Albertsons is having a contest with pieces that you stick to a board to win money and prizes. The contest is supposed to be over January 31,...

Question

Albertsons is having a contest with pieces that you stick to a board to win money and prizes. The contest is supposed to be over January 31, 2012. I went today in the store on January 24, 2012 and they were out of tickets already. The guy told me at the counter that all of the stores were out and they would not be getting any more. I looked up the rules when I got home and saw that they say the contest goes on as long as supplies last. Im sure that this clears them of any legal obligation to have more. The issue that I have is that I went into the store and only bought the items that had the sticker that marks them as an item that gives you tickets. They did not inform us previous to us getting to the cash register that they were out of the tickets. This means that we were purchasing the items based not only on the sale but also on the advertisement of the tickets. I believe that this falls into the category of false advertising. They had enough time to make a sign at the register to show that they were out of tickets, they should have had the time to take the small individual item stickers down as well to accurately show what you are getting when you buy the particular item. Is this considered false advertisement? What should be done about this?

Answer

The supplies didn't last. And the odds that you would have won a significant prize were infinitesimal, so your damages, if any, would be a tiny fraction of a cent..