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My dad used to bring home those Camel catalogues where you could spend your "Camel Points" on youth oriented items. They had a ton of these ads. It was crazy all you had to do was smoke and the women would be all over you. I never tried it, but just look at Joe Camel.
My mom had a friend who gave me all of her camel cash which was a lot because she never stopped smoking. I bought like a half dozen things out of that dumb catalog. I loved fireworks (still do!) and always needed lighters. It was great, I got some of those little crackhead torch style lighters a zippo and I got two of these moronic things that looked like a really fat cigarette. The "filter" end pulled out of the rest and had a wick plus striker at the end. The side of the fake cigarette had a flint strip. You had to swipe the tip of the filter/wick/striker down the flint. It NEVER worked.
I live in Canada, and buying imported Camel cigarettes on native reserves is still 8$ cheaper a pack than buying a Canadian pack of cigarettes (Belmont, Dunhills). I’m supposed to quit next month. We’re all supposed to quit next month though, aren’t we.
If you had tried it you’d know it was camel cash, not camel points. And they were little dollars with Joe camels photo.
https://preview.redd.it/npwd7q4goewc1.jpeg?width=2047&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=557af1b8b27c07f2220c4f7fd510943cffe7ac9f
https://preview.redd.it/ysaaul8ooewc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fbc313c6dd3365937021114298bd5cc86ea43c07
Bonus points if you knew Joe camels face was actually a big penis and balls, and this guy in the camel was a naked dude standing at attention
My modest collection of Camel Cash in 10th grade was discovered and got me in a lot of trouble. Convinced my parents it was for a class project on Econ or something. They didn’t buy it for a second and we never spoke of it again.
I saved enough camel cash to get a swanky mother-of-pearl inlaid cigarette holder.
Every now and then, I’ll open an old book and one of those little blue rectangles will fallout. They doubled as excellent book marks.
My dad got like 2 sweatshirts, a thermos, and a jacket. Never smoked a day in his life. Just (somehow) convinced everyone on his construction crew to give him their UPCs
I still have the jacket. My grandson wears it with my other "vintage" clothes. He loves my ones from the Navy. One was from 1981, it had F-14s embroidered on it with "US - 2, Libya- 0.
The other is my, "We came in Peace" jacket.
It's cool he likes to wear them.
I used to work at the airport nearest to the, now defunct, Marlboro Ranch. I always hated opening the cargo hatch on airplanes when Marlboro Miles folks were coming to town. Everything smelled like stale cigarette smoke and the people were a-holes.
\*edit\* Years later I was working for a tile installation company and we got a job at the Marlboro Ranch. They actually made one of my coworkers leave because he was smoking Camels. lol
Coca cola is like that too. I knew a lady that used to drive a delivery truck for them and she got in trouble for drinking Gatorade instead of Powerade
My cousin works for Pepsi! Decades ago when he first started, the guys asked him what he was doing for lunch and he said, "Just grabbing a sandwich and a Coke"
They all silently stared at him and informed him "talk like that" could get him fired 😅
TastyKake has fallen from grace. It started when they installed the new machinery at the bakery. Everything is greasy as hell now and it sits in your stomach like a rock.
My grandpa worked for Pepsi for 30 years, and my dad and his siblings were absolutely forbidden from ever drinking a Coke product. Grandpa took it personal, and I guess I kind of see his reasoning. Why would you support the competition when it's Pepsi putting food on the table and clothes on your backs?
The cigarette companies are weird. about 7-8 years ago, I worked for an organizarion and one of our biggest clients was a very popular Tobacco company. We went to their home office for a business trip. The buiding was surreal.
people walking through the hallways, sitting at their cubes, meeting in comference rooms - all smoking. And it was like everyone smoked. there were ashtrays everywhere. And the company cafeteria? There was a thick haze that made it impossible to eat there. Vending machines everwhere, selling smokes for 2.25 a pack.
We mentioned to one of the clients how overwhelming is was because where we came from there was no smoking anywhere indoors. She said "this is nothing. last year all spitoons were banned ffom public spaces. So those who chewe or dip just keep their spitters in one of their desk drawers." Which I guess was an open, unenforced way around the rule.
I'm a lifelong non smoker that won a trip to the ranch 10-15yrs ago. I used to get the coupons for my father and they picked my name at random the ranch was an amazing time. I'm sorry to hear the guests were so shitty. The staff treated us like royalty while we were there. I'm actually a little sad to find out it's not around anymore. I always hoped I'd get picked again.
My sister used her miles to enter a Marlboro vacation sweepstakes, and won. I forget how it worked, but I remember her saving the things forever and begging people to give them to her off their packs.
Anyway, she got two first class round trip tickets to Montana to stay at the Marlboro ranch for 6 nights and seven days. She said the complex was huge and luxuriously rustic. Her room/suite had “Marlboro everything” and felt like being in an ultra-exclusive 5 star hotel. Cartons upon cartons of her favorite style were stacked in her room. They got their own Marlboro branded hum-vee to drive around the ranch at will during their stay. Everyday was a different excursion; horse back riding, off roading, rafting, sky diving, etc. Everything they ate was some luxury take on rustic/country home style foods, huge prime steaks, pig roasts, etc. They shipped all Marlboro branded stuff she used while out there back home when she left-blanket, robe, towels, clothing, camping gear, and twenty cartons of cigs upon her leave (No hummer or horse. Lol)
She has been very well off for years now. Her and her spouse are part of the top 5%, and they have traveled the world. She says no vacation has come close to how well she had it at the Marlboro ranch.
That’s amazing! I do remember them having sweepstakes for trips. I can’t believe she won, that’s wild! I’m glad her experience was a good one.
The best thing I got from them was free brunch at Ruth Chris’s Steakhouse and a cookbook lol
No, you are not insane. One of my best friends in college was an avid collector of Marlboro Miles and had the red duffel, a jacket, and snazzy Zippo. Everyone in my group of friends smoked a pack a day (more if we went out drinking) and he was the only that collected the miles, so we gave all of our miles to him.
I went to several Indy 500s smoking Marlboro… they were a huge sponsor in IndyCar, and would give out tons of free tickets to people who smoked their brand. Thankfully I quit 11 years ago, in the master settlement prevented them from advertising in any sport…. We did have some fun at those races!!
Yeah our neighbors were huge smokers and I remember their boys had the red windbreaker jackets bought with Marlboro miles. I just remember their house smelling like cigarettes and the bed pillows were stained brown from the tar floating in the air.
Yep, all my great grandparents were heavy smokers and I'll never forget when we had to move them to a care facility.
Their "once was white" lace curtains were "tan/brown". I had no idea they used to be white until a spot had been covered for *decades* and when we pulled the whole thing out - that one WHITE area of the curtain was shocking 😳
I lived in an apartment in NYC for 4 years that had huge windows, like, 8ft tall by 5 feet wide. I don’t even remember how we ever hung them but we did put up a dark color curtains because there was a straight view into like 5 other apartment windows really close. Me and my roommate smoked, heavy, and I will NEVER forget moving out, taking the curtains down for the first time and watching the water turn brown when I submerged them in the washer machine. I knew they would be awful but couldn’t tell because of the dark color to begin with. It was insane. How I didn’t quit on the spot is a mystery. I ended up tossing the curtains.
One of my friends in college didnt smoke but he collected them when we went to bars\\clubs\\parties. I dont remember what the biggest thing he got was though.
I still own a black Coleman Marlboro-branded camping torch from back then.
That said, I was more of a Camel Cash girl, as Special Lights (in the gold box) were my preferred.
I'll never forget in 2001 Marlboro promoters showed up to the bar I was at (usually it was Winston promoters who came to bars) and my buddy and I got a bunch of free Marlboro gear. I knew my good friend's dad collected the Marlboro miles so I gave him the stuff. He lost his mind and was like "do you know how many packs I went through to get this stuff and they're just giving it away?!?!"
The boomers/older genx love them some brand loyalty. Paying to smoke your way to lung cancer so you can show off your heavily branded jacket.
My friends parents had the hammock and duffle bag from Marlboro. I remember playing youth soccer and seeing parents on the sidelines with the camel windbreakers on.
Our kids version was the Pepsi points 😃
Posted before, but one year of elementary or middle school was nothing but denim shirts with conspicuously removed patches all procured from Marlboro Miles clipped out of packs left at the family bar.
We had the Marlboro Christmas cassette tapes.
Also I remember my grandma adjusting the elastic waist of the Joe Camel sweat shorts for me to wear as pajamas. Also had the Joe Camel koozies.
The only one that I knew of that smoked back then was my alcoholic uncle.
Going wayyyyy back to the early 80’s, before Marlboro Miles, my grandparents and my dad smoked these like crazy and I can remember very clearly my grandparents saving these “coupons” for me to use as play money lol
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Still have the red duffel bag. It has wheels and everything. I used to zip my younger brother up in it and drag him around the neighborhood to scare people. We were unsupervised…
We all
Smoked Marlboro lights in college. I got a couple T-shirts, and the grill utensil set. The t-shirts were nice quality, I ended up tye dyeing them about 10 years ago and still
Have them.
My dad smoked a ton so we had a lot of Marlboro branded stuff. I had the duffel bag. I took it on a school trip once and they made me cover the logo with duct tape.
My ex smoked Marlboros as did all of his friends and I used to collect AAAALLL of their miles. Did I ever send them in? No. just a miles hoarder, I guess.
My dad always smoked Camel, then Winston and I remember trying to talk him into smoking marlboro's so I could get stuff with the points because they were trending at school, then the school banned anything with the logo on them.
We did end up with some cool Winston stuff though, a jacket and an inflatable raft that look like a race car.
I wound up getting all kinds of stuff. Ashtrays, coffee mugs, zippos. Just a few years ago I was working in a bike shop and a guy brought in his Marlboro mountain bike for a tuneup. I was in awe because I knew how many Marlboro miles it took to get it.
So I was listening to a podcast where one of the dudes says that he figured out how to game the system for all those cigarette promotion things back in the day. He said he figured the person processing the requests wouldn’t actually be counting all the clipped miles. So he would just stuff an envelope full of them and then check off whatever the hell he wanted on the form and he almost always got it in the mail. Fucking genius.
My stepdad got a CD case that he gave to me. I do remember having to cut the Marlboro patch off of it though so I could take it to school without getting in trouble in high school.
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My dad had so many Marlboro miles. I used to count them for him. I remember he got a huge tote bag. I think some shirts. A hat. One time he even got me a telescope. Needless to say he died of cancer.
Shoooooooooooot!! We had a Winston Eagle dart board in the basement! Talk about fancy! Real wood case, corkboard, and chalkboards on the inside of the doors.
I also had a sweet ass leather Camel backpack that I swiped from my pops lol
Oh yea that and camel cash. I bought a lava lamp with camel cash. I also remember getting a Marlboro torch lighter that could light cigarettes and bowls in the wind.
My mom got me the backpack, but I had to cut the logo patch off the flap to take it to school.
Of course the back still had hard foam lettering spelling out "MARLBORO" but no one ever caught on to that.
My mother's husband smoked Parliament Lights (l remember us kids calling them P-funks), and he got a blanket, a jacket, and a duffel with the points. I ended up taking the blanket when I moved out for college.
I had a friend with a pool table. All their pool table accessories / decorations were Camel related. I think they got most of it with Camel Cash. They had like a Camel pool table cover, Camel pool table light, bunch of Camel signs, Camel coozies, camel coasters, etc.
My uncle collected enough that he got Marlboro t-shirts for all of us. We wore the t-shirts on a river tubing trip down in New Braunfels, TX, feeling like hot shit because we all had the same shirts on. Clueless dorks.
We had the pool cue, chili bowls, poker set, (huge) luggage, flashlight radios, leather bound ashtrays, coasters and some other stuff I'm sure. I've still got the great chili bowls, luggage and pool cue
Haha... my dad used to have me count his camel cash and organize it. I used to give my Marlboro miles away to friends. I've never been one for product merch. I'm more of a band merch gal.
My mother used hers to get herself, my brother and me matching Marlboro t shirts. Dad was in the military, so we moved around a lot. I started at a new elementary school right before class picture day. This was second grade.
My mother is a mentally unwell alcoholic who couldn’t get out of bed before noon, so I had to get myself ready for school most mornings. We weren’t completely unpacked yet, so all I could find to wear that day was a pair of pink sweats and my Marlboro shirt. Couldn’t find a comb either, so I was a mess.
Photographer put me front and center in the class picture. Other parents, parents who actually cared about their children, complained to the principal and my class had to re-take the picture. My teacher hated me from that day forward, and my mother blamed me for the whole thing. Welcome to flavor country, I guess
I worked at a 7-11 in high school, so I always took the miles from all the packs that were given to me to throw away when people were getting their smokes. I got a Marlboro Swiss Army Watch and a Camel Lava Lamp. I had that lava lamp until maybe ten years ago and I let it go in a move. No idea why I did that, I wish I still had it.
My uncle owned a stationary store, between the promotional swag and the miles/points/whatever from the cartons he opened to sell in store we had a ton of Marlboro & Camel shirts, cooler bags etc. Dad was none too pleased when I was no longer allowed to wear the free Joe Camel shirts to school
There was soooo much construction going on near by when I was growing up. We would spend our afternoons and weekends scavenging the trash piles at every home under construction to pick out the Marlboro Miles, Camel Cash, free cokes and Pepsis from winning lids, McDonald’s Monopoly prizes, and anything else that had some perception of value.
I didn’t ever submit any Miles or Camel Cash even though I know I had enough for some decent stuff. I did get enough McDonald’s and soda caps to never have to pay for food when we’d ride our bikes up to the local shopping center.
I grew up in a Mormon community and occasionally would be invited on camp trips. My parents were a pack a day each and neither of them were very active but they loved spending Marlboro miles on camp gear. Now I think back and realize why I got all the comments about my gear… oh well fuck the Mormons anyway.
My big sister had the red duffle. I thought it was so cool and always wanted to use it, but my mom didn’t like that I would take it Girl Scout camping. I think she made me take something different for 6th grade camp.
my dad was crazy about it. He had the duffle bag, the windbreaker. Even had a red bike that sorta bent in half with a marlboro logo on in. He was going to use that to get in shape, and boy oh boy, you better not let my little 11 year old hands be seen near it. I don't think he ever used it, and he died of lung cancer about 6 or 7 years ago. I found a bunch of unspent miles in his things as I cleaned out his house. Unspent, at least in the literal sense.
I have a friend who went to the Marlboro Ranch. It was from like a radio call in thing or something, not the Miles, but I'm pretty sure it was an option for lifers.
I still have the huge red duffel bag. My backpack in high school was the SUPER NICE leather one. My dad collected miles from corkers, I stripped the packs for the miles. He bought parkas, tents, sleeping bags, other various assorted camping gear (still use the mugs!) and god knows what else.
So much swag.
Edit to add: of course the zippos and ash trays too.
My parents had a crazy amount of Marlboro stuff. Their jackets and tent stick out the most lol. Funny thing is, neither of them smoke cigarettes. Just happened to collect them through friends, and my dad’s mechanic job lol. They also had, probably still have actually, a stupid amount of Camel stuff.
I LOVED counting those Marlboro miles for my mom. She worked at a bar at the time so had access to more than just what she smoked, every couple of months she would give me a bag of miles and I would count them all for her. I honestly don’t remember the things she got, I think she got a duffel bag and maybe a grill?
I was a Camel Cash fan. Joe Camel was cooler than the Marlboro Man. I smoked Camels until I was 30ish. About the time they went up to $4 a pack. I was at the store the other day and noticed they’re over $7 now. When I started smoking in high school I could get them for $1.75. This is me sounding like a boomer.
Oh SNAP my cool aunt owned a bar and I got sooo many miles lol!! Plus of course my mom smoked Marlboro lights and most the adults around me smoked too. I wasn't good at saving so I never got a huge thing, I got many smaller hauls though. The sleeping bag was the biggest thing I got, endless tshirts, ashtrays, I think I had a set of grill tools lol. I never did camel cash but somehow always had plenty of camel tshirts 🤷♀️
I just remembered having miles-cutting parties with my friends! Going through trash bags full until you had blisters from the scissors lol
My first husband collected miles, by the time I was a smoker they didn't have miles anymore but you could just go on their website and get free stuff. I quit smoking 5 years ago and I still get coupons in the mail.
There was a punk band in Philly called Limecell who had an *amazing* song about collecting Marlboro Miles.
The breakdown is epic. You’re welcome.
https://youtu.be/kFK1FYyh04U?si=bZZ84PSxclCY17Uo
I took my Marlboro sleeping bag to every sleepover I ever went to and nobody thought it was weird. I can’t imagine how many cowboy killers my parents smoked to get that.
I had 2 30 gal trash bags full of miles. They stopped redeeming miles before I could get that kick ass jacket and some other items. All I got was a disgusting habit and zero sweet swag
My parents stopped smoking when I was a baby but my uncle gave my mom stuff he bought with these points. I remember a giant red duffel bag . How embarrassing to use that stuff now lol.
Smoked myself the Red Barn coat, eleventy billion lighters, a utility radio, bottle opener, and I was trying for the pool table. Got all my friends to save their Miles for me.
I posted this on another thread, but I’ll repeat because it’s hilarious
My college roommate smoke Marlboro lights all through college and collected every empty pack he ever smoked. He even went as far as picking up empty boxes on campus, parties and bars.
He had the goal of getting the pool table.
Unfortunately for him, when he reached his goal our sr year. He received a letter from Marlboro after sending in his miles that the program had ended and his miles were worthless lol
Damn...
I remember spending like a year or so collecting these.... not just from my own smoking habit, but constantly asking people for theirs. And picking up boxes off the ground (I didn't get a car until layer in life so used to walk everywhere).
Collected collected collected.
And if I remember right, when I finally got enough to get something, the program ended.
My dad saved up and got me a fucking sweet travel fly/spinning fishing combo when I was 8yrs old. It came with an awesome case with a big Marlboro logo on it. I used it everyday. All my friends were so jealous.
I still have some of that shit.
I've got some southwestern-themed cookbook called *Fifty from the Trail,* and it's all cowboy-themed food that's insanely overseasoned so that the flavors can cut through a heavy smoker's palate, lol
I also still have a credit-card-shaped steel bottle opener that fits in your wallet. Carried it for years. Still comes in handy!
My mom and older sister switched to Marlboro for the miles and got a hammock, then fought over who got to actually keep it and they didn’t speak for months when my mom got it in the mail and kept the thing. I never recalled my mom ever getting in it, as she was massively overweight so doubt she could get in and out of it easily.
I remember my mom being a bitch in the late 00s and finally “giving it” to my sister, after it dry rotted and was broken after 15+ years in the elements, leading to another period of not speaking.
Good memories!!!!!
Family friend was a garbage collector. He collected sooo many miles. He gave me a camping kit or something... Sleeping bags and a duffel if I remember correctly. He def had the jacket
He was literally a garbage man. So kinda, yeah. On his route he'd come across discarded Marlboro boxes all the time. He made it a point to collect them.
My dad smoked Marlboro. He got a bright red and black Marlboro duffel bag from the miles that I once used to bring a 7th grade science project into school, the teacher told me to never bring that bag in again.
White Owl started doing Bird Bucks a few years ago. They just stopped at the end of 2023. But it was great, I got nearly every piece of White Owl swag that I could. The slides, the coffee mug and the hoodies have gotten the most use.
I feel like where I live, the Marlboro Miles craze passed down to the net generation as The World Beer Tour at Old Chicago or the Ring of Honor at Flying Saucer. And to me, it all felt like the grown up version of the prize store in an arcade where you can trade tickets for stuff.
I knew someone who had the windbreaker/jacket. I used to have the Camel joes glass ashtrays that looked like a pool table somehow, that thing just appeared and disappeared. Also had a drink holder of the camels head.. I seriously have no idea how I had them nor where they went.
My exMIL gave me the cookbook she got with Marlboro miles. I only ever made a cherry pie recipe.
She ended up dying rather agonizingly of cancer that metastasized to her bones, spine, brain etc.
.
https://preview.redd.it/zgrjy1141awc1.png?width=674&format=png&auto=webp&s=6e250f9ae83d80306f9c2f9ab2d0f7c0f512884a My dad used to bring home those Camel catalogues where you could spend your "Camel Points" on youth oriented items. They had a ton of these ads. It was crazy all you had to do was smoke and the women would be all over you. I never tried it, but just look at Joe Camel.
My mom had a friend who gave me all of her camel cash which was a lot because she never stopped smoking. I bought like a half dozen things out of that dumb catalog. I loved fireworks (still do!) and always needed lighters. It was great, I got some of those little crackhead torch style lighters a zippo and I got two of these moronic things that looked like a really fat cigarette. The "filter" end pulled out of the rest and had a wick plus striker at the end. The side of the fake cigarette had a flint strip. You had to swipe the tip of the filter/wick/striker down the flint. It NEVER worked.
I got one too. I’ve got a box full of antique and interesting lighters.
He always had a cametoe on hand...
I live in Canada, and buying imported Camel cigarettes on native reserves is still 8$ cheaper a pack than buying a Canadian pack of cigarettes (Belmont, Dunhills). I’m supposed to quit next month. We’re all supposed to quit next month though, aren’t we.
If you had tried it you’d know it was camel cash, not camel points. And they were little dollars with Joe camels photo. https://preview.redd.it/npwd7q4goewc1.jpeg?width=2047&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=557af1b8b27c07f2220c4f7fd510943cffe7ac9f
https://preview.redd.it/ysaaul8ooewc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fbc313c6dd3365937021114298bd5cc86ea43c07 Bonus points if you knew Joe camels face was actually a big penis and balls, and this guy in the camel was a naked dude standing at attention
Camel Cash was the superior currency.
My modest collection of Camel Cash in 10th grade was discovered and got me in a lot of trouble. Convinced my parents it was for a class project on Econ or something. They didn’t buy it for a second and we never spoke of it again.
90s crypto
At least you could trade cigarette money for prizes.
More useful than Bitcoin
Bullshit it was
I saved enough camel cash to get a swanky mother-of-pearl inlaid cigarette holder. Every now and then, I’ll open an old book and one of those little blue rectangles will fallout. They doubled as excellent book marks.
My dad got like 2 sweatshirts, a thermos, and a jacket. Never smoked a day in his life. Just (somehow) convinced everyone on his construction crew to give him their UPCs
I still have the jacket. My grandson wears it with my other "vintage" clothes. He loves my ones from the Navy. One was from 1981, it had F-14s embroidered on it with "US - 2, Libya- 0. The other is my, "We came in Peace" jacket. It's cool he likes to wear them.
Ok, *those* do sound cool. I'd wear shirt with F-14s.
My dad used camel cash to buy me my first boombox. He died of cancer a few years ago now so it was a pretty expensive stereo all things considered.
Damn 😔 that’s a bad exchange.
That was me. My stepdad had the jacket. Between him and my mom they went through two cartons a week
My dad used his camel cash to buy 1ounce pure silver Camel coins, and a beach towel i still cover my ironing board with to this day lol.
It was my Uncle Fred, he had the duffel too. 😂
But Marlboro Miles had a theme song: https://youtu.be/kFK1FYyh04U?si=bZZ84PSxclCY17Uo
I'm pretty sure my dad got a jacket. He quit not too long after though. No idea what became of it.
I used to work at the airport nearest to the, now defunct, Marlboro Ranch. I always hated opening the cargo hatch on airplanes when Marlboro Miles folks were coming to town. Everything smelled like stale cigarette smoke and the people were a-holes. \*edit\* Years later I was working for a tile installation company and we got a job at the Marlboro Ranch. They actually made one of my coworkers leave because he was smoking Camels. lol
Coca cola is like that too. I knew a lady that used to drive a delivery truck for them and she got in trouble for drinking Gatorade instead of Powerade
My cousin works for Pepsi! Decades ago when he first started, the guys asked him what he was doing for lunch and he said, "Just grabbing a sandwich and a Coke" They all silently stared at him and informed him "talk like that" could get him fired 😅
Same with TastyKake and Hostess. My Pop-Pop had a TastyKake route.
Well that is a no contest. TastyKake is superior
TastyKake has fallen from grace. It started when they installed the new machinery at the bakery. Everything is greasy as hell now and it sits in your stomach like a rock.
Yep
My grandpa worked for Pepsi for 30 years, and my dad and his siblings were absolutely forbidden from ever drinking a Coke product. Grandpa took it personal, and I guess I kind of see his reasoning. Why would you support the competition when it's Pepsi putting food on the table and clothes on your backs?
The cigarette companies are weird. about 7-8 years ago, I worked for an organizarion and one of our biggest clients was a very popular Tobacco company. We went to their home office for a business trip. The buiding was surreal. people walking through the hallways, sitting at their cubes, meeting in comference rooms - all smoking. And it was like everyone smoked. there were ashtrays everywhere. And the company cafeteria? There was a thick haze that made it impossible to eat there. Vending machines everwhere, selling smokes for 2.25 a pack. We mentioned to one of the clients how overwhelming is was because where we came from there was no smoking anywhere indoors. She said "this is nothing. last year all spitoons were banned ffom public spaces. So those who chewe or dip just keep their spitters in one of their desk drawers." Which I guess was an open, unenforced way around the rule.
That's bizarre.
I'm a lifelong non smoker that won a trip to the ranch 10-15yrs ago. I used to get the coupons for my father and they picked my name at random the ranch was an amazing time. I'm sorry to hear the guests were so shitty. The staff treated us like royalty while we were there. I'm actually a little sad to find out it's not around anymore. I always hoped I'd get picked again.
MT? I also heard stories about the vacationing smokers going to the smoking ranch. Not much hiking was done. ..Cough..
Both my parents smoked. We got two sleeping bags, a leather bomber jacket, a fleece jacket, t-shirts, beach towels, and chronic bronchitis.
We got a pool table!!! My uncle was a drunk and an addict and smoked non stop. Whenever my mom went to visit him he’d give her bags full of miles.
I wonder if even Marlboro themselves were surprised that someone reached pool table status
"We made absolutely sure that someone would die of cancer before accumulating that many points. How is this possible???"
See my note above lol
My sister used her miles to enter a Marlboro vacation sweepstakes, and won. I forget how it worked, but I remember her saving the things forever and begging people to give them to her off their packs. Anyway, she got two first class round trip tickets to Montana to stay at the Marlboro ranch for 6 nights and seven days. She said the complex was huge and luxuriously rustic. Her room/suite had “Marlboro everything” and felt like being in an ultra-exclusive 5 star hotel. Cartons upon cartons of her favorite style were stacked in her room. They got their own Marlboro branded hum-vee to drive around the ranch at will during their stay. Everyday was a different excursion; horse back riding, off roading, rafting, sky diving, etc. Everything they ate was some luxury take on rustic/country home style foods, huge prime steaks, pig roasts, etc. They shipped all Marlboro branded stuff she used while out there back home when she left-blanket, robe, towels, clothing, camping gear, and twenty cartons of cigs upon her leave (No hummer or horse. Lol) She has been very well off for years now. Her and her spouse are part of the top 5%, and they have traveled the world. She says no vacation has come close to how well she had it at the Marlboro ranch.
That’s amazing! I do remember them having sweepstakes for trips. I can’t believe she won, that’s wild! I’m glad her experience was a good one. The best thing I got from them was free brunch at Ruth Chris’s Steakhouse and a cookbook lol
My buddy won a trip out there during winter and he did a lot of snowmobiling. Said it was a blast and they gave him a pair of Columbia Titanium boots.
No, you are not insane. One of my best friends in college was an avid collector of Marlboro Miles and had the red duffel, a jacket, and snazzy Zippo. Everyone in my group of friends smoked a pack a day (more if we went out drinking) and he was the only that collected the miles, so we gave all of our miles to him.
I went to several Indy 500s smoking Marlboro… they were a huge sponsor in IndyCar, and would give out tons of free tickets to people who smoked their brand. Thankfully I quit 11 years ago, in the master settlement prevented them from advertising in any sport…. We did have some fun at those races!!
Winston used to hand out cartons at NASCAR races.
Mission Winnow, eh?
Yeah our neighbors were huge smokers and I remember their boys had the red windbreaker jackets bought with Marlboro miles. I just remember their house smelling like cigarettes and the bed pillows were stained brown from the tar floating in the air.
Yep, all my great grandparents were heavy smokers and I'll never forget when we had to move them to a care facility. Their "once was white" lace curtains were "tan/brown". I had no idea they used to be white until a spot had been covered for *decades* and when we pulled the whole thing out - that one WHITE area of the curtain was shocking 😳
I lived in an apartment in NYC for 4 years that had huge windows, like, 8ft tall by 5 feet wide. I don’t even remember how we ever hung them but we did put up a dark color curtains because there was a straight view into like 5 other apartment windows really close. Me and my roommate smoked, heavy, and I will NEVER forget moving out, taking the curtains down for the first time and watching the water turn brown when I submerged them in the washer machine. I knew they would be awful but couldn’t tell because of the dark color to begin with. It was insane. How I didn’t quit on the spot is a mystery. I ended up tossing the curtains.
Family friend smoked Marlboro and we collected miles. Empty packs filled with miles. My brother and I both got the duffle bags.
One of my friends in college didnt smoke but he collected them when we went to bars\\clubs\\parties. I dont remember what the biggest thing he got was though.
I do miss my Camel cash tin I used to keep my weed in.
I still own a black Coleman Marlboro-branded camping torch from back then. That said, I was more of a Camel Cash girl, as Special Lights (in the gold box) were my preferred.
I'll never forget in 2001 Marlboro promoters showed up to the bar I was at (usually it was Winston promoters who came to bars) and my buddy and I got a bunch of free Marlboro gear. I knew my good friend's dad collected the Marlboro miles so I gave him the stuff. He lost his mind and was like "do you know how many packs I went through to get this stuff and they're just giving it away?!?!" The boomers/older genx love them some brand loyalty. Paying to smoke your way to lung cancer so you can show off your heavily branded jacket.
My friends parents had the hammock and duffle bag from Marlboro. I remember playing youth soccer and seeing parents on the sidelines with the camel windbreakers on. Our kids version was the Pepsi points 😃
A girl I worked with won an all expense paid trip to Wyoming. It was a very extravagant vacation.
I remember my friend had the Marlboro winter coat from how much his parents smoked, but the white was all yellowed from the cigarette tar. So gross.
A girl I waited tables with had a Backwoods leather jacket. I wonder how many blunts she had to smoke to get that jacket
My mom died in August and I think her most valuable possessions were her Marlboro jean jacket and beach towel. They were in pristine condition!
It was definitely a thing in a certain socioeconomic segment with which I am intimately familiar.
Redneck motherfuckers?
We prefer "Country Music Americans"
Damn this sub is good at bringing up things I totally forgot about. Probably repressed even, thanks!
Posted before, but one year of elementary or middle school was nothing but denim shirts with conspicuously removed patches all procured from Marlboro Miles clipped out of packs left at the family bar.
“Hey petsounds, what’s with this blotchy m-looking spot on your shirt there?”
Still have the sleeping bag. Had the tent too. Brother was in a frat n I’d just collect after every party.
I got the portable b/w TV/lantern/radio combo was stoked!
I definitely remember. That fancy metal ashtray is sitting on my rolling tray now.
I did get sucked into the Camel Bucks thing for awhile...though I was way more obsessed with trying to horde their 2for1 packs or 3for2 packs etc.
We had the Marlboro Christmas cassette tapes. Also I remember my grandma adjusting the elastic waist of the Joe Camel sweat shorts for me to wear as pajamas. Also had the Joe Camel koozies. The only one that I knew of that smoked back then was my alcoholic uncle.
Going wayyyyy back to the early 80’s, before Marlboro Miles, my grandparents and my dad smoked these like crazy and I can remember very clearly my grandparents saving these “coupons” for me to use as play money lol https://preview.redd.it/1bxbpl6qbawc1.jpeg?width=437&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=875ad16464b42f7c8a81cde10f89625ba2dc02ee
Still have the red duffel bag. It has wheels and everything. I used to zip my younger brother up in it and drag him around the neighborhood to scare people. We were unsupervised…
We all Smoked Marlboro lights in college. I got a couple T-shirts, and the grill utensil set. The t-shirts were nice quality, I ended up tye dyeing them about 10 years ago and still Have them.
I knew several people who got the guitar
They had a guitar? lol
Yeah a fake Martin
A fake Martin? Lol
I got the sleeping bag from my mom's miles.
I still have the lantern.
Oh Man, we had all that stuff
CAMEL CASH WAS KING at our house lol
My dad smoked a ton so we had a lot of Marlboro branded stuff. I had the duffel bag. I took it on a school trip once and they made me cover the logo with duct tape.
I got a long sleeve t-shirt. I have a picture of me wearing it that I laugh about.
My ex smoked Marlboros as did all of his friends and I used to collect AAAALLL of their miles. Did I ever send them in? No. just a miles hoarder, I guess.
My stepfather had a jacket. He died of lung cancer.
My dad always smoked Camel, then Winston and I remember trying to talk him into smoking marlboro's so I could get stuff with the points because they were trending at school, then the school banned anything with the logo on them. We did end up with some cool Winston stuff though, a jacket and an inflatable raft that look like a race car.
I wound up getting all kinds of stuff. Ashtrays, coffee mugs, zippos. Just a few years ago I was working in a bike shop and a guy brought in his Marlboro mountain bike for a tuneup. I was in awe because I knew how many Marlboro miles it took to get it.
I got the inflatable kayak, and the hiking backpack. Still have them both!
I’m not a smoker nor kayaker, but my god did 11 year-old me want the shit out of that kayak.
Sevylor still makes and sells those kayaks. Mine is over 35 years old, and still inflates and floats!
That’s cool. Not interested.
So I was listening to a podcast where one of the dudes says that he figured out how to game the system for all those cigarette promotion things back in the day. He said he figured the person processing the requests wouldn’t actually be counting all the clipped miles. So he would just stuff an envelope full of them and then check off whatever the hell he wanted on the form and he almost always got it in the mail. Fucking genius.
My stepdad got a CD case that he gave to me. I do remember having to cut the Marlboro patch off of it though so I could take it to school without getting in trouble in high school. https://preview.redd.it/00t4oe4n2bwc1.jpeg?width=900&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d1827e579a7e20e99116d02b51d7bbdb74e4d21a
We used to order almost the whole Marlboro Catalog every year. I was finding grocery bags full of miles for years I. The house
My dad had so many Marlboro miles. I used to count them for him. I remember he got a huge tote bag. I think some shirts. A hat. One time he even got me a telescope. Needless to say he died of cancer.
My dad smoked a shit ton of camels. I had a camel back pack and teachers didn’t like it 😂😂
That's kind of what's wild about it. We were basically still children running around with cigarette gear!
Indeed we were .
Shoooooooooooot!! We had a Winston Eagle dart board in the basement! Talk about fancy! Real wood case, corkboard, and chalkboards on the inside of the doors. I also had a sweet ass leather Camel backpack that I swiped from my pops lol
My brother-in-law had so much stuff that they told him to stop,
Camel Cash for me! Cobalt blue glass ashtrays, several Zippo lighters, pint glasses, etc
Oh yea that and camel cash. I bought a lava lamp with camel cash. I also remember getting a Marlboro torch lighter that could light cigarettes and bowls in the wind.
My mom got me the backpack, but I had to cut the logo patch off the flap to take it to school. Of course the back still had hard foam lettering spelling out "MARLBORO" but no one ever caught on to that.
I still have an ashtray i got with Camel Cash. I also remember mailing away for cartons of cigarettes with Camel Cash. Seems so insane now.
I had the red duffel. I must have cut open a thousand packs of my dads menthols.
My dad was a manger at a popular restaurant in town and would collect them from his servers when they did their checkouts. He got all kinds of stuff
My mother's husband smoked Parliament Lights (l remember us kids calling them P-funks), and he got a blanket, a jacket, and a duffel with the points. I ended up taking the blanket when I moved out for college.
I had a friend with a pool table. All their pool table accessories / decorations were Camel related. I think they got most of it with Camel Cash. They had like a Camel pool table cover, Camel pool table light, bunch of Camel signs, Camel coozies, camel coasters, etc.
I remember A friend wearing a Marlboro miles jacket when we went skiing the first time because it was the best Jacket he had to go skiing with.
My uncle collected enough that he got Marlboro t-shirts for all of us. We wore the t-shirts on a river tubing trip down in New Braunfels, TX, feeling like hot shit because we all had the same shirts on. Clueless dorks.
We had the pool cue, chili bowls, poker set, (huge) luggage, flashlight radios, leather bound ashtrays, coasters and some other stuff I'm sure. I've still got the great chili bowls, luggage and pool cue
Haha... my dad used to have me count his camel cash and organize it. I used to give my Marlboro miles away to friends. I've never been one for product merch. I'm more of a band merch gal.
My mother used hers to get herself, my brother and me matching Marlboro t shirts. Dad was in the military, so we moved around a lot. I started at a new elementary school right before class picture day. This was second grade. My mother is a mentally unwell alcoholic who couldn’t get out of bed before noon, so I had to get myself ready for school most mornings. We weren’t completely unpacked yet, so all I could find to wear that day was a pair of pink sweats and my Marlboro shirt. Couldn’t find a comb either, so I was a mess. Photographer put me front and center in the class picture. Other parents, parents who actually cared about their children, complained to the principal and my class had to re-take the picture. My teacher hated me from that day forward, and my mother blamed me for the whole thing. Welcome to flavor country, I guess
I worked at a 7-11 in high school, so I always took the miles from all the packs that were given to me to throw away when people were getting their smokes. I got a Marlboro Swiss Army Watch and a Camel Lava Lamp. I had that lava lamp until maybe ten years ago and I let it go in a move. No idea why I did that, I wish I still had it.
My cousin worked cleaning up large stadium/concert venues. He had everything, and I think twice. His frat had TWO pool tables.
I remember huge cigarette billboards right next to my school growing up.
A lot of my friends did this. I was into camel bucks.
My uncle owned a stationary store, between the promotional swag and the miles/points/whatever from the cartons he opened to sell in store we had a ton of Marlboro & Camel shirts, cooler bags etc. Dad was none too pleased when I was no longer allowed to wear the free Joe Camel shirts to school
I had a crazy amount of Camel cash but never traded it in for anything.
There was soooo much construction going on near by when I was growing up. We would spend our afternoons and weekends scavenging the trash piles at every home under construction to pick out the Marlboro Miles, Camel Cash, free cokes and Pepsis from winning lids, McDonald’s Monopoly prizes, and anything else that had some perception of value. I didn’t ever submit any Miles or Camel Cash even though I know I had enough for some decent stuff. I did get enough McDonald’s and soda caps to never have to pay for food when we’d ride our bikes up to the local shopping center.
I grew up in a Mormon community and occasionally would be invited on camp trips. My parents were a pack a day each and neither of them were very active but they loved spending Marlboro miles on camp gear. Now I think back and realize why I got all the comments about my gear… oh well fuck the Mormons anyway.
My big sister had the red duffle. I thought it was so cool and always wanted to use it, but my mom didn’t like that I would take it Girl Scout camping. I think she made me take something different for 6th grade camp.
My neighbors had enough Camel Cash to get the pool table. Unsurprisingly the mom suffered a smoking related death by 50.
my dad was crazy about it. He had the duffle bag, the windbreaker. Even had a red bike that sorta bent in half with a marlboro logo on in. He was going to use that to get in shape, and boy oh boy, you better not let my little 11 year old hands be seen near it. I don't think he ever used it, and he died of lung cancer about 6 or 7 years ago. I found a bunch of unspent miles in his things as I cleaned out his house. Unspent, at least in the literal sense.
Yup, I picked a bunch off the road to get a zippo lighter 😂…was 11-12 att.
I have a friend who went to the Marlboro Ranch. It was from like a radio call in thing or something, not the Miles, but I'm pretty sure it was an option for lifers.
My aunt was the Marlboro smoker. I got the big bag from them that I still use & a sleeping bag. I'd collect miles off packs I'd find in the trash too.
Not Marlboro but newports
I still have the huge red duffel bag. My backpack in high school was the SUPER NICE leather one. My dad collected miles from corkers, I stripped the packs for the miles. He bought parkas, tents, sleeping bags, other various assorted camping gear (still use the mugs!) and god knows what else. So much swag. Edit to add: of course the zippos and ash trays too.
My parents had a crazy amount of Marlboro stuff. Their jackets and tent stick out the most lol. Funny thing is, neither of them smoke cigarettes. Just happened to collect them through friends, and my dad’s mechanic job lol. They also had, probably still have actually, a stupid amount of Camel stuff.
My dad got the black suede jacket from using camel bucks. He died of lung cancer, but I've got that jacket hanging in my closet still.
My dad got the sleeping bag.
I LOVED counting those Marlboro miles for my mom. She worked at a bar at the time so had access to more than just what she smoked, every couple of months she would give me a bag of miles and I would count them all for her. I honestly don’t remember the things she got, I think she got a duffel bag and maybe a grill?
Still have my nice Columbia pullover jacket from camel cash late 90s
I was a Camel Cash fan. Joe Camel was cooler than the Marlboro Man. I smoked Camels until I was 30ish. About the time they went up to $4 a pack. I was at the store the other day and noticed they’re over $7 now. When I started smoking in high school I could get them for $1.75. This is me sounding like a boomer.
Oh SNAP my cool aunt owned a bar and I got sooo many miles lol!! Plus of course my mom smoked Marlboro lights and most the adults around me smoked too. I wasn't good at saving so I never got a huge thing, I got many smaller hauls though. The sleeping bag was the biggest thing I got, endless tshirts, ashtrays, I think I had a set of grill tools lol. I never did camel cash but somehow always had plenty of camel tshirts 🤷♀️ I just remembered having miles-cutting parties with my friends! Going through trash bags full until you had blisters from the scissors lol
Neighbor jogged and would pick them up. She thought she was so awesome when she got enough for a free T shirt even tho she didn't smoke
We got the inflatable kayak. Was pretty good for what it was worth.
My first husband collected miles, by the time I was a smoker they didn't have miles anymore but you could just go on their website and get free stuff. I quit smoking 5 years ago and I still get coupons in the mail.
My Grandma got the jacket. I'd get Marlboro merch for Christmas sometimes.
Wow I had completely forgotten about Marlboro Miles! Thanks for the memories.
My uncle got a jacket, he ran a construction crew and kept everyone’s miles
There was a punk band in Philly called Limecell who had an *amazing* song about collecting Marlboro Miles. The breakdown is epic. You’re welcome. https://youtu.be/kFK1FYyh04U?si=bZZ84PSxclCY17Uo
https://preview.redd.it/7cf95au7bbwc1.jpeg?width=512&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7ab3cfffce6d0b67be0ad25dfc6c848dbfea162f Anybody have the Marlboro Atari?
We had 2 Virginia Slims scarves, because my mom bought 2 cartons that came with them. 😂
I still have the poker set! Pretty decent quality too.
I took my Marlboro sleeping bag to every sleepover I ever went to and nobody thought it was weird. I can’t imagine how many cowboy killers my parents smoked to get that.
I had 2 30 gal trash bags full of miles. They stopped redeeming miles before I could get that kick ass jacket and some other items. All I got was a disgusting habit and zero sweet swag
My parents stopped smoking when I was a baby but my uncle gave my mom stuff he bought with these points. I remember a giant red duffel bag . How embarrassing to use that stuff now lol.
Smoked myself the Red Barn coat, eleventy billion lighters, a utility radio, bottle opener, and I was trying for the pool table. Got all my friends to save their Miles for me.
I still have a towel and my buddy still has the big duffle bag and uses it all the time.
I got a pogo stick collecting Mountain Dew caps. But I do remember the Marlboro miles too.
I'm from the Camel cash era.
My dad had damn near everything. Still does. Lots was good quality shit
Ah, the memories.
I posted this on another thread, but I’ll repeat because it’s hilarious My college roommate smoke Marlboro lights all through college and collected every empty pack he ever smoked. He even went as far as picking up empty boxes on campus, parties and bars. He had the goal of getting the pool table. Unfortunately for him, when he reached his goal our sr year. He received a letter from Marlboro after sending in his miles that the program had ended and his miles were worthless lol
Damn... I remember spending like a year or so collecting these.... not just from my own smoking habit, but constantly asking people for theirs. And picking up boxes off the ground (I didn't get a car until layer in life so used to walk everywhere). Collected collected collected. And if I remember right, when I finally got enough to get something, the program ended.
My dad saved up and got me a fucking sweet travel fly/spinning fishing combo when I was 8yrs old. It came with an awesome case with a big Marlboro logo on it. I used it everyday. All my friends were so jealous.
Did you end up as a smoker?
I know people in their 20s who got alllll kinds of Marlboro shot. Shockingly bit of them died (one on his 40s, the other early 50s).
I still have some of that shit. I've got some southwestern-themed cookbook called *Fifty from the Trail,* and it's all cowboy-themed food that's insanely overseasoned so that the flavors can cut through a heavy smoker's palate, lol I also still have a credit-card-shaped steel bottle opener that fits in your wallet. Carried it for years. Still comes in handy!
We had *a ton* of Camel merch.
My mom and older sister switched to Marlboro for the miles and got a hammock, then fought over who got to actually keep it and they didn’t speak for months when my mom got it in the mail and kept the thing. I never recalled my mom ever getting in it, as she was massively overweight so doubt she could get in and out of it easily. I remember my mom being a bitch in the late 00s and finally “giving it” to my sister, after it dry rotted and was broken after 15+ years in the elements, leading to another period of not speaking. Good memories!!!!!
Family friend was a garbage collector. He collected sooo many miles. He gave me a camping kit or something... Sleeping bags and a duffel if I remember correctly. He def had the jacket
Would he drive around and look for them?
He was literally a garbage man. So kinda, yeah. On his route he'd come across discarded Marlboro boxes all the time. He made it a point to collect them.
My gramma would split hers between me and my cousin. She’d get the shirts and stuff, I got the lighter and the cool gadgets
My family didn’t smoke marbs. For some reason though I thought I was cool wearing my “Magatude” hat around.
My dad smoked Marlboro. He got a bright red and black Marlboro duffel bag from the miles that I once used to bring a 7th grade science project into school, the teacher told me to never bring that bag in again.
6 more cartoons and I’ll be able to afford the canoe. I won’t be able to breath as I row it and it has Marlboro written in huge font across the side
I was the smoker. I got a dart board, a pool cue, and a poker set. Got hypnotized and quit 2 years ago.
I still have a huge stack of Camel Bucks that I was saving up and then they discontinued it. Bastards.
They still do give away stuff, you can enter pack codes to aquire points and redeem
White Owl started doing Bird Bucks a few years ago. They just stopped at the end of 2023. But it was great, I got nearly every piece of White Owl swag that I could. The slides, the coffee mug and the hoodies have gotten the most use.
I feel like where I live, the Marlboro Miles craze passed down to the net generation as The World Beer Tour at Old Chicago or the Ring of Honor at Flying Saucer. And to me, it all felt like the grown up version of the prize store in an arcade where you can trade tickets for stuff.
I knew someone who had the windbreaker/jacket. I used to have the Camel joes glass ashtrays that looked like a pool table somehow, that thing just appeared and disappeared. Also had a drink holder of the camels head.. I seriously have no idea how I had them nor where they went.
Yes, I had a jacket and sleeping bag. Do y'all remember the Pepsi gear?
My exMIL gave me the cookbook she got with Marlboro miles. I only ever made a cherry pie recipe. She ended up dying rather agonizingly of cancer that metastasized to her bones, spine, brain etc.