Most stores decide beforehand exactly what a customer's discount is going to be. But at North Dakota State University Bookstore, management leaves that up to fate. They do so by providing a bowl filled with scratch and win cards in front of their bookstore that customers can use to win anywhere between a 15 and 50 percent discount on any clothing or souvenir and gift items.
The events, which have taken place the Friday before each home football game for the last four years, have become a hit with customers, according to Promotions Coordinator Dolly Wadholm. "Our customers love this," she says, "Students will come in and make a game out of it. They like to see who can get the highest discount."
Although the bookstore used to advertise these events in store, that method eventually got a bit too messy, and management decided to use a list serve to spread the word. Since switching to these new advertisements and putting the actual scratch and win cards outside of the store, Wadholm and her staff have seen these events run even more efficiently.
"We generally hand out anywhere from two to four thousand," Wadholm says. "Then we see customers redeem somewhere between two and six hundred, depending on the weekend."
Wadholm also says that there are no plans to stop the scratch and win promotions any time soon, and with good reason. By making the promotion into a kind of game, Wadholm and her staff has created an event that was both fun and competitive, which in turn increased the store's customer reach, the goal of any store putting on an event.
