Have you ever dreamed of winning a year’s supply of Honey Nut Cheerios? No? Well, in case you did, you might have imagined a warehouse full of the honeybee-kissed circles of tedium. And you might have imagined incorrectly, because according to General Mills, just 12 boxes of the stuff should get you through a year.

Victor spotted the lame contest and writes:

Honey Nut Cheerios started a new promotion that’s plastered all over Yahoo where you can win “A Year’s Supply” of Honey Nut Cheerios. Unfortunately, General Mills definition of a “year’s supply” seems to be radically different from most consumers. What you ACTUALLY win is 12 boxes of Cheerios, valued at about $75. From the official rules:

“7. Prize: THREE THOUSAND (3,000) INSTANT WIN GAME PRIZES. Each Prize is twelve (12) coupons, each redeemable for a box of Honey Nut Cheerios. Approximate Retail Value of each Prize (“ARV”): $74.04. “

Since the large Cheerios is 25oz, that works out about 0.80 oz per day, a little more than a handful. Hardly what I would consider “a year’s supply”. Seems out of touch/cheap. A box every other week? Closer. A box a week? Better. Also, General Mills seems to assume their customers are single or only cohabitating. In our family of four, a box would last about 4 days, meaning a “year’s supply” should be about 91 boxes, ARV $561.47.

Seems like a very misleading promotion, or at the very least a promotion tacitly advocating consumption of LESS Honey Nut Cheerios in a year. Maybe it’s more about reducing energy consumption. Or the secret beauty of anorexia. Or the plight of the bees. I’m not sure. It definitely isn’t a promotion advocating eating more Honey Nut Cheerios.

Actually, I think one box of Honey Nut Cheerios is all I’d desire for a year. Or decade.

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