I went to the Prince Albert location of Boston Pizza this past Saturday afternoon to watch the Riders-Alouettes game. While watching the game I indulged in two pints of Molson Pilsner. As the promotion that Boston Pizza has been running for the past couple of seasons states, every time you purchase a Pil, you can enter a draw to win tickets to the next Rider home game. I filled out the forms I was given, and placed them in the draw barrell. Though the game was disappointing, there was a happy ending for me. I won the draw!
I am grateful for the tickets I received, and I'm sure I'll have a great time at the game. But I won't be going to the game I'm supposed to be going to. The next Rider home game is this upcoming Saturday, the 27th of July, against the Edmonton Eskimos. I was given tickets to the following home game, on August 16th versus the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Frankly, there are some very good reasons why the latter game actually works better for me. For one, I'm scheduled to work this upcoming Saturday. I work in a small office, and at this time there's only one other employee I can switch shifts with. It's possible, but the more advance notice we give each other, the better. Also, for travel and accomodation arrangements, the more time there is in advance to make plans, the better. In the handful of CFL games that I've attended, including two Grey Cups, I've never seen the Riders take on the Ti-Cats. The lone game I attended last year featured the Eskimos as the opponent. One disadvantage of the Ti-Cat game for me is that it takes place on a Sunday evening. I work at 7:30 on Monday mornings. The Eskimo game being on a Saturday gives me plenty of time to get back home and get plenty of rest for the coming work week.
When I received my tickets, I immmediately questioned why they were for the following home game, and not for the next one, as the promotion states. I was given the simple answer of "We already gave those tickets away." When I asked how this happened, they were unable to provide me with an answer. I believe there are two possibilities. It could very well be a simple, innocent mix-up, or it could be that the tickets were somehow inappropriately allocated.
Here's why the situation looks bad for the Prince Albert location of this fine restaurant chain. Of all the games that this situation could happen with, it just so happens that the festivities surrounding the game on July 27th include a reunion of the 1989 Grey Cup winning Roughrider team. Twenty years later, it's still a big deal around here. It's among the greatest moments in Saskatchewan sports history, and even in Canadian sports history. There will be an autograph session before the game, and a ceremony at halftime. Most of the players from that team will be in attendance. With almost any other game, and any other game day promotions, I would not question my prize. It's not hard to see why there is some potential for the situation to be manipulated for someone's personal gain.
All I'm asking is for is some tranparency. If there was a simple mix-up, that's certainly understandable. It's disappointing, but forgiveable. If this situation arose because of inappropriate actions, I trust that Boston Pizza will deal with the situation appropriately.