@movernie
A survey conducted by Skittles (yes, the candy) indicated that nearly three quarters of Canadians expect to receive at least one unwanted holiday gift this year. As we all know, every year, we will expect to receive something that is either redundant or something we just have no use for it. We also know many of us will re-wrap the unwanted gifts and re-gift them to other people. You don’t have to admit it but we all know we have re-gifted something during our life time. There is no shame about that. It’s better to re-gift to someone who may have good use to them than seeing the gifts left untouched or seeing it being thrown into a garbage can.
The Skittles Team has done something creative and unique for this holiday season. They have created an actual Skittles Holiday Pawn Shop (located at 242 Queen Street West),that will allow you to trade in any of you unwanted holiday gifts in exchange for packs and packs of Skittles. Whether you are a kid or an adult, majority of us love Skittles. With this Skittles initiative, we don’t even have to waste time re-wrapping gifts and re-gift. Better yet, all of the unwanted holiday gifts will be donated to Goodwill in Scarborough. You get Skittles in return for a good cause supporting charity. It’s a win-win situation for everyone.
So, how does it work? Yesterday, it was the first day the Skittles Pawn Shop was opened, so MoVernie was on the MOVE to check it out. It was located at 242 Queen Street West (right across the Much Music Building). It’s accessible on foot, by subway, streetcar or driving, so the spot was a good prime time location. And you won’t miss the store because they have friendly Skittles staff, all dressed in sharp Skittles red colour winter jacket and red toque, so it was very easy to find.
A friendly doorman opened the door for us and I could see all the nice unwanted gifts were on display, hanging on the walls and on the counters. Then, we saw this energetic Skittles Pawn Shop guy named Dale. He dressed in a nicely tailored blue suit and dress pants with a nice burgundy bowtie. Before you even see his face, you could hear Dale’s voice. You could feel his energy even at the end of the line.
After 5-7 minutes wait, it was my turn. I noticed Dale had two other helpers to assist him. I noticed the two helpers were piling up packs and packs of Skittles that filled up the entire counter. I could even smell the Skittles even though they were unopened in the packs. I handed Dale my ugly sweater, Rubbermaid water bottle and a pouch bag. Dale consulted with his helpers and discussed how many packs of Skittles I should be entitled to. After a minute, Dale came up with his offer. He offered me 15 packs of Skittles for my ugly sweater. Another 30 packs of Skittles for my Rubbermaid water bottle and my pouch bag. That’s a total of 45 packs of Skittles! I was satisfied so I shook Dale’s hand. Done deal! The lovely Skittles helpers placed the 45 packs of Skittles into two transparent bags. It was quite a fun experience. Lots of peeps just took out their own smart phones and started recording their interactions with Dale for memories and share with their friends.
I decided to stay in the store for a little bit longer just to see what other peeps bring to trade in for Skittles. I saw all kinds of good stuff such as Blue-Ray DVDs, beach gear, toys, figurines, ball cap and much much more. Some wacky items such as un-used Band-Aid and a hotel pen were also traded in. The most I saw a family donated a box of good stuff and they got 100 packs of Skittles. That was incredible. You should see the smile on the children’s faces. I spoke to the parents, they said they thought this Skittles Pawn Shop concept was a unique one. They brought their kids down to the store so that they understand the process of bargaining and negotiating goods. Most importantly, they want their children not to take things for granted but instead realizing there are alot of unfortunate people out there who couldn’t afford their items and would find these items useful. They want their kids to learn to give back to the communities and learn to support charity at a young age. Kudos to the parents.
This Skittles Pawn Shop will continue to open until December 30th, with business hours starting from 10 am to 6pm. So, you have plenty of time to make your way down to 242 Queen Street West.
My MoVernie Spies have informed me that YouTube Sensation, Lilly Singh will be at the Skittles Pawn Shop tomorrow (December 28th) from 10am to 11:30 am. The first 150 people lining up outside the Skittles Pawn Shop will get wristband to meet & greet Lilly.
In case you wonder, “But what if I live far and can’t make it in person to the Pawn Shop to trade up”? No worries, the Skittles Team got you covered. You simply go to the SkittlesPawn.ca site. Snap a photo of your unwanted gift, upload it to the site. They will evaluate your item instantly in seconds and they will let you know how many packs of Skittles you can get from the unwanted item. A coupon is generated with the picture of your unwanted gift. Simply go to any store that sells Skittles and present them with the coupon with the scan code and you get $2.00 off your pack of Skittles (check the fine print of the size of the Skittles that are applicable to this offer). Best yet? This coupon is valid for anyone who lives in Canada. So, you could be living in Vancouver or Nova Scotia, you can participate online and print out the coupons and apply it anywhere in Canada. That’s a genius idea by the Skittles Team.
Have fun! Meanwhile, I am enjoying my Skittles goodies. Of course, I will share my wealth with my family and friends. Taste the rainbow!
Follow my journey on Instagram (@RealMoVernie) and Twitter (@MoVernie) for more awesome pictures and videos.
And MoVernie is outta here!
