The Slot Sisters

Perhaps some of you living in the U.S. are playing the Safeway/Albertsons/Vons/etc. Monopoly game, which runs from Feb 3 to May 3. (For those not playing, it's a promotion in which you receive game pieces when you shop at these stores, and if you get the right combination of pieces you win various prizes).

Those playing might be interested in the experience of the "Slot Sisters" who committed themselves BIG TIME to the game when it ran last year.

By making mass purchases of Ramen noodles, they managed to acquire 42,000 game tickets. They also toured through 6 states, driving close to 3000 miles, because they thought that getting tickets in different locations would increase their chances of winning.

Their final grand total of winnings was $365 in gift cards and $800 in free groceries. Not a great return on investment. As they note, it's "not a game for people on a food budget."

And yet they promised that they'll be playing again this year.

     Posted By: Alex - Sat Mar 26, 2016
     Category: Gambling, Casinos, Lotteries and Other Games of Chance





Comments
You don´t state the cost of the noodles so there´s nothing to compare the return to.
Posted by F.U.D. on 03/26/16 at 10:22 AM
42,000 tickets and only $1,165 worth of prize payout and $800 of that was in product so a average of 2.77¢ ticket. Google says the average cost of a pack of noodles is 13¢. Y'all can do the math.
Posted by Expat47 in Athens, Greece on 03/26/16 at 11:05 AM
Don't forget the cost of driving 3000 miles and spending three weeks on the road (meals, gasoline, hotels, etc.)
Posted by Anastasia Beaverhausen on 03/26/16 at 12:04 PM
As someone said it's the journey not the destination. I think that applies in this case. We often dwell on the tasks to accomplish a goal and miss out enjoying them.
Posted by BrokeDad in Midwest US on 03/26/16 at 12:44 PM
But crank in the value of seeing grocery stores in 6 states vs spending the 3 weeks at Mouse World, and the winner is obvious. No wonder it's a repeat.
Posted by Virtual on 03/26/16 at 01:17 PM
Yeah, I think BD is right on this one. It's not about the money; it's about the fun. And, trivial or not, these girls are having fun. I applaud them.
Posted by Richard Bos on 03/26/16 at 01:36 PM
Technically, it didn't cost them anything. The tickets are given free with a purchase -- as long as they weren't throwing away the food they bought, they didn't lose anything. If they'd won something substantial, they'd have been very hard-pressed to justify their trip as an expense -- vacations aren't generally tax deductible.

The wonder of the Internet is that local oddballs get international exposure, so we can be amused with their antics without having to actually live near them.
Posted by Phideaux on 03/26/16 at 02:42 PM
Can we assume a "Local Family Hospitalized With Sodium Poisoning" article after they eat all those Ramen noodles?
Posted by puptentacle on 03/26/16 at 03:55 PM
Remember, there's a place in Japan where you can bathe in ramen noodles. So perhaps that's their plan.
http://www.weirduniverse.net/blog/comments/news_of_the_weird_plus_june_2_2015/
Posted by ges on 03/27/16 at 02:22 AM
>>as long as they weren't throwing away the food they bought

They say somewhere in their blog that they gave the ramen to a food bank.
Posted by Alex on 03/27/16 at 09:23 AM
Much like with the victims of pyramid schemes, it comes down to a minimal acquaintance with math and probability. You'd better enjoy seeing grocery stores in multiple states, because that's all you're getting out of it.

Not my idea of excitement, but they're not spending my money, so enjoy.
Posted by Harvey on 03/27/16 at 08:47 PM
This is Dianne, one-half of the slotsisters duo. Marie and I just found this site and we were so excited to see the comments on our Albertson's Monopoly Game endeavor. We are about to begin the last part of this year's effort to win big at Albertson's. We are heading out to California again, this time via airplane, where we will spend 4 days in southern California to try our luck again. We have pretty much wiped out the Ramen noodle inventory in Dallas, Houston and Louisiana so we have no choice but to go west. All I can say is California, get those shelves stocked. We're on our way! Keep reading slotsisters.com to see how we do this year.
Posted by Dianne Woods, Slotsister on 04/20/16 at 08:51 PM
Let me be the 1st to welcome you! It's a rare day we have celebrities in our midst.

Good luck on your holy quest.
Posted by Expat47 in Athens, Greece on 04/20/16 at 11:31 PM
Hi Dianne, I'm the one that posted about you guys. Great to hear from you! Of course, I've been playing the game too, which is how I came across your site.

Do you plan on making it down to San Diego? That's where I live. I'd love to get to witness one of your ramen acquisition runs!

I've got some neighbors who might be interested in seeing that/meeting you too. We all swap monopoly tickets/strategies on Nextdoor.com. Though pretty much all of us have hit the Great Rare Ticket Barrier.

Let me know. You can find my contact info here: http://www.weirduniverse.net/blog/contact/
Posted by Alex on 04/21/16 at 11:52 AM
I can see it now! http://www.weirdhookups.com :cheese:
Posted by Expat47 in Athens, Greece on 04/21/16 at 12:03 PM
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