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HOUSTON — For his next sports-based furniture sales promotion, Gallery Furniture owner Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale is betting big on his hometown Houston Cougars.
Should the Cougars cut the nets at the end of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, which tips off this week, Gallery Furniture customers who purchased $5,000 in qualifying product during the promotional period will be refunded for their purchase.
The $5,000 amount is larger than past promotions, when Gallery set the qualifying level at $3,000. “I thought why not. $5,000 is better than $3,000, why not,” McIngvale told Furniture Today.
McIngvale said having one of the top teams in his backyard, plus the fact that the championship will be played in Houston, made this opportunity too good to pass because it’s local and topical. He noted that Gallery has been a supporter of the university and the basketball program for some time.
“A lot of the advertising we do for the University of Houston promotes the basketball team. It’s a win-win for us, it’s a win-win for the team, and more importantly, it’s a win-win for the city,” he said. “Any great city has to have a great university, and hopefully this will help enhance their reputation.”
The most recent time McIngvale got to promote a local team competing for a championship, the Houston Astros captured the World Series in October. That resulted in $75 million in winnings and free furniture.
Many consider the Cougars a safe bet to do well in the tournament. One of four No. 1 seeds, Houston has the best odds of winning the championship according to Caesar’s Sportsbook, BetMGM and FanDuel, among others.
“They’re like any team in that tournament. They’ve got to get lucky to win, but they’ve got a good draw, and they’re not playing far from Houston in the first two rounds,” McIngvale said. “They’ve got a good team, and they’ve got a good chance. So do 63 other teams. I love March Madness, but that’s why they call it madness.”
McIngvale said since the promotion kicked off, it’s done good business for Gallery, and he expects it to continue as long as the Cougars continue to hit the court. And much like he does to insulate Gallery from a loss should Houston win, McIngvale has made some bets on the Cougars.
So how much? “I’m in for enough for where we can sell a lot of furniture over the next couple of weeks,” he said. “We are well insured, let’s put it that way.”
