Shopping Spree

Shopping Spree
Premiere Date (Barker Era)	January 17, 1996 (#9813D)
Premiere Date (Carey Era)	November 30, 2007 (#4105K)
Pricing Game Location	Big Doors
Previous Premiered Pricing Game	Split Decision
Next Premiered Pricing Game	Eazy as 1-2-3
Finale Date (Barker Era)	May 14, 2007 (#3991K)

This game is the direct opposite of Credit Card and has four prizes instead of five.

Gameplay

• The contestant is given a specified amount, usually between $3,000 and $7,000, and is shown four prizes. One at a time, they must select the three items whose prices will total more than the given amount to win all four prizes.
• Shopping Spree is the logical antithesis of Credit Card, as the object is to spend at least the given amount. Furthermore, the simplified objective of the game is to choose the three most expensive items out of four (whereas in Credit Card, the goal is to choose the three least expensive items out of five). Shopping Spree also bears similarity to Danger Price in which one prize out of four is to be avoided—in Shopping Spree, it's the least expensive item; in Danger Price, it's the item that matches the danger price.

History

• Originally, the minimum total required to win was displayed on an orange lighted seven-segment display, and the larger green seven-segment display showed how much money had been spent. On February 16, 1996 (#9855D, aired out of order on February 15), the game’s third playing, the orange display for the goal has been replaced with a black-on-orange placard, and the green display now shows how much money is left to spend. If the game is won, though, the green readout will display the combined total of the three most expensive prizes, but that was hardly shown onscreen.
• On April 8, 1996 (#9931D), the game's 10th playing, an error was made when selecting the cheapest item did not always result in a loss. Today, usually only the cheapest item has three digits.
• On November 25, 2008 (#4522K, aired out of order on November 18), the game had been taken out of the rotation, but returned on October 13, 2009 (#4862K).
• On March 7, 2013 (#6254K), a contestant named Vivianna Ceballos Riviera won a $20,000 bonus for being the first person on stage to win their pricing game during PCH week. It was played in the first slot.
• The losing horns were not played on June 5, 2014 (#6774K, aired out of order on June 12), to signal the loss.
• On January 3, 2017 (#7752K), contestant Chelsea Woehrle won a $20,000 bonus for being the first person on stage to win their pricing game during Publishers Clearing House week. It was played in the first slot.

Trivia

• Three of the four prizes are each over $1,000, with the one remaining being under $1,000.
• More than 90% of the time, there are indeed 3 prizes priced over $1,000. Sometimes, there were only 2 prizes that are over $1,000 and the other 2 being under $1,000, making winning the game a little more difficult.
• The most number of times this game was played in any season was 17 (seasons 25 and 26), while the least number of times this game was played in any season was 3 (season 37).
• Statistically speaking, the odds of winning the game are 25%.
• This shares the name of an unsold game show pilot hosted by John Conte for NBC in 1962.
• This also shares the name of a short-lived game show that aired on The Family Channel (originally CBN/Christian Broadcasting Network, later FOX Family, then ABC Family, now Freeform) from 1996 until 1997 hosted by Ron Pearson and was announced by former syndicated/rotating Price announcer Burton Richardson.

Gallery

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