Jordan's Sox 'sweep' stakes sparks rival offers
Jordan's Furniture is betting again on a Red Sox win, this time a sweep of the World Series. And it's sparking a discount war with rival furniture chains.
Jordan's chief executive Eliot Tatelman revealed yesterday at Fenway Park that if the Old Towne Team sweeps the 2008 World Series, customers who make a purchase between today and April 27 will receive their sofas, sectionals, dining room tables, beds, mattresses, and rugs for free as part of a new "Monster Sweep 2008" promotion.
The sale is less generous than last year's offer, when Jordan's, the official furniture store of the Boston Red Sox, promised to refund purchase prices if the hometown team simply won the World Series. Like last year, Jordan's has taken out an insurance policy for the promotion, with the anticipation of an even bigger response this season, Tatelman said.
More than 24,000 customers received rebate checks following the Red Sox World Series win last fall, Tatelman said, making it difficult to find an insurer willing to cover the same bet this year. Jordan's, a division of
"With the team being so strong, we knew it couldn't be the same promotion as last year," Tatelman said. "So we made it a sweep. But there's still a very good chance. The Red Sox swept the World Series in 2004 and again last year."
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The promotion comes as the Red Sox open their season today against the Oakland A's in Tokyo, and amidst growing economic anxieties with consumers curtailing spending in recent months. Despite the difficult economy, Tatelman said he is hoping to double last year's business during the month-long offer.
Other furniture retailers are responding to Jordan's pitch. Larry Rubin, who runs rival Bernie & Phyl's Furniture, said the chain will air a "Why Gamble?" promotion starting Friday, that will advertise a guaranteed discount of as much as 20 percent for customers. Shoppers who spend up to $2,000 will receive 10 percent back in furniture credit and those who make more than $4,000 in purchases will receive 20 percent back in furniture credit.
Bernie & Phyl's will begin running commercials on Friday, and the sale will last for an unspecified period. Customers will not have to pay for six months, until football season starts.
"Why gamble at Jordan's when you can get the sure thing at Bernie & Phyl's?" Rubin said. "For customers, there's no chance involved. And with our competition talking about the baseball season, we're going to mention football."
The Jordan's promotion last year sparked controversy over whether it violated state gambling laws. Joseph Frate, who was convicted in the 1980s of running an illegal lottery game, filed lawsuits last year in Middlesex Superior Court against Jordan's and Alpha Omega Jewelers, alleging both retailers ran Red Sox promotions that qualified as illegal lotteries. Alpha Omega's promotion promised discounts or full refunds to consumers who bought an engagement ring on a day when one of three things happened at a Red Sox game - a Red Sox player hit a home run or grand slam or threw a no-hitter.
A Middlesex Superior Court judge dismissed the case in late February but Frate is planning to appeal the decision. Heather Copelas, a Jordan's spokeswoman, declined to comment on the case.
Edgar Dworsky, a former assistant attorney general of consumer protection in Massachusetts who now runs of ConsumerWorld.org, said, "Governor Patrick's gambling proposal may be sunk, but leave it to private companies like Jordan's Furniture to cleverly dress up betting on sports as something other than gambling."
Jenn Abelson can be reached at abelson@globe.com.
