ONTARIO – Kathy Thomas of Mansfield doesn’t believe in luck.
But she does believe that she was “very blessed” Monday, Aug. 28 when ABC Warehouse presented her family with five General Electric kitchen and laundry room appliances worth about $3,500 in total.
Kathy and her husband Jerry Thomas bought a General Electric refrigerator at ABC Warehouse, 2360 W 4th St, earlier this year. A few weeks later, they returned to check prices on an air conditioner. Though the couple decided they could do without the latter of the two appliances, the shopping trip wasn’t a waste of time.
While Jerry was speaking to a sales representative, Kathy filled out an entry form for a chance to win a four-piece deluxe slate GE kitchen package, which included a range, refrigerator, dishwasher and over-the range microwave.
A cardboard box collected entries at the Ontario-based store for about two weeks during its tent sale in June. During this time, similar boxes were also set up in 43 other stores throughout Ohio, Michigan and Indiana.
“I got bored and I decided to fill out one of them,” Kathy Thomas said. “I made it into an airplane, folded it in a special way. They could just reach in and grab any piece of paper, but I want them to reach in and grab mine.”
And that’s what happened.
“It’s awesome that out of 43 stores, we had a winner from Mansfield,” said general manager Jarrod Needs. “We’ve turned in only a few entries before, but this year, we turned in a ton of them.”
He says he put in extra effort to promote the raffle this year at what’s the southern-most location for ABC Warehouse, a chain of appliance and electronics stores headquartered in Pontiac, Michigan.
The Thomas family was shocked when they found out they won.
“You hear about this happening, but you never expect it yourself,” Kathy said.
Jerry recently had biceps surgery and is disabled. Kathy stays at home raising two of her grandchildren.
“Money is really, really tight, so this is such a blessing” Kathy said.
Monday at 1 p.m. Kathy, Jerry, their grandchildren, family and friends were greeted by GE Appliances area sales manager Nancy Wright, Needs and several store employees.
They presented her with flowers and a cake before sitting down for a pizza party near the front of the store.
Because they recently bought a GE refrigerator, the Thomas family was offered an alternative prize. In place of the refrigerator, they will receive a GE washer and dryer. So, the family will soon have a total five new GE appliances delivered to their home.
“I said I wasn’t going to cry, but I did,” Kathy said.
In fact, it was the flowers that pushed her over the top.
“I don’t get flowers. I tell him don’t waste money on me,” she explained. “I don’t know who bought the roses, but I’m sure glad they wasted that money. Thank you.”
