I worked for a chain of car dealerships in the midwest that employed over 600 people. We had something called the Cash Bash every December and it was amazing.
Every year during Aug, Sept, and Oct every car sale would set aside some money for Xmas bonuses. Each department was rated on performance during those months and you got "Pulls" for how well you did.
So if you were a salesman, you got 1 pull for every car you sold. Parts and Service departments had their own rules.
We'd all get together at this big venue and have catered food and multiple bar stations. Usually just for showing up every employee got 5 drink tickets, and a $50 gift card to a local restaurant. We'd watch a couple of videos (usually bloopers of commercials over the year) and then the pulls would start.
Every store has a giant board with a bunch of cards all over it. When it's your turn you go up and pull an amount of cards you were awarded earlier in the year. Cards had a minimum of $50 on them, and a max of $500 on them. On top of that, there were hidden prizes like 55" TVs, Apple Watches, iPhone, iPads, Surface Pros, and other high end electronics. If you pulled the fancy prizes you could ask for the cash value on the spot, or even just flat out sell it to someone else right there.
It's honestly one of my most fond memories of that job. I got to participate in these parties 3 times, and attend as a guest another 5 (and counting). They've always been a bunch of fun, and I hope the tradition keeps going.
Some people get a little bitter at the randomness of it all, but it seems to be pretty minor. Of the 3 years I participated I usually had over 10 pulls, and was averaging a $600 Xmas bonus (which isn't bad considering I work IT and we got the scraps)
At the start of the event the owner would always arrive with the cash in hand in a big Santa outfit, and he'd pull out roughly a quarter million dollars from his sack to share.
Every year during Aug, Sept, and Oct every car sale would set aside some money for Xmas bonuses. Each department was rated on performance during those months and you got "Pulls" for how well you did.
So if you were a salesman, you got 1 pull for every car you sold. Parts and Service departments had their own rules.
We'd all get together at this big venue and have catered food and multiple bar stations. Usually just for showing up every employee got 5 drink tickets, and a $50 gift card to a local restaurant. We'd watch a couple of videos (usually bloopers of commercials over the year) and then the pulls would start.
Every store has a giant board with a bunch of cards all over it. When it's your turn you go up and pull an amount of cards you were awarded earlier in the year. Cards had a minimum of $50 on them, and a max of $500 on them. On top of that, there were hidden prizes like 55" TVs, Apple Watches, iPhone, iPads, Surface Pros, and other high end electronics. If you pulled the fancy prizes you could ask for the cash value on the spot, or even just flat out sell it to someone else right there.
It's honestly one of my most fond memories of that job. I got to participate in these parties 3 times, and attend as a guest another 5 (and counting). They've always been a bunch of fun, and I hope the tradition keeps going.
Some people get a little bitter at the randomness of it all, but it seems to be pretty minor. Of the 3 years I participated I usually had over 10 pulls, and was averaging a $600 Xmas bonus (which isn't bad considering I work IT and we got the scraps)
At the start of the event the owner would always arrive with the cash in hand in a big Santa outfit, and he'd pull out roughly a quarter million dollars from his sack to share.
