Random thoughts ...

Pie Oh My
In Vegas, the day before Thanksgiving ought to be declared a new holiday -- Pie Day. Almost every locals casino gives away pies on that day. Typically, regular players get a free pie; others get a pie after earning a set number of points. At some places, players can get both a free pie and an earned pie. Although we got a late start and pies weren't our priority, my spouse and I managed to pick up five pies on Wednesday. If we had planned our day around pies instead of point multipliers, we easily could have gotten at least five more.

One casino, South Point, gave out turkeys before Thanksgiving instead of pies. Players had to earn 1,100 points during certain days to get a certificate good for a turkey and serving platter. Points at South Point are earned at a rate of one per dollar of coin in. The video poker at quarters through $2 is excellent, including games paying back 99.73 percent. The expected loss on $1,100 coin in on such a game is $3 and change, a pretty good price for a 13-pound turkey.

Coupon Clarity
The night before Thanksgiving, I went through my "food stamps" to see which ones could be used on Thanksgiving. Food stamps are what we call the coupons for dining credits that casinos include in their mailers are that are obtained through promotions. Often these have restrictions, such as "not valid on holidays."

It's pretty clear that Thanksgiving is a holiday, but what about Mothers Day? or Columbus Day? I've often wondered why the casinos can't list the specific dates on which these offers are not valid.

The food stamps from Caesars Entertainment are the worst in this regard. They say there may be blackout dates, inclding holidays and during conventions. Am I supposed to know when the big conventions are taking place, and which ones trigger invalidity of a dining offer? And if I call the casino or even the restaurant I want to go to, am I likely to reach an employee who can give me an accurate answer?

I understand that some offers are going to come with restrictions on when they can be used, but a guiding principle of casino management should be not to disappoint customers unnecessarily. If exclusions are stated with specificity and clarity, people are not likely to be disappointed; if they are, they have only themselves to blame for not reading the offer.

Note to Caesars management: Why not set up a Web site with accurate information on when and where customers' dining offers can be used, if they can't be stated on the actual coupon?