DICKEY’S BARBECUE PIT Sweepstakes: Enter to Win a $4,000 Tax Bill!
DICKEY’S BARBECUE PIT Sweepstakes: Enter to Win a $4,000 Tax Bill! Some lucky family can win a chance to eat Dickey’s Barbecue in a replica dilapidated house with authentic moldy smell for less than $10,000!
(UnhappyFranchisee.Com) The Dickey’s Barbecue Pit “The Middle” Family Reunion Sweepstakes Contest looked fun and exciting at first.
As the details have slowly leaked out, it’s looking like the ill-conceived and poorly executed promotion should be renamed the Dickey’s Money Pit Sweepstakes*.
For example, the Official Rules now posted at TheMiddleWeeknights.com state that the Grand Prize winner and 9 guests will be provided transportation from the nearest Frontier Airlines gate to Los Angeles, transportation to and from the airport in LA to a hotel of the sponsor’s choosing, One meal on a the set of The Middle sitcom and a studio tour.
The winner and each guest would likely incur travel, food and transportation expenses not explicitly mentioned in the rules, such as
- transportation between home and the airport (let’s say an average of $35 each way, $70 total)
- transportation between the hotel & studio lot (guestimate of $10 each way, $20 total)
- meals, snacks/beverages, misc. gratuities ($60 per day, $180 total)
- Taxes on airfare, hotel room, insurance, gratuities (?)
A pretty conservative estimate would put bare-bones unreimbursed travel costs at $270 each, or $2700 for the group for the two travel days and one event day.
But the real kicker is the tax bill the “winner” will receive.
Related reading:
Dickey’s “The Middle” Family Reunion Sweepstakes Contest Details
DICKEY’S BARBECUE PIT Makes a Terrible Promotion Worse
* We shall refrain from drawing obvious comparisons between the Dickey’s Sweepstakes and the Dickey’s Franchise Opportunity, which some franchisees claim is also a money pit.
The Dickey’s “Winner” May Have to Pay a $4,106.33 in Taxes
According to the Official Sweepstakes Rules:
Prizewinner is solely responsible for the reporting and payment of any and all federal, state and local taxes as well as any other costs and expenses associated with acceptance and use of a Prize not specified herein as being awarded.
Prizewinner may be issued an IRS form 1099 based on the actual value of the Prize awarded.
How much is the tax liability for the Dickey’s Sweepstakes lucky winner?
According to The Balance, a website focused on contests and sweepstakes,
…the rule of thumb is that you’ll be paying about 1/3 of the prize value in taxes.
The stated Approximate Retail Value (“ARV”) of the Dickey’s Grand Prize: Twelve Thousand Three Hundred and Nineteen Dollars ($12, 319.00).
Using the 1/3 rule of thumb, some lucky Dickey’s customer may win the chance to owe the state and the IRS $4,106.33, plus lost wages for at least three days, plus travel expenses of an estimated $270.
Pay $6800 to fly to California to eat Texas BBQ in a Fake Indiana house that smells like a thrift store? I’m in!
In fairness, a group of Mommy bloggers who were invited to visit the set of The Middle sit-com have reported that it was an amazing experience.
Heidi, who writes the Life with Heidi blog, writes:
The one thing that still stands out in my mind is the smell of the set which we hadn’t encountered on other sets.
But during the tour the reason the Heck Household smelled lived in is because Julie [set designer Julie Fanton] does her shopping at The Salvation Army, thrift stores, Target and of course Kohls.
She does an amazing job decorating the set with household items that make you believe you are really in a household.
All told, some lucky family may win the opportunity to spend $6800 plus three day’s wages each to split a couple of Dickey’s Barbecue Pit Family Packs in a replica dilapidated house with the authentic smell provided by Salvation Army and Goodwill.
Good luck… may the best Dickey’s customer win!
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Follow our continuing analysis of the Dickey’s Franchise program:
I am looking forward to winning that prize……..said no one ever. I personally could find a much better way to spend that money. Not worth roughly $7,000 in expenses to me.
An all inclusive vacation to Mexico for two for eight days is cheaper then just the taxes paid ?
I really can’t comprehend this, that “Winning” the Dickey’s Sweepstakes prize would cost up to $11k plus I have to give out all my personal information that can be resold ????
another day… another screw up…
Go Dickey’s management!