‘It’s such a rush’: the secret lives of compers

Compers are strategic in how they enter competitions. They know which will attract fewer entrants and therefore come with better odds; as well as those to avoid. Illustration: Katherine Chadwick/The Guardian

Bella*, a Melburnian in her late 50s, is driving me between shopping centres. We’re on a “comp shop”, an expedition bouncing from store to store to buy products that are part of promotional competitions. As she steers around a corner, bottles of wine clang together in the boot and a slab of beer shuffles along the backseat. Despite the fact that Bella doesn’t drink alcohol, her car has become a “bit of a hiding spot” from her family for the products she buys to enter competitions. Bella’s daughter thinks comping is “like gambling”.

“Tell you what though, she loved the trip to Italy!”