Getting free things is pretty awesome. Free samples, free coupons, free games, free haircuts-you name it and odds are its possible. I’ve been searching for free things for about ten years and I don’t see myself stopping anytime soon. I will be honest with you though. When I first started the freebie hunt I went overboard. Way overboard. If I found a free sample then I got it, if I needed it or not. It was obvious I needed to get a grip on things when I started ordering free samples of floor coverings (I didn’t need a new floor) and was sending free samples of Depends to one of my grandmothers not knowing if she even needed them (sorry, Grandma!).
My first step of “freebie recovery” was to figure out what I actually needed or wanted to try. Companies will give out samples and coupons in hopes of customers who will continue to purchase whatever product they’re selling. In other words, just because a company is giving out a sample of their tire tread doesn’t mean you need it (unless maybe you sell tires). If you’re looking to try a new conditioner, then by all means try and score a sample of a few conditioners until you find the one you want. That’s what freebies are about. Not to mention applying for too many samples may result in an upset mail person and a crowded mail box.
One way of finding free samples is to search on a site that has already found recent offers. It saves you the time of looking online all day, but the downside is that not all the offers are valied. The very first site I joined up for was http://www.startsampling.com. They have a lengthy list of samples that different companies are giving out. Other sites you can try that I use are http://www.totallyfreestuff.com and http://www.coolsavings.com.
Major department stores and chains will also give out free samples either in store or online. For instance, certain days Wal-Mart has free food samples for you to try hoping if you like what they’re cooking then you’ll buy more of it. If you go to http://www.walmart.com and scroll down to the bottom, on the left is an option to receive free samples. Other companies that I’ve seen do that is Target, Costco, and a lot of department stores in the makeup and fragrance areas.
Another great way to try things before buying them is to sign up at http://www.houseparty.com. You get to apply for hosting a party for certain products in order to help promote for the company selling it. Before the PS3 move was released we were picked to throw a party to help promote it. They sent us two move controllers, the camera needed, and a game. They also sent us coupons to buy drinks and food for the party, decorations for the party, and small little gifts to give to our guests. We held the party and promoted how much fun it was and in return we got to keep everything.
If you know exactly what you want to try but can’t find a free sample of it, you may want to just call or email the company. Explain to them that you would love to try their product but are nervous about investing in something you may not like. They may not be able to fulfill your request, but hopefully they’ll at least send you a coupon or two to help with the cost. I even had a situation where my printer was broken and I wasn’t able to print a coupon from Johnson & Johnson’s website. I sent them an email explaining I didn’t have a way to print it. A week later I received a letter with two coupons in them. That’s customer service!
I hope this helps you in your search for free samples. Just remember to be creative, don’t be afraid to contact the company directly if you’re serious about trying the products, and don’t go overboard and end up with ten samples of baby formula but don’t have a baby.
