Mataura resident and Four Square customer Tina Waitaiki was the lucky winner of a South Island giveaway earlier this month, receiving a whopping $9,999 worth of Four Square gift cards to celebrate the supermarket brand's 99th birthday.
Waitaiki lives just a few houses away from Four Square Mataura and says the store has been her supermarket of choice for nearly 50 years.
"I've lived in this house my entire life. It once belonged to my grandparents, and I have fond memories of them walking me over to shop at the supermarket when I was a young kid, back even before it was a Four Square," said Waitaiki.
To participate, customers had to purchase over $20 in-store at their local Four Square and fill out an entry form. Each Four Square store had a $99 voucher to give away, with a grand prize of $9,999 awarded to one overall South Island winner.
When Waitaiki received an email about the grand prize win, she couldn't believe it. She joked that she thought it might be a scam.
"I'm quite good friends with the owners, Luke and Amy, so I walked over to the store, and they confirmed the win was legitimate."
It was also a cause for celebration for owner-operators Luke and Amy Bartlett, who have owned the store since October 2017.
"We were so stoked when Waitaiki entered the store with the winning ticket. Mataura is a small town of only about 1600 people, so to have one of our favourite local customers win was awesome and very well deserved," said Amy.
According to Luke, the store has had a few big wins like this, earning them the reputation of 'the lucky store' among the community.
Waitaiki described the Four Square store owners as brilliant and praised the friendly staff and diverse range of products.
"Everyone is always so nice and lovely, and there are so many different things you can get there - the range is always expanding. I walked in there yesterday, and they were selling fresh homemade pizzas."
Waitaiki plans on sharing her prize with her two sons.
