Comments on: Free at What Price?

By: Retailer Tricks to Avoid this Holiday Season « gailvazoxlade.com

Retailer Tricks to Avoid this Holiday Season « gailvazoxlade.com — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 11:54:35 +0000

[...] With Purchase: Everyone knows that most shoppers can’t resist the word “Free”. Even if you’re being encouraged to spend extra money, “Buy $50 worth of stuff and get this [...]

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By: Emma

Emma — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 10:38:09 +0000

Andrew, there are quite a few people who do in fact just ask for ice water, myself included. Drinking water doesn’t make you cheap – it’s a lot healthier than drinking the expensive pops!

But you are right – many people will buy the entree, and not take the appetizer. However, those Harvey’s “buy a burger, get one free on the next visit” is nice. I don’t go out often, but there is a Harvey’s down the street from my work, and I got a burger & fries one day, and was given a coupon for the free burger on my return. I did end up using it within the 2-3 week period, and I walked out with a free burger, nothing else. (I don’t actually *need* the fries! haha)

By: Mellow

Mellow — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 03:38:06 +0000

When we first got our computer, our phone company just happened to be having a ’sign up and get a free digital camera’ promo. Since we were signing up anyway, it truly was a free camera, and decent quality to boot. My friend signed up a couple of years later and got a free laptop from the same company. Again, the only reason these were such sweet deals for us is because we had already planned to use that company…but I could see how a LOT of people would be lured by that.

On a side note…a business in our city advertises ‘free lollipops’ when you go there…I assume it works, since they’ve been using it for a few years!

By: Andrew

Andrew — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 17:27:10 +0000

In life, nothing is free. Beware!

Some restaurants are starting this new way to hook people up. When going to a restaurant (I’m not saying the name), they give you the receipt and they encourage you to fill out a survey (service appreciation) and you get an appetizer FREE!

I haven’t fell for that one. Yeah! Giving out my email and other personal info so that someone can use that info to give me phone calls and spams. Also, is the appetizer ONLY is free? Are we going to eat at that restaurant to eat only the appetizer with a glass of water? I don’t think so! We don’t want to feel cheap, so we’re going to take an entree with a dessert and a pop (FREE refill from $3.50 to $5.50). Another gimmick to make more money on our backs!

By: Sandra

Sandra — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 18:02:02 +0000

The grocery store Metro just announced that since they started charging 5 cents for grocery bags in June, their usage has dropped by 70%. Environmental concerns, yes but the reusable bags have been available for a few years.

By: Bud

Bud — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 08:32:49 +0000

I like seeing the BOGO Deals that I read them Buy one get it half off and the second one is half off or less if the price is the same…
Buy Three to get free is Stupid I never go for that deal since I never need four items and what happen to buy one or two to get another item free…
I’ve done get an item free but I neeeded that to buy another item….
How about the free item when u shop at Superstore but u need to speed $200 or $250 that shopping trip for that item.. I’ve spent that amount when I really needed too and received $25 gift card, pumpkin, folded lawn chair, etc…
How about the silly membership cards for stores that when u have to spend a few $ to make sure u spend thoughout the yr for the points that u never use to get a discount for a future purchase…
This sign must get alot of customers in the store when it says ‘up to’ in small print and huge print ‘75% off’ when there’s only an item or two which nobodys wants!!
The new advertising gimmet is play on words for us to buy it!

By: Manda

Manda — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 04:23:48 +0000

The Mandarin promotion had me giggling too. I have a bunch of friends who were there at 6 or 7 in the morning to line up for dinner!

Myself, I volunteered to work on my Canada Day, so I made an extra 50% instead of wasting 7 hours standing in line for a 20$ meal.

I was shopping today and ended up in a meat store that was having its grand opening. I heard a little girl ask her mother why they were in there. Her mother’s response? “Because the lady told daddy there were free samples, that’s why.”

Free IS a magical word.

By: erin

erin — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 02:31:46 +0000

I had to laugh after our neighbourhood garage sale a couple months ago. My neighbour thought I had made a killing…but I had planned to just give a few things away for free…but the bin kept getting empty quickly so I kept throwing more things in for free that I thought wouldn’t sell at the Salvation Army where I planned to drop everything else off after the sale. It felt so good…one kid was so excited to find a bag of lind chocolates! Seriously people were digging through my junk knowing that it was free :0

By: Doreen

Doreen — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 02:25:42 +0000

I remember years ago – when I was in my 20s, seeing a promotion on my daily walk – to open a bank account and get a free clock-radio. So I opened the account – got the free clock-radio – then the next week, closed the account. To this day, 25 + yrs later, I still use my free clock-radio.

By: Kathleen

Kathleen — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:13:41 +0000

Did anyone go to the “free” buffet at Mandarin for Canada Day? I heard of people waiting in line from 9:00am till 6:00pm to get in for their “free” meal. How free was that?!? How much is your time worth? How much is your holiday worth?

I have better things to do on my Canada Day than to spend it in line waiting for a free lunch.

It’s very true that the word “free” can blind some people to the true value of the item. Caveat Emptor!

By: jay

jay — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 22:29:37 +0000

In defense of “Free”:

I’m not sure those studies, as described, were necessarily ‘accurate’. I’d certainly pick up a free gift certificate over a higher valued one that I need to pay for – unless I knew that the certificate was trustworthy and that there was something that I knew I would be purchasing to use the GC value. Otherwise, it’s like buying a coupon book blindly!

Likewise, I’m sure a lot of people who wouldn’t have bought ANY chocolate just helped themselves to a free Hershey’s Kiss.

And I’ve gotten lots of free stuff from RFD – and yes, you do get spam. But a gmail account dedicated to spam is also free. And if you object to Google’s advertising, Firefox browser and AdBlockPlus is also free!

By: Colin

Colin — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 21:54:30 +0000

Ah,, that old marketing ply. Put up the word “free” and watch the folks run. And they literally do.

I remember working in an gourmet food store years ago. The store had a huge display of imported potato chips that were not selling. (At $5.25 a bag 20 years ago one need not ask why they weren’t selling). The owner of the store had to clear them out as the expiry date on them was quickly approaching. So, she put them on “SALE” at 50% off to get rid of them. Nothing. They sat there for a week and still didn’t budge. So, she yanked down the sale sign, and in its place put up a big sign, “BUY ONE, GET ONE FREE” = sold out in 2 days. Net result – the same.

It works. Just like creating the demand for something that people do not know they need. An excellent case is electronics. But hey, enough about marketing. The lesson is that marketers know our triggers and so should we.

By: Sarah F.

Sarah F. — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:24:06 +0000

I admit I love free stuff lol. It took some time to realize whether it I really needed it or not though. Really who cares if it was free if it is useless? lol that was the part that took awhile to learn…
I like getting free samples off the internet.. yes it does require my time.. but it is only something I look for when I am bored and trying to kill time anyway lol
I believe some stuff is truly free. Example I work in a grocery store and sometimes I get coupons to try new products for free from the sales reps.