I love samples. Freebies, samples, “try me’s”, … whatever you like to call them, I’m all over it. For the past year or so, I’ve been frequenting Retail Me Not’s freebies forums. There’s always a TON of stuff posted in there.
I lurve it. :D
From time to time, if I see something I think Jessie will like, I pull the mailing label off and leave it in her box telling her it came for her. ;) I had gotten a really nice set of card samples from a place in California. Liked ’em so much, I bought a set of birthday invitations for Jessie’s party last year. :)
There are several products I use now I had discovered through ‘sampling’, so I try to actually USE what I get in the mail and see if it’s something I’d want to consider purchasing. That said, companies would be wise to actually send a person enough of their product to be able to properly try it out!
Example: I received shampoo and conditioner samples of equal size from Dove, Paul Mitchell, and Pantene. When it came time to try things out, I opened one of the packets and emptied the contents into my hand. I got a dollop about the size of a quarter. :shock: Who do these people think they are kidding? Seriously, I had to combine all three samples and use a little of the brand I normally use just to get enough shampoo into my hair (and pretty much the same with the conditioners).
Nice try, guys. ;P
Dove’s smelled the nicest, but I honestly didn’t notice any difference in the feel of the product on my hair (gee, I wonder why?), so I stuck with what I already had. A tip to marketing: when offering samples, consider giving a consumer enough to actually truly TRY it next time!
That’s just my $0.02.
electracsg
that’s funny, ’cause just today I made the mistake of signing up at one of the coupon sites…one of those that try to get you to sign up for other freebies (surveys, online classes, magazines, etc.) and they won’t let you go until they’ve asked you at least five times for every affiliate. just before hitting submit, I saw the fine print, “by submitting, you agree to allow ‘us’ to share your information with our partners”. I’ve had (no kidding) no fewer than 6 calls in the three hours since I’ve been home already. Now, I know to expect possible disappointment when the freebies arrive… sigh :sad:
Nicki
I tend to stay away from the ones that make you jump through hoops to get them. If it’s not a simple form to fill out, I’m not interested. Lucky for me most of the people who post at the Retail Me Not forums will mention if additional steps are necessary to obtain the freebie. :)