The Grocery Store’s Big Screen TV SuperBowl drawing took place Saturday morning. The grand prize went to Madison Jenkins. Ronnie Simpson described the Jenkins’ reaction: “They were ecstatic. They’re probably watching the game on it right now. It’s a pretty cool smart tv.” Madison described her own reaction: “I was pretty shocked because I never win anything.”
Shoppers could enter by just shopping at the grocery store. “To get an entry, you had to spend $50 at the store, and you were able to be entered into the drawing for the contest,” explained Ronnie. Shoppers were able to enter as often as they made qualified purchases at the store. Madison explained that she only entered twice. The winning tickets were drawn by Eli Sherburn. Deb Louvar explained the reasoning behind having children draw tickets: “because you can always trust a child to be honest, and he was the only one in here.”
Though the store did not count entries, Ronnie described the entries as “…a whole box full. There were hundreds. People were really excited. We had it up on the freezer. Displayed over there. It was a big huge orange tv. We love to give back to the community. That’s what it’s all about. Giving back… We also had $50 gift cards to The Grocery Store for 2nd and 3rd place. Diane Sparks and Adam Bjornstead won those,” Ronnie explained.
When I asked Deb about the contest, she explained that the whole thing was Ronnie’s idea. “He is the idea man for our store. He truly is.” Ronnie explained that he got the idea from a previous contest. “Two years ago Pepsi had given away a tv. I thought we should continue the tradition and give away big screen TVs on Super Bowl Sunday.” Deb commented on the community response: “We appreciate the enthusiasm. We had so many people participate in it. We will probably do it again next year.”
Madison was enthusiastic about her win and watching the game on their new 65 inch television, explaining that she is a sports fan. “I think I am into sports more than he (her husband) is.”
No picture was taken of the Jenkins family receiving their prize, though Madison explained she came prepared for pictures. She joked: “I even put on real clothes instead of pajamas to get it, because I was afraid they’d take a picture.”
Ronnie’s repeated exclamation throughout our conversation was their appreciation to the community for their support of the store and their desire to give back to the town. “Thank you for shopping local, at The Grocery Store. We really appreciate it. We love this community.”
