Got new towels?

Someone apparently has quite a few. So many, in fact, that others have none at all.

That’s the upshot of a promotion at Howsers, which promised Savile Row towels for collecting coupons earned with purchases. Starting last fall, shoppers were encouraged to save green “stickers” to redeem for towels.

Two sheets of stickers earned a washcloth. Ten sheets were good for a “party towel” five feet long and three feet wide.

Set to run through February, the promotion apparently went dry on merchandise due to heavy participation.

“We have given away $10,000, retail value, of free towels to date, and we cannot sustain that type of loss,” a sign posted in the store said this week, adding that some cards may be redeemed for towels on an unspecified date this month.

The sign apologized to promotion participants, including for not setting redemption limits. “We should have put more parameters in place in order to equally distribute free towels to all our customers and not allow a small group of customers to get a large percentage of the free towels.”

Resident Madeline Witek said she was one sticker away from 10 sheets needed for a party towel when the promotion disappeared at the store.

“I thought it would be really cool – wait, that sounds really lame… I like those promotions where I don’t have to do anything but my regular shopping to get something free. I was so excited.”

Although her sticker collecting was boosted by Christmas shopping, she was probably at a disadvantage as a single person, Witek said, suggesting families in the valley are drying themselves in style. “I imagine if you had a household of more than one person, you could fill up cards very fast.”

A store employee who asked not to be named said the upcoming distribution event will be aimed at qualifying customers who have not received any towels to date.

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