Randy Gonigam, a Kendall County furniture store owner and “huge Bears fan,” got tired of Bears players bragging about their defense, so he decided to put his money on it.
Over Labor Day weekend, Gonigam’s World Furniture Mall in Plano offered customers free furniture — up to $10,000 — if the Chicago Bears shut out the Green Bay Packers in their season opener. Plano is about 45 miles southwest of Chicago.
Four quarters, 206 customers and about $300,000 later, Gonigam is still a little shell-shocked. “This is beyond our wildest dreams,” he said.
The Bears blanked the Packers 26-0 Sunday, ending Green Bay’s 233-game scoring streak and giving Brett Favre the first shutout of his 16-year NFL career.
The idea that it was a long shot didn’t keep him from insuring the store for up to $300,000 worth of furniture with a company that specializes in insuring prize reimbursements.
If he has the right relationship with his furniture vendor, he might have gotten them to pick up the tab for the insurance premium, as well.
My math must be off on this story. There were 206 customers who “won” in this promotion. The free furniture limit was $10,000. If each of those 206 bought the max, that only comes to $206,000. How is this “about $300,000”?
Brilliant Promo!
Have you seen Brian Urlacher in action? I saw him when he played for UNM–amazing. The pic above says it all about his intensity.
If Brian gets the rest of the defense playing anywhere near his level, Da Bears will make Da Playoffs, and maybe Da Super Bowl. Here’s hoping for a Colts-Bears Super Bowl…
#3 — as long as he stays away from Paris Hilton.
Its easy why it didnt add up. Tax, uncle sam still wants his cut.
#1,
206 X 10,000 = 2,060,000 🙂
RonD:
Duh! To think I majored in Math in College!
No matter the math, that’s a smart and saavy dude. He gets to turn his entire inventory for free and earn zillions in publicity.
No matter the math, that’s a smart and saavy dude. He gets to turn his entire inventory for free and earn zillions in publicity.
Thats absolutely correct. This man knows his business and he knew he was guaranteed publicity by making the offer originally; then he was welcomed into global headlines (dvorak.org/blog is global right??? ) by sticking to his word. Free stock rotation and a heaping pile of new customers.
#4: Agreed. Paris Hilton=bad. For anyone, including herself.
Incidentally, in a Colts-Bears matchup, as a former Hoosier I’d wind up rooting for both of them.
The Bears still suck.
Worst teams in football: Packers, 49ers, Raiders. You pick the order.
11) They sucked their way to the best defense last season behind Urlacher with virtually NO offense. If they can average 20 points a week this year, they could go undefeated. It is good to be a Bears fan.
4) Paris Hilton=Publicity Stunt Who would actually date that SKANK. Ever through a could of layers of latex I would still feel ichy. I would still do it, I would just live with the ichy feeling.
10) Colts V Bears!! That would be cool!
Don’t know if the store owner was that smart. 1 chance in 233 to win the bet. Looks like he was pissing the insurance premium away by any resonable estimate. Even with sucky teams it’s tough to shut them out. Even with as far as GB has sunk, I never dreamed Da Bears would shut him out.
FARVE, YOU SHOULD HAVE RETIRED YOU DOTTERIN OLD FOOL!!!
Don
In other news, Chicago is still a hole, and will never produce a sports franchise on the level of those they consider rivals. This brought to you by a sports fan born in St. Louis that grew up in Wisconsin.
As for Favre retiring, he should have gone to a team that had a chance. Blaming him for the loss is stupid.
#14In other news, Chicago is still a hole, and will never produce a sports franchise on the level of those they consider rivals.
Comment by Area Neocon and Cheesehead James Hill — 9/13/2006 @ 5:35 pm
Chicago is the home of Frank Lloyd Wright, the Steppenwolf Theater, The Sears Tower, Dennis Franz, Joe Montanga, and David Mamet. In Chicago, you’ll find Second City, The Shedd, Grant Park and Lincoln Park. Chicago is the home of the Blues. And true inner peace is found on a certain diamond on Addison Street. And it is the only place on Earth where you can buy an authentic pizza and not some spagetti sauce on Wonder bread crap like you get everywhere else.
Chicago is the Cultural Mecca of the Midwest. It is New York, only with manners and a few hours to sleep. It is an all too brief slice of Heaven when you travel across the Midwest. Chicago’s late, great, Miegs Field is the first airport you take off from in the original Microprose Flight Simulator. It features more dining establishments per capita than any other city in America. Over 500 languages are spoken in Chicago, and that’s just in the taxi cabs.
Though it stands in the shadow of New York, it is to me the greatest city on this planet.
I can tolerate your neocon blowhard act, and often I find it amusing. And you can dump on the Bears if you like. Why should I care? But man, you need to back off of Chicago.
🙂
That was fun.