Palmers In Pittsfield Sells $1,000,000 Winning Ticket

A regular customer at Palmer's Variety just had his luck change in a big way, and the folks behind the counter say the timing could not have been better.

The store at 221 Elm Street in Pittsfield sold a winning $5 "1,000,000 Bonus Wins" scratch ticket worth a full million dollars. The winner is someone who stops by Palmer's every single day to buy his tickets. He has been on disability since December, so this win landed at a moment when he really needed it.

"1,000,000 Bonus Wins" ticket seen below at Palmer's on Elm Street in Pittsfield

Slater/Palmer's

"It went to the right person," said Collin, who works the counter at Palmer's and knows the customer well from all those daily visits. The man can opt for the lump sum less taxes or get paid yearly.

I stopped by Palmer's today and talked with Collin and with Chris, whose grandfather owns the store. Both of them were still buzzing about the win. They told me lottery tickets are a huge part of their business, with customers coming in day after day hoping for a shot at a prize like this one. But nothing has come close to this size since 1980.

There is a bonus for the store too. Palmer's will receive a $10,000 credit from the lottery for selling the winning ticket, which is a nice reward for a place that has been part of the daily routine for so many of its customers.

Slater/Palmer's

Stories like this are a good reminder of why local spots like Palmer's matter so much to a community. It is not just a place to grab a ticket or a snack. It is part of people's everyday lives, and once in a while, it changes one of them completely. When I was in there earlier, customers were hearing the news for the first time and excited for the man.

I bought a $10 ticket, but didn't win anything. HA!