Lecturer wins sports utility vehicle after spending RM250
On the way from Kuantan in Pahang to Ipoh in Perak during the Hari Raya season this year, Salamiyah Mohamad, 48, decided to stop at Sogo Kuala Lumpur to do a bit of shopping.
Little did she know that the trip would lead to her driving home a brand new sports utility vehicle in the form of a Perodua Traz.
“In addition to our yearly festive shopping, my birthday also falls in March so my husband told me to buy whatever I wanted,” said the mother of two.
She then treated herself to a purse, a pair of sandals, a bottle of perfume and clothes for her children.
Her sales receipt amounted to RM250, and upon seeing that the amount would qualify her for the “Jom Balik Kampung bersama Sogo dan Bank Islam” contest, she decided to submit her entry.
Overjoyed at winning the grand prize, Salamiyah said she would use her new car in her commute to work.
“My friends told me they are looking forward to seeing me arrive at the office with it.”
The Ungku Omar Polytechnic lecturer, who is based in Ipoh, had accepted the grand prize with her lecturer husband Asmawi Muda, 49, and their two children Muhammad Aqib Syahmi Asmawi Ahmad Sabrie, 16, and Aafiyah Syafiah, eight, witnessing the event at Sogo.
Salamiyah said she and her husband had shopped at the Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman landmark since her 20s when she was studying at Universiti Teknologi Mara in Shah Alam, Selangor.
“My husband had a Sogo card during the late 1990s.
“During the members’ day sale where discounts can go up to 70%, he would take leave just for the occasion,” she recalled.
The “Jom Balik Kampung bersama Sogo dan Bank Islam” contest was a nationwide campaign that ran from Feb 20 to May 31, drawing nearly 26,000 entries.
To qualify, shoppers had to spend a minimum of RM150 in a single receipt.
Sogo members were eligible for one entry while Bank Islam i-Card holders were allowed two each.
Twenty-one finalists were selected to attend a live event on Sept 22 at the mall’s event hall.
Each finalists had to peel off a sticker from a card to reveal a hidden number.
The six participants with the highest numbers advanced to the final showdown.
Each of the remaining 15 finalists won consolation prize of RM2,000 in shopping vouchers.
To win the grand prize, six finalists had to pull a key of their own choosing from a game board to reveal its hidden length.
Salamiyah drew the longest key and was declared winner.
The other five contestants received a Bank Islam Gold Account-i worth RM15,000 each.
Sogo marketing communications senior manager Janice Ho said the idea to hold two mini games to select the winners came from the marketing team during a brainstorming session.
“We did not want it to be too draggy, or else everyone would just lose interest. What we wanted was something fast, simple but impactful,” said Ho.
Over the past 10 years, Sogo Malaysia had a tradition of rewarding shoppers with car giveaways during festive campaigns.
In 2023, for example, a Perodua Aruz was offered as the grand prize.
In 2020, it was a Honda CR-V, the year before, a Mazda 2 Hatchback, and before that, Sogo awarded a Volkswagen Polo.
