Sometimes it’s about the people behind the winners
Published: October 1, 2005
We often read stories about people who win big lottery jackpots. But what about the people who sell those winning tickets?
This is the story of one of those people. (Besides, the name of the holder of the winning ticket hasn’t been released, and I needed column fodder.)
Tuesday, Sept. 20, a $30,000 Power Play winning ticket was sold at the Hugo’s No. 2 grocery store on South Washington Street. It was drawn the following day. Terri Vanneste, who works at Hugo’s, said she’s sold winning Powerball tickets before, but none that were worth that much money.
“It’s been like a dollar or something,” she said.
Vanneste went to work at 6:30 a.m. that Tuesday not knowing that in about three hours, she would be making someone’s day.
At 9:20 a.m., a woman came to the counter to buy five Powerball numbers.
Vanneste asked her if she wanted the Power Play option.
She said she doesn’t always ask people if they want the Power Play option. “I go in spurts.”
The woman said she didn’t know what the Power Play was, so Vanneste told her that it costs an extra dollar per number, but it can multiply winnings by two to five times.
“After I explained it, she said, “Yeah, why not?,” Vanneste said.
Now here’s the part where we get into the weird coincidences that may, or may not, have played a part in that woman purchasing the winning ticket.
The fact that she purchased the Power Play option may not sound weird to the average person. It was to Vanneste, because most people, even after they know their potential winnings will be greater, don’t take the Power Play option.
“I’m not really a superstitious person,” Vanneste said. “But, when she came up, I really felt the need to tell her about the Power Play.”
The Power Play option is important in this instance. If the woman had not purchased the Power Play option, she would have won only $10,000.
Vanneste said another strange thing happened. Right after she sold the woman the ticket her boss walked by and jokingly said to remember him if she won anything.
“It was just like all the little things you could put together, if you wanted to,” she said.
And the winner is …
The day after the drawing, Vanneste’s boss told her that it was either her, or one other girl who worked with her, who sold the winning ticket.
Through the process of elimination Vanneste narrowed it down to one woman. “I had this feeling that I knew exactly who it was,” she said.
Vanneste made sure the woman came in and checked the ticket while she was working so she could be the one to tell her that she’d won $30,000.
“I don’t think she believed me at first,” she said.
Vanneste said it was neat because even though she didn’t know the woman personally, she was familiar with the woman and her husband, who are regular customers at Hugo’s.
“They are always so nice when they come in the store. I’ve waited on them since I started here,” said Vanneste, who’s worked at Hugo’s for seven years.
Vanneste said another weird coincidence is that the ticket was sold at 9:20 a.m. on 9/20.
I think the weird thing is that Vanneste, who doesn’t buy lottery tickets, still hasn’t bought lottery tickets even though she knows that it’s possible to win.
But talk about even more weird coincidences. I found out about Venneste when I was getting some cash at Hugo’s to spend at the Mardi Gras: Rally for Relief event for hurricane victims.
Does this mean that good things happen to people who do good things?
Rats. If that’s the case, I should have bought a Powerball ticket right then and there. With the Power Play option.
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