Key to unlock luck- Ian Carroll, pictured with Paul O’Connell, had the lucky number 80 key which was the winner. 60545

By Ashleigh Hill-Buxton
THROUGHOUT the Christmas and New Year trading period last year, shoppers at O’Connell’s Retravision in Narre Warren were given the opportunity to win a brand-new Volkswagen Polo – all they had to do was spend $50.
From early November until late January – a total of 100 days – shoppers simply had to make the minimum spend, fill out an entry form and deposit it in a barrel in store for a chance to win.
At the end of each day, a name was drawn from the bin and allocated a number from one to 100, with each of these winners becoming eligible for the final draw to win the car.
All entrants were required to attend the final drawing, where they selected a key at random from a pile, according to their numbered order; the person who chose the key that unlocked the car would walk away with the prize.
The car was won by Ian Carroll, who selected the right key as entrant number 80.
Additionally, the remaining 99 final entrants were given a $500 travel voucher
Such an unusual promotion was of great curiosity among shoppers, who were both surprised and excited to realise how easy it was to enter the draw.
“People couldn’t believe that they only had to spend $50 to enter,” said Paul O’Connell, the business’ owner.
“It’s quite a small spend, so it generated a lot of interest.”
It was the first of many promotions to be undertaken by the business in an attempt to create business during difficult economic times.
In coming weeks, the business plans to hold a reverse auction – where bidders win by placing the lowest unique bid – on their webpage, with up to 12 items being auctioned off.