A Sign Of The Times

by The Warning Signs

The restaurant chain Chick-fil-A has a promotional event that they hold at the opening of each new restaurant location where they hold a raffle for 100 people to participate in an event where they can win one free meal a week, for a year.

The purpose of this promotion is to camp out overnight at the Restaurant and to participate in pre-Grand Opening events (details here). On their web site they show picture shown here of these events.



But St.Louis, Mo. on February 3, 2011 the contest was held right after on of the worst snowstorms the city had seen in many years. The contest was not held indoors, but on the parking lot. The temperature on that evening fell to -3, with a wind chill of -11.

Here are some photos from the February 3rd event. Link
                  

                       Also here is a video from the local TV station.

                      

I could not help but wonder how desperate one would have to be to endure such frigid temperatures for 24 hours only to gain one free meal a week for a year. In the picture on the company web site it looks like everyone is having a good time in a sunny party environment. I can tell you this was not the case in St. Louis on February 3rd.

I decided to calculate what the total amount of these peoples Grand Prize would be worth for enduring such conditions for 24 hours. Because it must be a handsome rewards right? Wrong! According to the official rules posted on the company web site the grand prize amount totals to $250.00. that is the equivalent of a value menu meal each week for a year. 

So the question I raise is this. How desperate are people becoming when they would subject themselves to such harsh conditions for a meager $250.00? I believe that this just goes to show how desperate some people are becoming around us.