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Milk, ham, bread and $10,000

That's a list of what Erin Rey has picked up from the grocery store recently. A quick trip made her a big winner.

By MICHAEL KRUSE
Published December 15, 2005

RIDGE MANOR WEST - What would you do if you won $10,000 in a grocery store holiday sweepstakes?

This is what Erin Rey did:

First, the 35-year-old from outside Brooksville who says she never wins a darn thing called Winn-Dixie to make sure this deal was real.

A woman from company headquarters in Jacksonville had called to tell her CONGRATULATIONS - SHE WAS 10 GRAND RICHER! All because she had entered the Better Holidays Daily Cash Giveaway Sweepstakes by using her customer rewards card.

"I didn't believe her," Rey said.

She had stopped in very quickly, after all, at the Winn-Dixie in Sunrise Plaza on State Road 50 in Hernando County's eastern reaches, and all she had bought on that trip was milk, ham and a loaf of Pepperidge Farm bread.

But it was legit.

The Jacksonville woman said so.

So did the folks at the actual store.

On Wednesday, then, Rey showed up to accept her cash prize in the form of one of those big novelty bills. She brought along co-worker Judy Greco, her sister-in-law Tanya Thompson and her 22-month-old nephew, Lance Thompson.

She said she didn't know what she was going to do with the money.

Maybe she would head to the Westfield Citrus Park mall. She likes that mall. She still has about half of her Christmas shopping left to do.

She works in investments at the SunTrust Bank in downtown Brooksville, though, and the folks there want her to put it into a smart investment account.

"Jokingly," Rey said.

"I'm sure I'll have fun spending it."

She stood behind a small table covered with plastic champagne flutes filled with apple juice. Mike Tadlock, the store manager, stood up and gave a little speech. "On behalf of all of my associates . . . ," he said.

Rey unwrapped the check. The paper fell in a clump to the shiny floor. People clapped.

"Oh, wow," someone said.

"That's big money," someone else said.

Tadlock made a toast. Employees in aprons and vests and Winn-Dixie ball caps stood around in front of some fake Christmas trees and a tall inflatable snowman and raised their apple juice flutes.

"For better holidays, happiness and joy," the manager said.

Laughter. More clapping.

There were flashes from snapshots.

"I want to go shopping now," Rey said.

She said she was headed to Cracker Barrel for lunch.

Her treat.

Still no word on what she was going to buy after that.

Michael Kruse can be reached at mkruse@sptimes.com or 352 848-1434.

[Last modified December 15, 2005, 00:33:15]