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December 1, 2008
Is free really free?
I signed up to be notified of “free” offers through FatWallet a couple weeks ago. Since Fatwallet free section is really an extension of a shopping engine, I expected most of the “free” offers to not really be free. I have not been disappointed.
For example today, someone posted a “free” reusable grocery tote from Stouffers. Over a dozen people wrote to say thanks and that they signed up. The “offer” was rated high on FatWallet, so I checked it out. Stouffers is doing a standard lead generation campaign. They want people to sign up for their “dinner club” and enter their Stouffer’s dinners they eat to earn “points” which can be donated or used in “Auctions” for fabulous prizes. You get 100 points for opening an account. That account costs you your full name, address, valid phone number, and five demographic profile questions about your household and eating habits. For that you get 100 “points”. For the month of December, the kind folks at Stouffers are offering to “give” a free meal (value $0.07) to Feed America for every 20 points donated. So basically the 100 points Stouffers gave you cost them $0.35 cash. And they got a valid name/address/phone/demographic information and the right to call you (in the TOS they get you to waive your no-call registration) and spam you with any offer they like. The best $0.35 Stouffer ever spent.
Oh, the tote. They say that for every 20 points donated to Feed America, they will deliver one grocery tote 6-8 weeks after Dec. 31 while supplies last. Let me guess how many totes they have. I guess less than 10. And a tote costs $0.99 in the store, in bulk probably $0.30. I bet I don’t get a tote even though I donated all my 100 points.
I wish there was an easy way to provide transparency to these kinds of offers.
Posted by Martin at December 1, 2008 9:30 PM
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