how do shoe raffles work

 

You love shoes and have a knack for finding treasure, so why not check out this new way to get some of those shoes at an enormous discount. Even if you don't care about fashion, these raffles can help you get free shoes that are perfect for the weather or your next fancy dress outfit.

The shoe raffle is a new trend sweeping across America in which attendees show up and hope to win something valuable -- like a brand-name pair of sneakers -- by shooting dice or tossing in coins. The main idea behind the raffle is that participants roll the dice every 15 minutes and stop when they land on one of six numbers: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 10. Those winning numbers decide how many people get a chance to win the prize.

 

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While some people are skeptical about how fair these raffles are, there hasn't been any proof that they're a scam, according to Forbes and some believe it's an excellent way for companies to give away their latest products to the public for free.

"If you're a shoe company and if you want exposure, perhaps this is a way that you can get your product in front of as many people as possible," says Kelly Johnson, owner of the Society of Professional Raffle Sellers, an organization that educates businesses on what works in spending money on giveaways. "It's easy to just give it away. It gets you exposure, and everyone wins."

Not everyone is a fan of the shoe raffle. Some believe that it's a marketing technique used by companies to get customers into their stores, where they'll likely buy something else. But the most vocal critics say that it's nothing more than an elaborate cash grab that creates long lines and bad customer service.

 

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"[It creates] an incentive for things like rudeness," Johnson says. "If you're participating in these raffles and, on top of all the other people who are standing in line behind you, someone decides to cut in front of you because they know how much money they've won as opposed to not winning at all... that's a big turn off."

Without access to a home or office, some people will do whatever it takes to participate in shoe raffles. Some residents of New York City complained to the city council about the high traffic caused by the shoe raffle because one particular location was so crowded that ambulances struggled to get through.

Many believe that these types of giveaways are thriving in part because of our economy and how retail stores have come under scrutiny for "crowding out" local businesses who don't have time or money for costly promotions. They say that it's not fair to blame retailers for wanting to promote their brand new wares and give people an incentive to buy them.

"The issue is the customer," says RJ Cotney, owner of the RaffleStore.com and former employee of several shoe stores. "People are entitled to be in line for as long as they want to be in line without getting out of their car."

If you want to avoid the crowds and just get a chance at winning something valuable you might purchase a raffle ticket or two from the store where you plan on buying your shoes. Whether or not you win these shoes is completely up to chance, but that doesn't stop many people from making plans around it.