Readinger enjoys shopping spree

Randall Readinger is the recipient of a $1,000 shopping spree conducted at Big Sugar Lumber this spring. Readinger is using his shopping spree to help repair an old garage and purchase new ladders. The shopping sprees are conducted at the store every spring and fall. (Submitted Photo)

Randall Readinger recently had $1,000 worth of luck on his side.

One day while visiting Big Sugar Lumber, Readinger entered himself in a drawing for a $1,000 shopping spree. With no expectation of winning, Readinger found himself pleasantly surprised when he discovered his name had been drawn as the shopping spree recipient.

"I was excited about it," he said. "It was good. I didn't expect it. That was the first time I ever signed up. I went in one time, dropped in the form, and I got lucky."

According to Jennie Yoder, Big Sugar Lumber, through the Do It Best Cooperation, every Do it Best Store is able to conduct a $1,000 shopping spree in both the spring and fall of each year. Although some items such as lumber and shingles are not available with the shopping spree, recipients are allowed to spend their money on about 70,000 different items in the store's catalog.

Since many times shopping sprees are conducted on a nationwide basis, Yoder said being able to conduct one at the local level is helps local residents more.

"It's kind of nice," she said. "A lot of these things are nationwide, but this is a local contest. Somebody that comes in this store will win. It is a nice local thing. You can't hardly find these things anymore."

Yoder said the company began conducting the shopping spree contests about three years ago when it started printing and mailing out catalogs during the spring and fall. The catalogs were created as a way to get more people to shop in their store, she said.

"It's (catalog) something to keep in people's home and something to help get people in the local stores instead of bigger stores," she said.

Yoder said she really enjoys seeing the reactions of the winners and finding out how each one is going to spend his or her money.

"It's just fun to see what they pick out and how excited they are to find out they won," she said.

According to Readinger, he will spend a good portion of his shopping spree funds repairing an old garage and upgrading some of his ladders.

The Big Sugar catalogs are mailed out to about 75,000 area residents each spring and fall. However, any resident who does not receive a catalog in the mail may pick one up at the store, according to Yoder. Shopping spree entry forms are located in each catalog and inside the store.