Clerk convinces Michigan man to buy $300,000 winning lottery ticket

June 1 (UPI) -- A Michigan man said a store clerk had to talk him into buying the scratch-off lottery ticket that earned him a $300,000 jackpot.

The 52-year-old St. Joseph County man told Michigan Lottery officials he was at Hoffman Street Grocery in Three Rivers when he stopped to look at the lottery counter.

"I stopped to pick up a few things and went by the Lottery counter while I was there," the man recalled. "As I was standing there, the clerk suggested I play the Mystery Prize Cashword game."

The man said it took some convincing to get him to buy the ticket.

"I told her I don't play often, and I wasn't too sure about that type of ticket. She told me they were pretty simple to play and had been lucky lately, so I decided to buy two. The first one turned out to be a $300,000 winner," the player said.

The winner said he plans to use his prize money to pay off his home and help out his family members.