Imagine heading out to return a carton of orange juice and coming back hundreds of millions richer.
It sounds completely ridiculous, but that’s exactly what happened to Tayeb Souami in 2018.
The New Jersey dad became an overnight mega-millionaire thanks to a grocery run that really didn’t go to plan. And honestly, it doesn’t get more random than this.
A normal errand that changed everything
It was May 19, 2018, when Souami’s wife asked him to return a carton of orange juice to their local store. At the time, the couple were watching every dollar they spent.
Souami, a father of two, worked as an accountant for a food importer and didn’t have much spare cash. Like many families, they were budgeting carefully and cutting back wherever possible.
So when he came home with a $5 bottle of juice, his wife wasn’t impressed. She told him it was “too expensive” and asked him to take it back and find something cheaper instead.
Reluctantly, Souami got back in his car and drove from Little Ferry to the ShopRite store in Hackensack. He had no idea that decision was about to change his life forever.
A Powerball sign catches his eye
While standing in line to return the juice, Souami noticed a screen advertising the latest Powerball jackpot. The prize had climbed to a massive $315 million.
On a whim, he decided to give it a go. He figured if he lost, it would just be another small expense to explain to his wife.
After returning the orange juice, Souami used the refunded money to buy two lottery tickets. Then he went home, got into bed, and completely forgot about them.
No checking numbers. No excitement. Just straight to sleep.
The next day, Souami was out getting his car washed when he spotted a 7-Eleven. Suddenly, he remembered the tickets sitting in his pocket.
He walked inside and used the lottery machine to scan them. The first ticket came up as a loser, which left him feeling pretty annoyed.
He immediately started wondering how he’d explain wasting money on a losing ticket. But then he scanned the second one.
Instead of showing numbers, the screen flashed a message: “Must be seen by the retailer.”
Souami assumed something had gone wrong with the ticket. Most people would think the same. So he handed it to the cashier to check.
That’s when everything changed.
“Oh my god, oh my god”
The cashier scanned the ticket and instantly froze. Then she said the words Souami will never forget.
“Oh my god, oh my god.”
She told him he’d won big. Actually, very big.
Souami had just won the entire $315 million Powerball jackpot. He’d left home to return juice and come back one of the richest lottery winners in US history.
Once the news broke, a press conference was held and Souami spoke publicly about his plans. He said his first priority was paying for his children’s education.
At the time, his son was 20 and his daughter was 17. He made it clear their futures came before anything flashy.
Souami also managed to see the funny side of it all. Speaking to reporters, he joked: “I love orange juice now.”
Fair enough. We probably would too.
Featured image credit: CBS New York
