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The Traditional Shopping Format
Bill Fogel's $61,000 jackpot win from 1984This was used throughout the original series' run, and also for the first two seasons of the '80s version (plus the syndicated version from January 1985 until December 1985). A series of six prizes was offered, culminating in a luxury car. A contestant could take his or her cumulative winnings, buy a prize, and retire, or elect to return the next day and try to win enough to buy the next most expensive prize. On the 1973-1974 weekly syndicated series, the winning couple answered a series of questions, with each correct answer earning $100 towards the purchase of one or more bonus prizes.
On the '80s daytime version, the next steps after the car were:
First, a cash jackpot, starting at $50,000 and increased by $1000 each day until won.
The cash and all the prizes on the stage.
In the first few weeks of the show, the cash jackpot was not used; instead the show threw in enough cash to make the lot worth an even $95,000 for $500. This level was reached only once.
Only one player, Barbara Phillips, won everything on stage during the daytime shopping format. Other big winners (listed below) would retire with just the cash jackpot instead. Originally, a player can buy every prize on the stage including the cash jackpot with $650 or more. When the speedround was incorporated, it took $760 to win everything ($650 for the cash jackpot only, $540 for the car).
When the syndicated nighttime version aired, the shopping format was changed, due to the fact that virtually every champion retired with just the cash jackpot. The luxury automobile (available for $530 or more) would be followed next by all of the prizes (at $640 or more), and then at $750 or more every prize on the stage and the cash jackpot. This modification resulted in many big winners.
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