Comments on: When “free” means that everyone loses.

By: Would You Like A Free Sample? — Big Bright Bulb

Would You Like A Free Sample? — Big Bright Bulb — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 03:10:50 +0000

[...] @havi discovered that free doesn’t always work. So before you start passing out bits of your product or service, you’ll first want to chew [...]

By: Amy

Amy — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 03:11:54 +0000

I know this is an old post but it reminds me of something I saw on tv years ago. It was about the concept of free and how greedy people act for it. They did a social experiment, taking rocks from in front of a business, putting them in a glass bowl with a sign saying “free, take one”. Not only did people gleefully take the ROCKS, but some people snuck more than one!

This, plus your post, really illustrates the Perceived Value that we all need to apply to our stuff. Charging higher or lower than our Right People think it should be can completely destroy the perceived value and they won’t buy.

Thank you, Havi!
.-= Amy´s last undefined ..If you register your site for free at =-.

By: Free Stuff Costs Us Too Much | Productive Flourishing

Free Stuff Costs Us Too Much | Productive Flourishing — Wed, 27 May 2009 15:06:43 +0000

[...] third leg of this post comes from a conversation Havi started about free stuff. She’s dealing with the fact that if you people free stuff, they won’t use it, but if [...]

By: rslmt83

rslmt83 — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 21:12:40 +0000

Light bulb moment for me! I am a massage therapist myself, and got a lot of insight from this–thank you! From this point forward, anyone buying a gift certificate from me will be buying two instead–each for half the value of what they’re buying. Say a 60 minute massage. 2 gift certificates for 30 minutes each. This way, the recipient can book one appt and either use both and get the *free* massage, or pay half price and still be able to hold on to that *gift* for when he/she really *needs* it. Love it, love it! Thank you!

By: mk

mk — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 03:05:01 +0000

Great topic–I think I’m more in line with the profligate souls. When I get a gift certificate I spend it! Here’s yet another variant of what can happen when you give something away.

Last year I won $100 of bodywork from a friend of mine’s studio. I scheduled right away with a woman who worked there (not my friend because she doesn’t do massage any more). I’m not sure what the arrangement was with the bodywork person that I scheduled with. I scheduled 2 sessions ($50 is her normal rate) but I kind of got the vibe that she really didn’t enjoy giving her services away. I ended up giving her a $20 tip (which on my current budget is a large amount of $$) because she did good work and I felt a little guilty. But I haven’t scheduled with her again–even though I’ve been back for 2 other massages. If I ran into her again I would feel awkward because I didn’t schedule again…

So perhaps one possible lesson is if you do give something away it needs to be really free, not given with the expectation of anything to follow? And perhaps the massages that were “free” to the workers carried some of this same baggage?

By: Would You Like A Free Sample? | Big Bright Bulb

Would You Like A Free Sample? | Big Bright Bulb — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 18:47:00 +0000

[...] @havi discovered that free doesn’t always work. So before you start passing out bits of your product or service, you’ll first want to chew [...]

By: linda

linda — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 15:52:49 +0000

I've been thinking about why people don't redeem gift cards and coupons...and maybe we've covered this already, but sometimes I [subconsciously?] think the gift card or coupon is the gift in itself. Just having it around means I have something, and once it's used I'll only have a memory... lindas last blog post..How to draw with pretty sketches

By: Jen M.

Jen M. — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 14:01:06 +0000

This is utterly fascinating, and I can see why it might not work. Several people touched on those issues. I'm an artist. I don't do "freebies," but I DO offer free shipping to other local Etsy sellers, and I often will enclose a little something extra with a customer order. That's really it. Now, in terms of RECEIVING freebies, it depends on what the freebie is. I will often use relevant freebies up as soon as I need the item/service in question, but I am a frugal sort by nature. Interesting stuff! Jen M. JenniferLynn Productions, LLC Jen M.s last blog post..Learning that it's OK to say "no."

By: Greg

Greg — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 10:46:46 +0000

Isn’t it a completely different situation with these employees? If they offered the free message to the public the doors would come crashing down. I’d guess there’d be at least a fair percentage of folks who’d pay for more. And more. And more.

By: marion barnett

marion barnett — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 09:36:44 +0000

I thought about this… I think the problem in this specific instance is less that it’s free, and more that the staff have been left with the idea that having a free massage is optional, and a ‘perk’ when it’s really intended to help them with their work, and should be part of the induction. It’s the same situation as when you say to someone, oh, come for coffee… and then it never happens because you haven’t been specific enough, and then you wonder why that person didn’t come… If the free massage was scheduled for early on in their service, then they would indeed turn up for it…and probably enjoy it. If the therapists then had a staff rate…the staff would probably use it regularly. Making everyone happy :-). I think ‘free’ should equate with ‘win-win’; if it doesn’t, we’re offering something that is of no value either to ourselves or to others…

marion barnetts last blog post..Overspill…