Energizer Shop In The Dark 2018 holds grand finale

Source: Energizer. Finalists with their haul at the Energizer
Shop In The Dark 2018 finale.

Energizer gave the 10 finalists of the Energizer Shop In The Dark 2018 competition a 15-minute shopping spree bonus worth up to RM12,000 per finalist at the grand finale at Giant Hypermarket Kota Damansara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The third Energizer Shop In The Dark campaign accepted submissions throughout March to May. This year, Energizer offered even bigger prizes and more ways to sign up. The public could participate by taking part in virtual reality (VR) challenges at roadshows in more than 60 locations in seven cities around Malaysia – including Sabah and Sarawak, as well as via mail-in entries and by playing an online game.

“The Energizer Shop In The Dark 2018 campaign received overwhelming response. At Energizer, we strive to give our customers unforgettable experiences and as Giant graciously opened its doors to us, it was possible for our finalists to have this exciting shopping spree at Giant Hypermarket Kota Damansara. Congratulations to the 10 teams of finalists, who were well-equipped with headlamps fitted with Energizer batteries that are 8x longer-lasting throughout their fun and exciting shopping spree in the dark here at Giant.

"This year, we decided to turn up the excitement by adding an additional element at the finale, whereby the finalists were not given a shopping trolley to use. This meant they had to be creative and agile to load up on as many items as possible. It was a tough challenge and they certainly gave it all they had, embracing the finale with as much excitement as we had in organising the event,” said Lee Kim Chye, Energizer’s Business Director for Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.

Ten finalists were selected for the grand finale of the Energizer Shop In The Dark 2018 campaign, consisting of six virtual reality challenge participants, three who had submitted contest forms and one from the online game:

• Mohd Fakri Ghazali (also a finalist from Shop In The Dark 2016 & 2017) 
• Yap Hua Qing 
• Chee Jye Bao 
• Chan Weng Sum 
• Anorah Frezylah 
• Ahmad Daud 
• Tang Kam Hong 
• Tan Wei Jin 
• Halimahton Saadiah Aris 
• Huzaimi Amir Zainudin 

They were each given a 15-minute shopping spree bonus but were not allowed to use shopping trolleys and could only move in a designated one-way direction as they took to the darkened aisles of the supermarket, lit only by their Energizer headlamps. At the end of their shopping spree, the chosen items were paid for at up to RM12,000 per finalist by Energizer.

Finalists identified home appliances as their top priority items. They added foldable platform trolleys among their purchases in order to transport electrical appliances in addition to filling their arms with more products. The strategy was used by most of the finalists to carry appliances such as televisions, washing machines, pressure cookers, air conditioners and many more.

First-time finalist Chee Jye Bao, never expected that participating in the virtual reality (VR) challenge would earn him a shopping spree. “I’m moving into a new house, and all I had in mind were electrical appliances. I teamed up with my brother but we did not have a list prepared, we basically just grabbed whatever we wanted. I enjoyed myself very much at the Energizer Shop In The Dark 2018 grand finale as it was an exciting new experience for both me and my brother,” said Chee from Subang, who walked away with a total of RM8,075.70 worth of products. This made him and his brother Chee Jye Jiun the highest spenders of the finalist teams.

Third-time finalist Mohd Fakri and his brother Mohd Faizal did a recce before the day itself. “I am a big fan of the Energizer Shop In The Dark contest. Last year, I managed to shop for a total of RM3,500 worth of products. This year I managed to walk away with a total of RM 6,426.65 worth of products, thanks to my experience from last year’s finale and some extra strategy to overcome the challenge of the new rules. The challenges were really exciting for us as we really needed to last eight times longer just like the Energizer battery! 

"We came a day earlier to analyse the layout of this hypermarket, to ensure we know it well. It was not easy identifying the correct aisles and items at times, but with the help of the long-lasting Energizer battery, I definitely had long-lasting help in my journey to the check-out counter,” Fakri said.