The Golden Ticket

As incredibly thrilling as my casual job in retail is, I often find myself day dreaming when I am supposed to be organizing shelves and tidying products. Like when I was in our toy department today, I was arranging the stock when a certain product caught my eye. That product was a set of Pokémon Trading Cards. Each set boasting the potential of an extremely rare card with amazing powers inside. My mind instantly threw me back to my childhood were my primary school classmates traded the cards during break time. There was always such excitement when opening a new pack- would the extremely rare card with amazing powers be in your set?? The chances were slim but it was possible. Then when you were lucky enough to acquire a special card, normally signalled by a shiny border or sparkly background, imaginations would run wild as to what this extremely rare card with amazing powers could achieve- what would your jealous classmates give for this card?!

The desire to get lucky and posses something special is an intense and addictive emotion for humans (not to mention marketing genius as children relentlessly pester their parents to buy the products). But this rush isn't just limited to Pokemon Cards. There were Footy Tazos in chip packets, exclusive toys in cereal boxes and of course the chance to instantly win another Mars Bar if your wrapper revealed a winning code. 

Charlie's freaking out
Image Credit: http://i50.tinypic.com/2rr8lra.gif

It reminds me of the Golden Ticket in Willy Wonka. The thrill and anticipation of watching them open each chocolate bar, hoping to see that golden shimmer was excruciating. But the winning feeling! The winning feeling is so euphoric you can't help pin your hopes onto the dream.

Whilst many of the above listed promotions and gimmicks are targeted at children, it occurred to me that there are just as many ways that adults seek this rush. For example, buying a scratchie. The chances of substantially gaining from a scratchie are very slim, but the rush and anticipation of revealing the winning panels is addictive. All the while dreaming of what you would do if you were so lucky to win. 

I love a scratchie as much as the next person- it is exciting to allow yourself to unashamedly hope for a few moments. But usually reality steps in, ending your daydream. In my case- a customer asking for directions to the hair dryers….