Come in to the store, fill out a ticket with your name, phone number, and shoe size, and hope you get a call back a few days later saying you’ve won the right to purchase your highly coveted kicks.
Yeah, that’s how a sneaker raffle goes. If you’re into kicks (Jordans especially), you’ve probably participated in just a few of them over the years. Equal parts frustrating and rewarding, they’re a part of the shoe game whether you like them or not.
Some folks who might be newer to the game, or not really sure what’s going on, might not understand what you do and don’t do when it comes to a raffle though. There’s a sort of “raffle etiquette”, if you will. Not sure what this “raffle etiquette” consists of? Read on. I’ll be more than happy to fill you in, and also let you know the steps to raffling if it isn’t something you’ve done before. And don’t worry: it’s not terribly complicated.
The first step is to find out when the raffle for whatever shoe you want is going on (assuming that shoe is being raffled). Look at a store’s website, Twitter, or Instagram to get the info. If you need to give the store a call and ask, you can do that as well.
There’s no need to dawdle when you come in to the store to get your ticket. If it’s a hyped release, there will be a lot of people gunning for tickets, so take care of your business. Go right to the counter and get your ticket filled out. If you want to poke around the shop you’re in, feel free, but take care of your business first. And be sure to ask whoever’s working when the callbacks will be made. You don’t want to miss that call.
Now that the easy part is out of the way, it’s time to play the waiting game. This is where the etiquette part of the occasion comes in to play. DON’T call the store the day of the raffle and ask if they’ve called yet. If your phone hasn’t been ringing, they either haven’t called yet, or they didn’t draw you. No need to call and badger the folks at the store. They’re busy enough as is.
If you do get a call, be polite to the person on the other end of the phone. They’re calling you with good news, so be enthused! You got what you wanted after all, right?
And finally, if you just missed a call, call back right away. There’s a chance they haven’t called someone else for your size yet, and if they haven’t, you ask politely, and the person on the other end of the phone is feeling generous, you might just get your shoe anyway. However, if you missed the call and weren’t quick enough to call back and get your pair, don’t be salty if they’ve given it to someone else. You got your chance, and didn’t make it happen.
That’s about the extent of it. Fill out your tickets, and try your best to remain calm through the whole raffle process. Although some yearn for the days of first come first serve, the way the game is now it’s just not possible sometimes. Keep filling out those tickets! If you’re on a cold streak, fear not. You’re going to pull a winner eventually.
-RDwyer
Share KicksOneTwo
