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Author Topic: Wheel of Fortune Shopping Era  (Read 12915 times)

DJDustman

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Wheel of Fortune Shopping Era
« on: July 04, 2004, 10:32:04 PM »
Hey everyone, hope you are having a great 4th of July.  Anyhow, I have a question.  During the shopping years, were you able to put Your Money on account before buying anything, or did you HAVE to buy items till you had little money left?

Steve McClellan

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Wheel of Fortune Shopping Era
« Reply #1 on: July 04, 2004, 10:37:47 PM »
[quote name=\'DJDustman\' date=\'Jul 4 2004, 07:32 PM\']During the shopping years, were you able to put Your Money on account before buying anything[/quote]
Yes.
Quote
or did you HAVE to buy items till you had little money left?
No.

zachhoran

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Wheel of Fortune Shopping Era
« Reply #2 on: July 04, 2004, 11:00:41 PM »
[quote name=\'gameshowsteve\' date=\'Jul 4 2004, 09:37 PM\'] [quote name=\'DJDustman\' date=\'Jul 4 2004, 07:32 PM\']During the shopping years, were you able to put Your Money on account before buying anything[/quote]
Yes.
 [/quote]
 It was reported in ATGS that a contestant in the Woolery era managed to win every round, put his money on account before he picked any prizes, and bought the car in the last round.

Michael Brandenburg

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Wheel of Fortune Shopping Era
« Reply #3 on: July 05, 2004, 12:11:23 PM »
The official rule on the show was that you could put any amount of your winnings from a round "On Account" at any time while you were "shopping" -- in fact, I recall one episode in which a contestant put part of her winnings "On Account" before buying anything else during her "shopping spree."

Usually, though, a player would "shop" until he or she ran his/her bankroll down to less than the price of the lowest-priced prize that was available, at which point that player would be given the option of putting whatever amount was left "On Account" or taking a merchandise gift certificate of that amount from a participating sponsor of the show (more on that later)  Indeed, they could even split that amount, with some of it going "On Account" and the rest on a gift certificate.

Longtime fans of the show, though, remember that using the "On Account" option carried risks: If the player won another round on the program, the "On Account" money would be added back onto the player's winnings from that round and become available for more "prize shopping" after that subsequent win, but if a player did not win another round on the program, that money would be lost (cash was never awarded as a prize on the show except during the "Bonus Round" and during the time when they had the "Cash Jackpot" as an extra wheel prize in Round 3 on the daytime version).  Also, any "On Account" money a player had from a previous round would be lost if that player hit "Bankrupt" on the wheel during later play.


Michael Brandenburg
(But you know something?  When Chuck Woolery did the show in the early days, he'd drive me nuts trying to figure out what a "tift cergificate" was?  Only when he took to talking a little slower that I fount out that it was supposed to be a "Tiffany gift certificate" from that very fancy jewelry store of the same name!)

Don Howard

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Wheel of Fortune Shopping Era
« Reply #4 on: July 05, 2004, 01:08:12 PM »
[quote name=\'Michael Brandenburg\' date=\'Jul 5 2004, 11:11 AM\'] (But you know something?  When Chuck Woolery did the show in the early days, he'd drive me nuts trying to figure out what a "tift cergificate" was?  Only when he took to talking a little slower that I fount out that it was supposed to be a "Tiffany gift certificate" from that very fancy jewelry store of the same name!) [/quote]
How much could you get at Tiffany's with a $13 gift certificate? Would that even get you through the door? If so, would it be enough for breakfast? I'd ask George Peppard if he were still alive.
« Last Edit: July 05, 2004, 01:09:15 PM by Don Howard »

clemon79

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Wheel of Fortune Shopping Era
« Reply #5 on: July 05, 2004, 01:18:42 PM »
[quote name=\'Michael Brandenburg\' date=\'Jul 5 2004, 09:11 AM\'] Only when he took to talking a little slower that I fount out that it was supposed to be a "Tiffany gift certificate" from that very fancy jewelry store of the same name!) [/quote]
 As opposed to the not-as-well-known fried-okra chain based out of Baltimore.
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Neumms

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Wheel of Fortune Shopping Era
« Reply #6 on: July 05, 2004, 03:59:01 PM »
[quote name=\'Michael Brandenburg\' date=\'Jul 5 2004, 11:11 AM\'] The official rule on the show was that you could put any amount of your winnings from a round "On Account" at any time while you were "shopping" -- in fact, I recall one episode in which a contestant put part of her winnings "On Account" before buying anything else during her "shopping spree."

 [/quote]
 Are you sure? I thought if a player started shopping, they had to keep buying stuff until they could no longer afford anything. That's how they were able to move the ceramic dalmations--if a player had, say, $300 left and the dog was $150, they couldn't put it on account until after they'd bought the dog.

sshuffield70

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Wheel of Fortune Shopping Era
« Reply #7 on: July 05, 2004, 04:05:21 PM »
[quote name=\'Neumms\' date=\'Jul 5 2004, 02:59 PM\'] [quote name=\'Michael Brandenburg\' date=\'Jul 5 2004, 11:11 AM\'] The official rule on the show was that you could put any amount of your winnings from a round "On Account" at any time while you were "shopping" -- in fact, I recall one episode in which a contestant put part of her winnings "On Account" before buying anything else during her "shopping spree."

 [/quote]
Are you sure? I thought if a player started shopping, they had to keep buying stuff until they could no longer afford anything. That's how they were able to move the ceramic dalmations--if a player had, say, $300 left and the dog was $150, they couldn't put it on account until after they'd bought the dog. [/quote]
 No, you mean they couldn't put it on a gift certificate until after the dog, since "on account" could be used at any time.

GS Warehouse

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Wheel of Fortune Shopping Era
« Reply #8 on: July 05, 2004, 06:22:02 PM »
[quote name=\'Michael Brandenburg\' date=\'Jul 5 2004, 12:11 PM\'] ... If the player won another round on the program, the "On Account" money would be added back onto the player's winnings from that round and become available for more "prize shopping" after that subsequent win ... [/quote]
 It could be my fuzzy memory (I was only 14 when the shopping era ended), but was their ever a time when a player who puts money "on account" had to specifically win the very next round in order to reclaim it?  Or has it always been you could win any subsequent round (so long as you don't hit Bankrupt in the meantime, of course) to get your "On Account" money back?

zachhoran

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Wheel of Fortune Shopping Era
« Reply #9 on: July 05, 2004, 06:49:45 PM »
[quote name=\'GS Warehouse\' date=\'Jul 5 2004, 05:22 PM\'] was their ever a time when a player who puts money "on account" had to specifically win the very next round in order to reclaim it? [/quote]
 IIRC a player could win any subsequent round on that day's show(outside of hitting a Bankrupt) to claim the On Account money.

ChuckNet

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Wheel of Fortune Shopping Era
« Reply #10 on: July 05, 2004, 06:56:30 PM »
Quote
The official rule on the show was that you could put any amount of your winnings from a round "On Account" at any time while you were "shopping" -- in fact, I recall one episode in which a contestant put part of her winnings "On Account" before buying anything else during her "shopping spree."

In fact, during the early yrs, Chuck would always precede each shopping spree w/the question "Do you want to put your $$$ on account or go shopping?" (Except during the final round, where both he and the rule said "It's the final round, so you have to go shopping").

Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious "Chuckie Baby")

Ian Wallis

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Wheel of Fortune Shopping Era
« Reply #11 on: July 06, 2004, 08:56:14 AM »
Actually, when the show first began in 1975, the unspent money after shopping had to be put on account.  It wasn't until a few months into the run that the gift certificate option was available.

I remember watching some early shows during the spring break from school that year, and contestants always had odd amounts that they won.  I think it was sometime during that summer that contestants were given the option.  Once that option was introduced, putting money "on account" was rare.
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aaron sica

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Wheel of Fortune Shopping Era
« Reply #12 on: July 06, 2004, 09:02:49 AM »
[quote name=\'Ian Wallis\' date=\'Jul 6 2004, 08:56 AM\'] I remember watching some early shows during the spring break from school that year, and contestants always had odd amounts that they won.  I think it was sometime during that summer that contestants were given the option.  Once that option was introduced, putting money "on account" was rare. [/quote]
 Indeed....I never really was interested in WoF until the syndicated version started, and I remember having to wait awhile before I would find out what "On Account" meant, as it seemed 95% of the players, when asked "Would you like the rest on a gift certificate or on account?" chose the GC....

zachhoran

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Wheel of Fortune Shopping Era
« Reply #13 on: July 06, 2004, 09:43:42 AM »
[quote name=\'aaron sica\' date=\'Jul 6 2004, 08:02 AM\'] I remember having to wait awhile before I would find out what "On Account" meant, as it seemed 95% of the players, when asked "Would you like the rest on a gift certificate or on account?" chose the GC.... [/quote]
 The Gift Certificate won was always at least $25, even if the player had less than $25 left when shopping.

J.R.

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Wheel of Fortune Shopping Era
« Reply #14 on: July 06, 2004, 02:46:41 PM »
Correct me if I'm wrong. But, according to Matt Kaiser (Who saw the 1976 ep of WOF that exists in historical archives), players had the option of converting any and all of their round winnings into cash. Is that true ?

Did anyone ever go "On Account" during the glorious Benirschke era ? I'd like to hear his reactions !

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