Ep 17. Golden Ticket

Michael Scott, the Regional Manager of Dunder Mifflin Scranton branch, comes up with a new sales strategy that he thinks will boost the company's numbers. He creates a "Golden Ticket" promotion where he puts five golden tickets in random boxes of paper being sold by the Scranton branch. The employees who receive the golden tickets get to bring a client for a tour of the office, meet the employees, and get some quality time with Michael.

At first, the employees are hesitant about the promotion and wonder if it's really going to increase sales. But they soon learn that it's working when they see their numbers start to rise. Everyone in the office is thrilled, except for Dwight who is always skeptical of Michael's ideas. He sees through Michael's plan and thinks that it's going to cause chaos in the office.

As predicted, chaos ensues when the first golden ticket winner, Kevin, decides to bring in his band for a jam session in the conference room. The noise bothers the other employees who are trying to work, but Michael is over the moon about the impromptu concert. The next golden ticket winner, Phyllis, brings in her husband Bob Vance and Michael can't stop complimenting him on his successful refrigeration business.

Things quickly take a turn for the worse when another golden ticket winner, Andy, brings in a client who turns out to be a complete liability. Michael is embarrassed when the client starts insulting him and the company, and Andy is mortified. To make matters worse, Dwight's suspicions are proven when he discovers that all five golden tickets were put into boxes being shipped to the Utica branch. Michael has effectively robbed his own branch of potential sales by sending the golden tickets to their competitors.

As the rest of the office deals with the fallout of the failed promotion, Michael is left to deal with the reality of his mistake. He apologizes to the employees and tries to make it up to them by taking them all out for ice cream. But even that doesn't go smoothly, as they all end up getting food poisoning from the bad ice cream. In the end, Michael learns that sometimes his ideas aren't always the best and that he needs to listen to his employees more.

The episode ends with the employees back in the office, recovering from their stomach issues. Dwight is happy to have been proven right about Michael's plan, but also reflects on the fact that he still cares about the company and wants to help it succeed. Meanwhile, Michael is left figuring out how to earn back the trust of his coworkers and come up with a new way to boost sales.