Man went to grocery store on Thanksgiving — and returned with winning lottery ticket

Before driving to a family member’s home on Thanksgiving, a 64-year-old man stopped at a grocery store.

While at Kroger that Thursday morning, the man decided to buy a Michigan Lottery ticket — a decision that had him filled with gratitude, according to a Dec. 19 news release.

He chose a Magnificent 7s instant game ticket and went out to his car to scratch off the $20 lottery ticket.

Parked out front of Kroger, the man realized he had won $2 million, according to the release.

“When I saw I’d won $2 million, I went completely numb,” he said. “I drove straight to a family members house to have them look the ticket over and lock it in their safe.”

The man recently took his winning ticket to lottery headquarters so he could claim his prize, officials said. He was given two options — 30 annual payments worth the full $2 million or a one-time payment worth about $1.2 million.

He took the lump sum payment, officials said.

Now the man, who chose to remain anonymous, plans to buy a cottage with his newfound cash.

“It’s safe to say I was feeling extra thankful this Thanksgiving,” he said in the release.

His winning ticket was bought at a Kroger grocery store in Clarkston, about 45 miles northwest of downtown Detroit.

This story was originally published December 19, 2022 at 5:29 PM with the headline "Man went to grocery store on Thanksgiving — and returned with winning lottery ticket."