How buying broccoli florets and Gala apples at Fry’s can lead to free Phoenix Mercury tickets

Who knew buying broccoli florets, paper towels and chicken tenders would lead to complimentary tickets to see the defending WNBA champions take on Diana Taurasi, Brittney Griner and the Phoenix Mercury?

Fry’s and the Mercury have a “Drive To Retail” promotion for two home tickets when you spend $50 or more on a “single transaction” at participating Fry’s locations in Arizona.

Phoenix lost, 97-79, Sunday after trailing by as many as 34 points late in the first half before an announced sellout crowd of 13,981 at Footprint Center.

The Mercury (16-17) made a game out of it in the second half in trimming Las Vegas’ massive lead to 15 points late in the third quarter, but couldn’t draw any closer.

Aces big A’ja Wilson took the Mercury to church – 41 points and 17 rebounds. Best player in the league. Amen.

I couldn’t have been the only one sitting in the general admission section who acquired tickets the same way. Had room to pack even more bodies. The seats are way up there, but it’s actually a solid view.

Fans were ready to rock, but the Aces (20-12) raced to a 29-10 lead after one quarter – and unplugged the ‘X Factor.’

The Mercury have four regular-season home games remaining – Tuesday vs. Atlanta Dream, Thursday vs. Washington Mystics, Sept. 13 vs. Connecticut Sun and Sept. 19 vs. Seattle Storm in their final regular-season game.

They’re bound to make the eight-team playoff. The Mercury are seventh with a magic number of four in which they need any combination of wins and Dream losses to add up to four to clinch a playoff spot.

Phoenix is battling rookie sensation Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever for the sixth seed. Games are always competitive down the stretch of the regular season.

If you’re a Mercury fan and never shopped at Fry’s, might be a good time to do so.

If you’re a Mercury fan and never paid attention to the fine print below the total cost on the receipt any mind, might want to look into this because as I discovered, you’re not limited to two tickets.

More details on that later.

Now I’ve been shopping at Fry’s since moving to the Valley in the fall of 2018 to cover the Phoenix Suns for The Arizona Republic.

Back home in Huntington, W.Va., we have Kroger. Fry’s is part of the Kroger Family.

I hardly ever pay attention to fine print under the total cost and the fuel points on the receipt.

Don’t let the suits and hats fool you. I’m all about saving money on all things, especially food and gas.

So, one evening last month, I spent $125.02 on groceries. Had to address an empty fridge and restock on cleaning supplies. Yes, it’s cheaper to shop at Walmart for laundry detergent, disinfect wipes and fresheners, but I wasn’t trying to make two trips.

Plus, I was hungry and wanted to get back home to cook.

Anyway, I just happened to look at the receipt due to it being longer than one of my ties and saw “Phoenix Mercury Basketball” in bold and TWO COMPLIMENTARY TICKETS in caps.

Hmmm.

I already spent more than double of what was required, but hey, this is a chance to check out the Mercury. Then I notice the tickets were valid for two dates – Aug. 28 or Sept. 1.

Checked out the schedule. The Mercury were playing the Minnesota Lynx on Aug. 28 and the Aces on Sept. 1.

Easy choice for me.

Defending champs. Great atmosphere. An off day for once.

So, I visit mercury.wnba.com/drive-to-retail. You must upload your receipt three days before the game to receive the tickets. Then you receive a code for the tickets two days before the game.

Check your spam or clutter mail. That’s where I found my code. The email had been there since Aug. 29.

You claim your ticket and retrieve them on the Ticketmaster app or Suns-Mercury-Footprint Center app.

I use Ticketmaster. I opened the email on Saturday that has the passcode. It takes me to the arena map with the general admission area highlighted in purple. That’s when I discovered my seat location.

I didn’t expect courtside seats, but figured I’d have a better seat after spending $125 dollars at Fry’s.

Damn Swifter and Brawny.

I will claim the tickets and saw you can get up to eight. Now on the receipt, it clearly states you’re limited to “two per person.”

General admission tickets on the day of the game are $23 dollars each. That’s $184 dollars. Now if I take seven people, that’s putting the savings to maximum use.

I couldn’t round up that many people if I tried. I barely know a handful of folks here outside of fellow employees and colleagues.

Covering the Suns keeps one rather busy.

Two tickets it is, but I just saw a commercial talking about how certain ticket marketplaces charge fees.

Hmmm.

So Sunday morning, I went through the process to purchase two general admission tickets through Ticketmaster just to see how much they cost.

Twenty-three dollars each. That’s $46 dollars for two – and before the fees.

After the service fee, facility charge and order processing fee, those two tickets cost $84.20. No refunds.

Guess Fry’s saved me some money after all. Think I’ll keep shopping there.

They have quality Gala apples.

Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrakin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-787-1240. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: How to get free Phoenix Mercury tickets