Is there such thing as "free gift"? Do you believe in this marketing technique? If yes, why? If no, why?

Additional Details
1. What about "free gift with purchase"?
2. If there is a "free gift", there is also a "paid gift"? Aren't gifts supposed to be free by definition?

Nothing is ever totally free. It may be free IF you buy something else with it, but nothing is ever really free by itself. The only free gifts are the ones you get from your family and friends on Christmas, but even then they expect something in return. Back to your question; no, I don't believe that there is such a thing as a "free gift."

The problem is that "free gift" is redundant. It's like saying ATM Machine, or PIN Number. If an item is a gift then it's free to the receiver.

Now, to get hung up on that is something that sticklers like myself point out. However, I've no problem with the marketing ploy of offering some sort of premium in order to get you to buy their larger product.

NOTE: I wrote this before the asker added their info.

i dont think anything is for free in the business world. the costs of the businesss has to be covered or paid one way or the other and its out of the customers' pockets that the finances are available. some way or the other, the firm can hike up prices of the original item and give another one 'free', hike up prices in general at a later date, or hike up prices of another company item to get their money back. like in phone companies with 'free calls', it pays when the firms hav high cell phone prices, rates or 'special additional charges'. either way, i think it's a great business technique to generate revenue.

Free gift depends on how you receive that gift.

Purchase a product/join a club and receive a gift that is yours too keep, even if you return the purchased product or drop out of the club...usually a rip-off. By this point in time, they have your credit card number or bank account number. The company will have their money before you successfully jump through all the hoops that get you out of their scheme.

Unsolicited items sent through the mail that are addressed to you...different story. These companies have profiled you and think that you are the type of person who would buy their product. They take a risk. You can keep their sample products and not send them a penny in return.

Nothing is for free ...

Yes. Promotional items are free, such as pens, but generally if they tell you it's free, there is usually a catch. I like the smaller useful items, like pens, because it is something I will use.

There is always a catch!

No.

It will cost me time to listen to your schpeal, $19.95 a month if I forget to cancel it, the dates I want to use it will be blacked out or it will be expired if I dont use it before August.

No thanks. Free = waste of my time.

the term "free gift" is redundant and often catches people off guard. The cost of the supposed "gift" is usually covered A) in purchase price, or B) in purchases or business conduct that results from the receipt of the 'gift'. i.e. insurance companies giving out 'free' umbrellas and desk calendars so you'll join them.

The phrase â€œfree giftâ€ is considered redundant although its increasing usage is a sign of how advertisers have expropriated the term â€œgiftâ€ to â€œrefer to merchandise offerings to which an obligation is attached. In short, it's a marketing scam to en-"lighten" your pockets. Think twice before calling a 900 number for a â€œfreeâ€ gift. For centuries, commerce was simple and straightforward. A merchant would offer a good or service for sale and a consumer would decide whether or not to buy. Today, with "negative option" marketing, commerce can be anything but simple and consumers can end up being charged for products or services they never intended to purchase. Simply put, negative option turns the sales transaction around. Instead of the merchant having to "sell" you a product or service it starts with the assumption that you've already bought it and it's up to you, the consumer, to contact the merchant and cancel the order if you don't want to complete the transaction. The Columbia Record Club and various "book-of-the-month" clubs were early pioneers of negative option marketing. The hook was an offer of five or ten books or records for FREE or at a heavily discounted price. By accepting the offer the consumer agreed to "join" the club and receive regular shipments of other books or records at the full price unless the consumer took the "negative option" telling the company it did not want to receive that month's offering. The Federal Trade Commission cracked down on negative option abuses, suing nine companies for charging customers' credit cards for products or services without gaining their express approval. The FTC found the companies, as part of a transaction with consumers, offered "free offers" or "trial offers" of other products and services without disclosing that consumers would be billed for additional products or services unless they exercised the negative option.

As you might expect negative option has been abused as its use has become more prevalent. consumers should be aware of the pitfalls that lurk behind many ordinary purchases. Anytime a consumer is offered a "free gift" or "trial offer," more than likely there is a longer-term, more expensive negative option transaction taking place. The best policy is to just say no. Otherwise, read the fine print very carefully.

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