Winner Rabea Austermann could hardly believe her luck: As part of the „Heimat shoppen“ project, she won a „crazy“ shopping spree worth €500. But there was a catch: the Gütersloh resident could only keep the prize if she managed to spend every last cent of the money in a maximum of two hours and in at least ten participating stores in Gütersloh.
During the shopping campaign organized by Gütersloh Marketing (gtm), interested parties were able to collect stamps every time they shopped in over 40 stores, restaurants and service providers in Gütersloh city centre and then hand in their completed stamp card for a chance to win a prize. In addition to the main prize, there are many other great prizes to be won from the participating businesses. The lucky winner was Rabea Austermann, who, accompanied by her friend Annette Seddig, set off on a two-hour shopping tour through Gütersloh last Saturday morning.
During her shopping trip, the 44-year-old was accompanied not only by her friend, but also by the city marketing project manager and the gt!nfo team. Clara Abelmann, Head of City and Tourism Management, supervised the correct redemption of the prize and the gt!nfo team captured the fast-paced tour through Gütersloh city center in photos and videos, which can also be seen in the current issue of gt!nfo.
On the occasion of the city anniversary „200 years of Gütersloh“, the motto for redeeming the prize this year was: shopping for the perfect birthday outfit. Of course, presents were also allowed. We moved quickly from store to store. Rabea first visited the fashion stores Peacock, Modehaus Wörmann, Liberty and SiNN as well as the shoe stores Portofino/Rieker Store and Sport Potthoff, where she stocked up on the latest fashions. On the way to Spiekergasse, she was met by former mayor Maria Unger, who wished her every success for the campaign. The Gütersloh woman then bought a silver necklace at Europa-Schmuck and at Witthoff she decided on two cuddly teddy bears to give away. This left her with just under 16 euros for the last two stores, for which she had already set her sights on a liqueur at Friesenhausen. The last thing the 44-year-old decided on was a small candy cane at Nanu-Nana. She then donated the rest of the money to „Kinder in Not e.V.“, which had a stall in the city center. The shopping trip was a success: the entire budget of €500 was spent within the two hours allowed. In the end, the lucky winner even had 20 minutes left over.
The „crazy shopping“ takes place as part of the nationwide „Heimat shoppen“ project, in which Gütersloh has been involved since 2021. The aim of „Heimat shoppen“ is to raise customers„ awareness of the importance of local stores. Not only do they provide Gütersloh residents with goods and services, they also shape the cityscape, secure jobs and apprenticeships, are involved in events and city festivals and can provide personal advice and special services thanks to their proximity to the residents. In addition, the business tax paid by retailers, service providers and restaurateurs is an important source of income for the municipality. Every euro spent locally contributes to making a city vibrant and worth living in. You can find all information about “Heimat shoppen" here viewed here.
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