If It's Free, It's For Me?

I'm never one to shy away from anything, am I?

My mother and I were talking on the phone this morning about an offer for a free skein of yarn that was originally sent out to newsletter subscribers of the brand of yarn. Apparently, it made it's way onto a lot of blogs (it was a great deal!) and freebie sites. Of course, the company ran out very quickly, and I'm going to guess they were in shock didn't know what to do. (If I was in that PR department, I think I would have FREAKED! lol)

This company's Facebook page is currently now filled with hateful and angry messages about how they will never use this brand of yarn again, are unfriending the brand, how they will tell all their friends, etc, etc.

C'mon, folks: Get over it! It's a free skein of yarn. Free. It was a wonderful gesture on the part of this company, and they can't just hand out a free skein to every person they see. If they did, they'd be broke. That's not the point of running a for-profit business.

Which brings me to this: Often, I see offers for a free sample, free drink, free whatever. I share some on here, if I am sure it's legit, and it's a large company who expects their free item to go viral. (Sometimes I get PR releases about the freebie coming up) I like getting free things in the mail - who doesn't? :) But the problem is that some people are greedy. Some will sign up for the freebie under every name in their family, and maybe even the dog's name! They will sign up Uncle George, Grandma Jane, and by the time the intended audience comes along, there's nothing left. C'mon, does Uncle George really need that diaper sample?

Then you have the people who sign up for anything just because it's free. Who cares if they don't have any need for that screw sample, and they're not a contractor? They'll make up the information needed and sign up for it anyways!

And unfortunately, it happens in the blog world too. I am sad when I am reading a review on a blog, and their cousin's sister in law tested this toddler item, "cause you know, my kids are out of that stage" Well, that's grand, but it's a whole different ball game when you're reviewing for someone else. You miss a lot of things. How do I know that item didn't fall apart the next day? I no longer can trust your review as a Mom. Sure, sometimes I get great pitches in my email box I would love to review, but my daughter isn't old enough yet. In this case, sometimes I'll ask if I can host a giveaway for y'all, if I know I have enough readers who have kids in that age range - but I am always up front with the PR person in that case.

I never started this blog back in 2007 in the hope of "getting free stuff". I've heard horror stories of bloggers emailing small etsy sellers telling them they'll review their items for exposure, picking out the most expensive things in their store and telling them the sizes of all their family members. (I'd gleefully tell them where to go, if I was the sellers!) I've seen the visit stats on some of these "filled with free stuff they've begged for" blogs, and my blog stats stomp all over them. I feel horrible for some of these companies actually, because the reviews are two lines long. Wow. Again, that really tells me all about the product and makes me want to go buy it after I read the review. *rolls her eyes*

The point of this post is just a reminder: just because it's free, doesn't mean you have to have it. Is it a product you're genuinely interested in? If you liked it, would you actually buy it? Would you maybe start to visit that store if the service was good, after trying that freebie? Are your kids in that age range or right on the edge? If yes, then sign up for it! If you think Aunt Martha might be interested, send her the link and let her sign up for it. Don't sign up your cat for that free tube of toothpaste. (unless, it's pet toothpaste, of course!)