A gas station in Russia’s Oblast region has been making headlines this week for organizing an unusual promotion – a free tank of gas to anyone who showed up dressed only in women’s swimsuit and high heels.
The ingenious publicity stunt took place on July 21st, in the south-western city of Samara, and only lasted three hours. Anyone looking to get a free tank of gas was invited to show up at the gas station wearing skimpy underwear and high heels. The rules were pretty simple – wear the appropriate attire, fill up the tank yourself, and go to the front desk to tell the station attendant the pump number and fuel type. Abide by this terms and you get a full tank absolutely free.

You would think most people would consider such an offer degrading, especially towards women, but local journalists present at the Olvi gas station in Samara for the big event reported a long queue of people – both men and women – hoping for a chance to show their assets for a free tank of gas.

Although the mandatory dress code seemed aimed at women, the rules didn’t specify that you had to be one in order to qualify for the promotion, and some men were quick to take advantage. Photos snapped by passers-by and posted on Russian social network VKontakte show guys wearing women’s swimming suits walking awkwardly towards the gas station after filling up their tanks. “You know, 2016 is a crisis year. I can take five minutes of shame for a week’s worth of free rides,” one young man told URA.ru.

And while most beneficiaries were indeed women – of all ages, some of them even carrying small babies – reports claim many of them were actually helping out their husbands or boyfriends, some of whom were actually waiting in the cars as their scantly-dressed partners filled up the tank. “These guys are lazy asses! They can’t even fill up their own gas tanks??? Shameful,” one person commented online.

The promotional event organized by Olvi to show off their “attractive prices” may be unusual, but it certainly isn’t very original. Just last year a gas station in Ukraine did the exact same thing. I guess it’s a great way to get attention.