Sometimes when I'm walking through the grocery store, I'll see small free samples. On top of the ones that vendors have set up mainly in the meat and frozen food sections, I'll occasionally come across others, such as vitamins, detergents, etc. I don't see them as much as I used to, since it seems a lot of companies expect people to order free samples online, but it can be a good way to try out a product without having to take a chance on wasting money if you don't like the product. Do you see displays like this where you shop? One of the fairly recent ones I recall is for Viactiv Calcium chews. I got several and sent a few to my mom. I thought they tasted pretty good, but my mom didn't like them at all, and since she has to take Calcium in some form, at least it saved her from buying a package and then throwing it out.
In the supermarkets, there are always free samples of bread spreads, instant noodles and other fingerfoods that they give away. I never had sampled those samples. The only samples I get are sachets of shampoo and packets of soap. But anything that is ingested like food or drink, it is better to be safe than sorry. The most common sample in the mall is the alkaline water which is water and has no approved therapeutic claim. So beware.
I used to work in promotions and hand out free samples in stores and in malls. Often I would take home boxes of them and they are always popular. It's also good advertising for the company as shops and malls are happy to give prime space for these activities. These days companies do like feedback, so that's why they do take emails and details for marketing purposes, or find ways to get social media followers.
I love hunting for and finding free samples. It does not matter to me if the sample is a food product, a cleaning product, or a beauty product. I will take any sort of sample I can get my hand on because the item is free. Free samples also come with coupons that provide you with deep discounts on the item you are trying out.
I'm clearly missing out on something here - as I've never come across free samples of anything in any of the stores where I live and although I think it highly unlikely to happen - I'm sure that if we did have them - I would be more than happy to take advantage of them, if they were for something that I was thinking of buying and especially if it was a small trial size sample - that I could take home and try before purchasing the full sized version. In fact come to think it - it may even encourage me to try even more things than I do now - as it would help avoid what can sometimes be a costly mistake.
The free samples I ever get are new products made by companies whose products I buy. Whenever a new product is made, each time someone buys anything made by the company they'll also get a free sample of the new product. Such are the only free samples I get nowadays.
I do because I learned from a friend to take advantage of freebies as much as possible. I take anything from perfumes to candies and coffee, but I don't like picking up food samples at a grocery store since I always assume they have been sitting out for a long time. If it's something that is constantly heated like soup or hot chocolate, I'll bite, but as for cut up pieces of cheese or crackers, I'd rather just buy one and sample it at home if I'm really curious.
The last time I stumbled upon a free sample being handed out was many, many years ago. I don't see them now as often as I used to. But then again I don't go to the supermarket often, so maybe I'm just missing out. If I stumble upon one, then you can be sure that I will take advantage of it.
I love when stores have free samples! It is always fun to try new things out. I mostly get samples from online though. At some points in time I do not apply for it. The reason why is, applying for it can be SUPER long sometimes. I love when things are one form then done. Depending on how long the registration is, I may be getting me a sample or not. The only downfall to samples is that they can be a tease. They always make me want more of it grr.
Free samples are great, why wouldn't you take advantage of them? Free food? Pass it my way. Drinks? Yes, I'll have that. New fragrance? I wonder what it smells like. Samples can help you discover new products which you haven't ever given a chance before. I love them.
Where I shop we see food samples all the time. I only sample if I might be interested in buying the product. Most of the time I decline sampling because I'm not going to buy it at all. New products come out from different countries, or there are displays of new items and they sometimes have samples for it. I pass by or walk in another direction when I see samples that I won't buy. It makes good sense to try the sample if you're interested in buying.
I used to see test samples a lot, but now I haven't seen them in such a long time. It'd be nice though because it helps out a bit. I'll definitely take advantage of them online though if I can find some good ones. There are occasional food samples but I haven't ever tried one and thought they were amazing or something I wanted to grab and buy.
I can remember receiving lots of miniatures or free samples in the mail over the years, but they have decreased significantly. I'm not sure if that's due to the cost of postage, or that companies prefer to collect feedback data as mentioned by @Theo, via emails or other personal information. I love perfume samples, because I can't use/wear/be around all scents, and am hesitant to buy a full bottle until I've sampled it for at least several hours. This brings up a good point. Do y'all have specific sites you visit online where you can obtain/sign up for free samples? I know I've heard of them in the past, but I'm not aware of any these days, other than ones like Bzz Agent, PinchMe and Smiley360, where you have to jump right on something before it runs out, and then log in and give feedback and/or share on your social sites. If anyone has a good site, please share it so we can all get some nice freebies .
I love to try the free samples. Costco is great for this. I find once I try a free sample I'm hooked, well usually. This is especially true if the free sample they are giving away is food. It's a great way to introduce people to a product they might never try. I like to get free samples online. You can find all sorts. I've gotten samples of deodorant, mouthwash, toothpaste, razors, shampoo, cat food. It's great. I like the small sizes too, they are great to pack when you travel. In Canada you can go to this website for free samples.Log In
I received my first PinchMe delivery yesterday. I don't know if it had been sitting out there overnight, or if it was somehow delivered via USPS on a federal holiday, but I was happy to see it. I thought perhaps it had gotten lost in transit, because I'd heard from them last week stating that I had to give my feedback by the end of the month, even though I hadn't received anything. I put some of the cat food out earlier, but haven't seen which, if any, of the cats has eaten it yet. I am looking forward to using the coupon to receive my full size free cat litter, and will be trying out the lotion soon. I think it's a great way to get some free samples, and the companies get some honest feedback.
If I ever see free samples in a supermarket, I will always pick them up. Sometimes if I go shopping around lunchtime I find that I have so many samples I don't have to buy lunch at all, so it saves me a lot of money. I would never say to get hold of things that are free if you don't need them because that would be a waste, but as long as you can use them, or you know somebody who can, I don't see that there is anything wrong with getting as many free samples as possible.
The only store in my are that really has any worthwhile samples and frequently is Sam's club and I don't really shop there. I guess they're not really free though since you have to pay for the membership. Walmart has samples every now and then but it's always food. Food samples are not good when you're shopping with 3 kids lol. I get all of my samples online and through the mail. It's just so exciting to find a mailbox full of stuff. Plus, I get to try things before I spend money on them.
I take advantage of free samples, yes. Mostly, shampoos and creams are the free samples that I get from malls and other places. Sometimes, when I buy makeups, they give me free samples especially when I reached a certain amount already. My wish is that makeup stores here are like the ones in South Korea, where the free samples are a lot. I mean, more than a lot. I think makeup shopping can be quite fun there. I hope to have that same freebie giveaways here in our country!
I usually pick up samples when they are offered, although I only pick one or two, just because I kind of feel bad about picking up too much stuff for free, I don't feel like that's honest in some way. But maybe It's just some weird thing going on my mind, who knows.
When I was younger, and did not really understand how germs and things worked, I used to take free food samples from shops and stuff, fascinated by the fact that the food was free. But as I have gotten older, I stay away from free food samples. I don't know who has touched the food previously, if anyone has coughed on it, or if anything has contaminated the food prior.
