In good 'form'

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.

Having toured up and down aisles, looking in obvious and not so obvious places for entry forms, it never crossed my mind to include  'out of bound' drawers under cosmetic display stands, nor the manager's office.

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. So I ventured into a well-known high street store to check out their cosmetic display stand. No entry forms.

However there was a small compartment in the stand which held some general leaflets on the cosmetic range, and whilst taking one out the whole lot tipped over onto the floor. Out of nowhere an assistant rushed to my aid, to help me put them back and enquire what I was looking for. I mentioned the competition. 

"Oh I know the one you mean", she beamed at me. 

Oh good, I thought. "Have you got an entry form I could have please?"'

"Sorry", she said, '"'ve put them to throw out."

"Throw out?" I queried in sheer disbelief, "but it doesn't close for another six weeks."

"Oh it does", she said, "it closed last week."

You know when you're sure you're right and don't want to let it go. Well, this was such an occasion and I was certain I was right about the closing date.  So I asked if she had a form.

"Think I put them in the manager's office", she said. "No, wait a minute, they may be in this drawer". Then reaching into the drawer under the cosmetic stands, she whipped out a whole pile of entry forms.

"There", she said, pointing to last week's date. 

"Oh, but that's the date the film comes out on release'', I said, 'look here's the competition closing date - at the end of next month."

"Are you going to put them back on display then?" I quizzed.

"No", she responded, "there's no room. I had put them in there'" she pointed at the slot which housed the leaflets I'd tipped on the floor, "but when the manufacturer sent this new promotional leaflet", (which incidentally wasn't a competition), "I had nowhere to put the Brazil entry forms", she explained.

"Couldn't you put them at the end of the check out?" I queried.   "No. That's where we put all the nappy promotions."

"Well", I pursued this line of reasoning, "how about on the end of that counter, there?"

"No room", she said. 

"So what", I asked, thinking this was getting us nowhere, "are you going to do with that pile of entry forms?"

Closing the drawer she said, '"'ll leave them here for a while, then throw them away."

Telling her I could pass those entry forms onto people who'd love to enter, I asked if they were destined for the waste bin, could I take them. "Of cours", she replied.

Opening the drawer, she handed me the lot.   You'll be pleased to know they didn't go to waste and were subsequently distributed to eager compers.

Now let's look at this through the eyes of a promoter. They have taken the time and effort to design the entry form, have it printed and distributed to stores, to place in the compartment on their cosmetic stand for customers to take one and enter. Now if you can't see the forms, how can you enter?

Organising a competition or promotion as they are referred to, is another form of advertising. It may be that the promoter wants you to buy and try their product, so they offer the chance to win a fabulous prize in their competition.  Or maybe, as appeared to be in this instance, it was to draw your attention to a new film at the cinema, and a new colour in their cosmetic range. By entering the competition, you're also reading about their product and familiarising yourself with it.

Promoters know how many entry forms are distributed and may take into account a variety of reasons for low redemption figures. Yet I wonder if they count 'no one entered because the forms weren't available' as one of the reasons.

Recently, visiting another city, I spotted an entry form to win a hi-fi system in a  'one prize in every store' contest.  Enquiring at my local branch, I was told they'd not heard about it. Asking every day at the customer care department eventually resulted in forms appearing - wait for it - on the last date of the promotion.  I entered.  I wonder if it was the 'luck of the draw'  that my entry was picked. Or maybe I was the only entrant from my store!  Makes you wonder doesn't it?

© Copyright Lynne Suzanne www.win-with-lynne.co.uk