vallarta. My name was thrown into a lottery of officers who were accident free for one year. Expense was paid out of an insurance risk pool supported by member agencies. Hotel was 5 star beautiful, La Jolla de Mismaloya. Link to comment
Burt Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 Many,many,many years ago I entered a contest to name a ranch owned by Jingles P. Jones (Andy Devine). My entry came in third, and I won a television set. Link to comment
BULLman Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 Accordingly to my emails, I've a Lottery in the UK I actually one a Bike Night at Quaker Steak & Lube in Clearwater, FL. The MC picked the 3 bikes for the contest, voted by the audience's applause. Its between my TBS, a 996 Ducati and a $20k HD Deluxe. Its was a tie between me and the HD, decided by a bouncer whering the same color shirt as my bike I also won the summer-long Triumph mileage contest announced earlier that night. Glad I left the house Link to comment
SageRider Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 In the mid '90s during my rock crawlin' days, I won a set of 5 tires at one event. The next event, I won a winch and another set of tires. I was able to trade the second set of tires for a set of rims. All told, after about $50 invested, received in excess of $2000 worth of winnings. I've hit a straight flush on a Let it Ride table (1 per 72,193 hands). Missed the Royal by the last card.... Link to comment
Joe Frickin' Friday Posted January 24, 2009 Author Share Posted January 24, 2009 An amusing story about a small prize: Some time in the early 80's when I was a teenager, I bought Prince's "Purple Rain" LP. Everything was fine until my dad happened to hear the song "Darling Nikki," at which point he took the liberty of returning the album to the store for me. Six months later, I brought several cans of food to school with me for a food drive. I received several raffle tickets in exchange for those cans of food. At the end of the week a drawing was held, and guess what I won? "Purple Rain," by Prince. Dad permitted me to keep the album this time, on the condition that I never buy another one from Prince. 25 years later, I still haven't - although my brother did give me his "Around the World in Eighty Days" album a few years ago. Link to comment
JustJean Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 When I was 7 years old I won $500 at bingo. When I was 24 years old I won $500 on a pick six that I got 5 1st place horses right on. Several years in a row I have won the super bowl pool probably 700 or 800 dollars if you add all the years up together. In 1 more week I hope to add to that total. Link to comment
Richard_D Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 I was at a Tampa BMW ride and the only non member there , and won the 50-50 drawing at lunch. Link to comment
WestTX RT Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 Four different Rolex watches in sales contest. I always had a good quarter when they put them up as prizes. Link to comment
Boone60 Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 There is no free lunch. Weekend getaway on the RT, won $100 at a casino drawing. Riding north the next day, we stopped the bike for lunch at another casino. Ate a nice meal and then back to the parking lot, where I found the bike was on it's side with a few things broke. A victim of my poor parking judgement, and fresh blacktop. Link to comment
Mike O Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 Found a Sony Playstation (in a shipping box) on our front porch one evening. Courtesy of the local super market. I guess all those times we scanned our "Sooper" card paid off. We were randomly chosen from a drawing. Mike O Link to comment
enfoman Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 5 regular #'s of a 6# lotto ticket worth 25 mil. only got $107.00 must be alot of others got the same #'s too. Some thing even better that I won from a guess of how many leggo's it took to build a six foot statue of liberty at an Expo. I won a really nice Leggo set for that. Worst dissapointment was that I was one of five radio call in ignition key winners for a brand new Saturn car from a dealer. I was the first to choose between five different color cars. I choose Blue. the Red one started. oh well. I won a consolation prize of $500. off a new saturn gift certificate that I never used. what really got my goat was that the winner really did not care about winning the car. He was more interested in getting to Louden NH in time for the NASCAR race that day and this event delayed him which got him very annoyed. Hint always choose the red car if this happens to you. Bob Link to comment
Skywagon Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 Was up about $400 at the Kentucky Derbay a few years ago. Bet it all on the last race. Won $9000....minus uncle sam who was standing by.. Link to comment
Whip Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 Only once...... Mrs Whip agreed to marry me. Link to comment
Ron_B Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 I won the Irish Sweepstakes a long time ago, but I didn't want to turn into a rich p****, so I gave it all to Swami Bhagwan Krishna-Krishna Rama Rajneesh Jones. He said I would be rewarded with enlightenment, good karma and lotsa wimmin. I'm still waiting on one of the three. Link to comment
HappyMan Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 I won a six pack of Schliz while out ice fishing with my dad when I was about ten. My dad did not share..... Link to comment
HappyMan Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 While on the subject....I'm going to sign up for James Stewart's Yamaha. Cya. Link to comment
Deadboy Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 K75 for one dollar from this very site (thanks Greg).... Link to comment
Redbrick Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 How about someone going into the Stagecoach Casino in Beatty during the DVD run, playing a quarter machine of Wheel Of Fortune and after maybe 30 or 40 rotations hitting a 1000 quarter jackpot? Then cashing out... ..It happened...... Link to comment
SteveMc Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 My first ever BMW rally, West Bend, WI, I won one of the grand prizes in the drawing. A BMW Comfort Shell riding suit. Kinda spoiled me. Link to comment
stubble! Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 Great stories. Just last week my 6th grade son won a drawing for an Ipod, picked from among other spelling bee geeks. His feet haven't touched the ground since! Link to comment
Bullett Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 I hit the $100 "jackpot" on the nickel slots in Wendover about 15 years ago; haven't played since. I won a drawing for a $100 gift certificate in the dress department at Weinstock's about 17 years ago. Oh, and when we lived near Denver, I won a drawing for 50 free lottery tickets . . . I thought I was gonna be rich. I won $9.00, and blew the lot on more lottery tickets. Link to comment
1MPH Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 Back when I lived in Connecticut I won a contest... 1ST place one week in Philadelphia 2ND place three weeks in Philadelphia. Link to comment
BanjoBoy Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 Nope, Nada, Noth'in, never! The only time I've ever won anything was the contests (as a little kid) where everybody participating won something, like a cheesy little ribbon. I'm a loser, and proud of it! Hey Mitch, When I donate blood, platelets and plasma, they give me a coupon for a pint of Baskins & Robin ice cream, does that count as winning? Link to comment
Joel Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 If I enter, I don't win. Pretty much my story too, in games of chance anyway. While I was a student at UNC-Chapel Hill I attended a music workshop sponsored by Ibanez where there were 3 electronic guitar tuners given away as door prizes. The event was poorly promoted and poorly attended. I was one of only 5 eligible people attending, yet left empty handed. On my 21st birthday, a friend gave me 21 "scratch-n-win" lotto tickets. I think they yielded 3 $2 prizes. At least it paid for 2 beers for each of us. OTOH, about 20 years ago I did win a prize kinda like Whip's. Link to comment
Tank Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 $2.50..... A few years ago, some friends and I stopped at a local gaming den. Sally dear, gave me five bucks and told me to split the winnings with her, I wondered around and watch all the people pushin, pulling and shuffeling cards buttions and levers, cracked me up and I went outside to wait. On the way home I spit the five spot with Sally . Link to comment
Big_Gray Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 When I was 15, I won a 1951 Dodge Regent 4 door sedan as the door prize at a used car auction. A friend of mine was giving out tickets at the door and he gave me a whole bunch of tickets, which he wasn't supposed to, and due to the number of tickets I had, there was a pretty good statistical probability that I might win. With a slightly guilty conscience I took my prize home and abused it shamelessly until it expired two years later. A lot of great memories but karma has determined that I would never win another thing in the ensuing 46 (and counting) years. Link to comment
Paul Mihalka Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 Win? Rarely. The best was at a visit many years ago to Florida's Gatorrally I won the big prize of a Nolan flip-up helmet donated by my previous employer, 441 Cycle shop. At other Gatorrally visits I won with my bike the best touring bike award, once with my nicely farkleized (like that word?) '86 K75/Hannigan, and later with the K75RT. At one of the first (or the first?) BMWST Mayhem meetings I received a bag of "Old Fart" brand baked beans. At a early "El Paseo" I received a bottle of "Old Fart" wine. It is a good wine. Thank you, Christine! I really love these gifts. I'm not a gambler. Back out of Venezuela I visited Aruba with my boss. He liked to gamble so we went to a Casino. I got $5 of chips and sat down with a Blackjack machine. I hoped to loose it all so I can quit, but every time it was close to zero it started coming back. After 3/4 of a hour it went up to $5.25. I quit and collected. I'm still waiting for my $10.000.000 from Readers Digest or Publisher's Clearing House. The price of that lottery ticket is now up to $0.42 (a postage stamp) Link to comment
Boone60 Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 Come on folks we need another winner, enter the Motorcycle Classics drawing for some Vansons or a Honda cafe project bike. If you win, let us know! Link to comment
Paul_Burkett Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 After dropping a couple of hundred bucks into a casino poker machine I "WON" just under a thousand dollars. That was the last time I went gambling, and hopefully the last time I ever go gambling. I don't enter very many things that ask for my e-mail address, I did that before and a short time later I "WON" an e-mail box full of spam, that prize lasted for a couple of months. I did win an 8% increase in my property taxes, and I didn't even know I was entered into that contest. About twenty years ago I got my bank statement that said I had a deposit from the county commissioners office for 1.3 million dollars, but then they realized that it was entered into the wrong account and took it back. Link to comment
thencamebronson Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 At the Missouri state rally a few years ago I won youngest rider. I was 47. No one else signed up for the prize. Link to comment
Matts_12GS Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 Yes. Decorum, the user's agreement and the statute of limitations prevents me from mentioning it here. Link to comment
mikeR1100R Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 What are you trying to pull here? My wife got an email saying SHE won the UK lottery?! On the serious side, I won a raffle for a $100 gift certificate towards a set of tires at a car show. Link to comment
RichEdwards Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 I won $100 at Tampa Bay Downs a few years ago. I used it to go to the most expensive restaurant in Tampa, a place where a cheap guy like me would never go. It paid for half of the bill. Link to comment
Lynn Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 I won a pair of tires about a year ago at BMW of Denver's open house. Those tires are on my bike right now! Link to comment
tallman Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 Yes. Too many to recount. 5 figure lotto biggest material item. Best karma tangible was at the Cigar Shoppe. Registration for the free smoker got you an entry (door prizes). I was talking to a friend when I got line jumped. Looking at the prizes, I decided I would like a cap from a ceratin company. When the tickets were drawn, the line jumper got my hat! I was leaving when they reminded us the Grand Prize was still to be awarded. Yep, $1,000 custom Humidor. Thank you very much Mr. LineJumper. But, I've been paralyzed, lost my vision, run over by a truck, had an amputation, been bit by more dogs than most people have owned, so "winning" is a relative concept. Of course I would never say I "won" my SO, but I feel like a winner everyday. Link to comment
SeanC Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 I won an all-expense paid trip to Hawaii for two after dropping my business card in a fish bowl at the Adobe booth during the Seybold conference (1992 if I recall). When they called to inform me, they simply gave me the number of their travel agency. It was a sweet deal -- no set spending limit (just subject to Adobe's approval, which they did), no time limitations, etc. I also won a $100 gift certificate to Brown BMW after the 2001 Baby Butt (I bought a pair of summer riding gloves). Link to comment
bakerzdosen Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 I don't know if this truly qualifies because I had an unfair advantage, but in high school in the 80's I worked at a dental consulting/data processing firm. I would often do my homework on the Mac at work because they had a laser printer as well which seemed to wow teachers into giving me a higher grade than the content probably merited on its own... Suffice to say, they had probably a dozen phone lines, so when a radio call-in contest came on, I'd fire up 10 or so lines. Over the years, I won tickets to three concerts, a trip to the Goodwill games in Seattle (which I gave to a friend for their honeymoon), and probably 6 albums. Winning happened much more often than it should have... I may have used my my kharma as I really haven't won much since then (radio or otherwise.) Link to comment
Bob_Minor Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 -An orange sweat shirt at a teen festival 40 years ago. It said "I'm Underwhelmed" on the front. Don't ask me why. -A rear "Conti Twin" at a poker rally. -A $500 travel voucher at a company picnic. -A free weekend for two in a timeshare, my wife and I just had to go to this four hour high pressure sales presentation.... Link to comment
bayoubengal Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 I won a new Garmin Nuvi as the door prize at Air Force Reserve Command Christmas party in December. Will be great on my soon to be purchased RT... Link to comment
Mike Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 I won a new Garmin Nuvi as the door prize at Air Force Reserve Command Christmas party in December. Will be great on my soon to be purchased RT... Congrats. Be careful with your Nuvi, though. They're not rated for water exposure. Link to comment
tobyzusa Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 I've been blessed in this area. When I was young in the 70s I won a $350 slalom water ski at a boat show - a nice one at that time. Years later my employer gave entries to a random drawing based on # sales in a given period. Won a Ford Mustang in the drawing on that one. Won a Ping Putter and a Ping Sand Wedge at drawings at seperate golfing events. Link to comment
SANTA Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 a BBQ; had to guess the time a chrysler lebaron would live without oil in the pan under full throttle, used my wifes birthday 3:24. they couldn't believe i hit to the second... a group of us bought a bunch of lottey tickets, won $25.00 the first time rolled them over for a second run and Split $100,000.00 (12 ways) otherwise i just pay retail... Link to comment
Dave in Doodah Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 I won 50 bucks in Vegas... it only cost me 500.00 Oh, and I won a mountain bike at a high school football raffle. It's a white Huffy with black blotches on it and a "Got Milk?" sticker on the down tube. Link to comment
Dave in Doodah Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 I won the Irish Sweepstakes a long time ago, but I didn't want to turn into a rich p****, so I gave it all to Swami Bhagwan Krishna-Krishna Rama Rajneesh Jones. He said I would be rewarded with enlightenment, good karma and lotsa wimmin. I'm still waiting on one of the three. At the very least, hopefully it immunized you from getting the Irish Curse... Link to comment
eddd Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 Only once...... Mrs Whip agreed to marry me. I bet you won some brownie points for that post as well! Link to comment
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