Freebies Quotes

We've searched our database for all the quotes and captions related to Freebies. Here they are! All 57 of them:

Here's a freebie: Don't play poker with a kid who can read minds.
James Patterson (The Final Warning (Maximum Ride, #4))
So, you don’t give out freebies? Like ever?” That just sounded so bizarre to me. I would’ve thought a gigolo would be a complete man-whore, even off the clock. But when his jaw went dead still as he stopped chewing and he said, “Are you…asking for one?
Linda Kage (Price of a Kiss (Forbidden Men, #1))
Here's a freebie: Don't play poker with a kid who can read minds." - Maximum Ride says this about Angel a member of her flock who can read minds :P
James Pattison
Statements of ordinary people are ignored like poor freebies, statements of great people are accepted like profound philosophy.
Amit Kalantri
Potential boyfriends could not smoke Merit cigarettes, own or wear a pair of cowboy boots, or eat anything labeled either lite or heart smart. Speech was important, and disqualifying phrases included “I can’t find my nipple ring” and “This one here was my first tattoo.” All street names had to be said in full, meaning no “Fifty-ninth and Lex,” and definitely no “Mad Ave.” They couldn’t drink more than I did, couldn’t write poetry in notebooks and read it out loud to an audience of strangers, and couldn’t use the words flick, freebie, cyberspace, progressive, or zeitgeist. . . . Age, race, weight were unimportant. In terms of mutual interests, I figured we could spend the rest of our lives discussing how much we hated the aforementioned characteristics.
David Sedaris (Me Talk Pretty One Day)
Sometimes one pays most for the things one gets for nothing.
Albert Einstein
If you can open your mouth to say; I love you! To someone without taking such person(s) as your priority, even with your gifts and money, something more important than your freebie is missing out!
Michael Bassey Johnson
She’d read somewhere that every woman got a freebie stupid mistake when it came to men.
Jill Shalvis (Animal Magnetism (Animal Magnetism, #1))
I'm never going to complain about receiving free early copies of books, because clearly there's nothing to complain about, but it does introduce a rogue element into one's otherwise carefully plotted reading schedule. ... Being a reader is sort of like being president, except reading involves fewer state dinners, usually. You have this agenda you want to get through, but you get distracted by life events, e.g., books arriving in the mail/World War III, and you are temporarly deflected from your chosen path.
Nick Hornby (The Polysyllabic Spree)
That’s your one freebie. Once I have you naked, the only name I want to hear you call out is mine. You need to send up a prayer when I make you scream? I want it to be to me.
Lilian T. James (Meet Me Halfway (Learning to Love Series))
Here's a freebie, no tears required. Loving the hell out of sex doesn't mean you're always in the mood. Even when you have a cock.
Kit Rocha (Beyond Jealousy (Beyond, #4))
Hmph,” Jackie said, and put down her paper to hold out her hand for the muffin; breakfast meeting or not, she had a weakness for freebies and carbohydrates.
Camille Pagán (Life and Other Near-Death Experiences)
when you’re on a budget, you take any discounts and freebies you can get.
Danielle Jamie (Scandalous: Book 1)
Sometimes you caught a break, but outright freebies? Never.
Stephen King (11/22/63)
When a container of foreign goodies arrives in the village, everyone mobs the freebies and takes the Western handouts. This collapses the local business and these displaced go-getters become the famous warlords we in the West have all learned are the nexus of all those people’s problems.
Joel Salatin (Folks, This Ain't Normal: A Farmer's Advice for Happier Hens, Healthier People, and a Better World)
There will be a cauldron of spiced hot cider, and pumpkin shortbread fingers with caramel and fudge dipping sauces as our freebies, and I've done plenty of special spooky treats. Ladies' fingers, butter cookies the shape of gnarled fingers with almond fingernails and red food coloring on the stump end. I've got meringue ghosts and cups of "graveyard pudding," a dark chocolate pudding layered with dark Oreo cookie crumbs, strewn with gummy worms, and topped with a cookie tombstone. There are chocolate tarantulas, with mini cupcake bodies and legs made out of licorice whips, sitting on spun cotton candy nests. The Pop-Tart flavors of the day are chocolate peanut butter, and pumpkin spice. The chocolate ones are in the shape of bats, and the pumpkin ones in the shape of giant candy corn with orange, yellow, and white icing. And yesterday, after finding a stash of tiny walnut-sized lady apples at the market, I made a huge batch of mini caramel apples.
Stacey Ballis (Wedding Girl)
It was the Die Trying promotion tour, and I wasn't mugged. In fact, I mugged the other guy. Promotion tours are hard work, but the compensation is freebie visits to places you might not otherwise go, so I always make a habit, when the day is done, of taking a stroll, usually about midnight. I was in San Francisco, so figured I'd go look at the Tenderloin part of town, which is rough. This guy stepped out and basically said, "Give me your money." ... I was amazed how quickly I snapped back through almost 40 years and suddenly became that tough city kid again. I got right in the guy's face and told him he had to give me his money or I'd break his arms. Just a purely instinctive reaction from long ago. Never back down. Never show fear. He only had five bucks. I gave it to the next homeless person I saw.
Lee Child
The twentysomething years have never been more in the zeitgeist. Popular culture has an almost obsessive focus on the twenties such that these freebie years appear to be all that exist. Child celebrities and everyday kids spend their youth acting twenty, while mature adults and the Real Housewives dress, and are sculpted, to look twenty-nine. The young look older and the old look younger, collapsing the adult lifespan into one long twentysomething ride.
Meg Jay (The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter - And How to Make the Most of Them Now)
Now listen, I have a plan—” Settling his elbows on the desk, he clasped his hands together and looked attentively to the front of the classroom. “When they come around with the freebies, I’ll hold the bag open and you just pour the whole tub in, okay?” “You’re an eejit,” I said, chuckling. “I’m serious,” he shot back, keeping his eyes trained on the large container of condoms on the desk. I studied his face. “Jesus, you are serious.” “They’re mine,” he replied, grinning devilishly. “And I’m taking them all.
Chloe Walsh (Keeping 13 (Boys of Tommen #2))
Bellusdeo laughed. It was, for a moment, the only sound in the quiet of the fief’s night, and it was warmer and deeper than the lingering night chill. When her laughter faded, she glanced at Kaylin. “I was not like this before. I thought that the Shadows had not touched me.” She lowered her head a moment. Kaylin understood this, as well. “It seems so unfair,” she finally said. “Life is unfair. Which part of it pains you?” “We suffer, and it breaks something. When we win free—by gaining our name, by crossing a bloody bridge—we still live in a cage of scars. If life were fair, we would never have suffered what we suffered at all; having suffered it and survived, we’re still reacting to things that don’t exist anymore.” “But they did.” “Yes. I hate that they still define me.” Voice lower, she said to Bellusdeo, “I want that to change. I don’t know how to change it. But I’m willing to spend the rest of my life trying.” Shaking her head, she forced herself to smile; it was surprisingly easy. There was something about Bellusdeo that she liked. “Home is a strange thing.” “What do you mean?” “We lose it, and we think it’s gone forever. That’s how I felt the first time I lost mine. It took me years to understand that I could find—and make—another. I couldn’t do it on my own, though; I don’t think—for me—home exists in isolation.
Michelle Sagara West (Cast in Ruin (Chronicles of Elantra, #7))
Five years from today. Where, exactly, do you want to be?" Her eyes lit up. Sadie loves that kind of question. "Ooh. Wow. Let me think. December, getting close to Christmas. I'll be twenty-one..." "Passed out under the tree with a fifth of Jack, half a 7-Eleven rotisserie chicken, and a cat who poops in your shoes." Frankie returned our startled glances with his lizard look. "Oh, wait. That's me. Sorry." I opted to ignore him. "Five years to the day,Sadie." She glanced quickly between Frankie and me. "Do we need a time-out here?" "Nope," I said. "Carry on." "Okay. Five years. I will be in New York visiting the pair of you because, while NYU is fab, I will be halfwau through my final year of classics at Cambridge, trying to decide whether I want to be a psychologist or a pastry chef. You," she said sternly to Frankie, "will be drinking appropriate amounds of champagne with your boyfriend, a six-three blond from Helsinki who happens to design for Tory Burch. Ah! Don't say anything. It's my future. You can choose a different designer when it's you go. I want the Tory freebies." She turned to me. "We will be sipping said champagne in the middle of the Gagosian Galley, because it is the opening night of your first solo exhibit. At which everything will sell." She punctuated the sentence by poking the air with a speared black olive. "I love you," I told her. Then, "But that wasn't really about you." "Oh,but it was," she disagreed, going back to her salad. "It's exactly where I want to be. Although" -she grinned over a tomato wedge- "I might have the next David Beckham in tow." "The next David Beckham is a five-foot-tall Welshman named Madog Cadwalader. He has extra teeth and bow legs." "Really?" Sadie asked. Frankie snorted. "No.Not really.
Melissa Jensen (The Fine Art of Truth or Dare)
In the 1930s one of Jung’s students, Joseph Wheelwright, asked him about the split from Freud, and in 1991 Wheelwright recounted Jung’s reply: He [Jung] sent his book. You know, they give you freebies when you publish a book, and you send them off to your buddies with a little note saying, “I love ya, honey.” So this was in 1913, and Jung sent one of these copies to Freud, and he got it back by return post, and scrawled across the flyleaf was “Resistance to the father. S. Freud.” It was unread . . . And I said, “Well, what did you do?” And he [Jung] said, “I turned to my wife, Emma, who was in the room and said, ‘I feel as though I have been thrown out of my father’s house.
Daniel Benveniste (The Interwoven Lives of Sigmund, Anna and W. Ernest Freud: Three Generations of Psychoanalysis)
The truth is I’m a chicken shit coward who’s afraid of a girl like you. When I’m with you, I want things I never thought I’d be able to have, or deserved, and that scares me a little. I’m just a regular guy who works in a bar and you’re this beautiful person who shines brighter than the stars. I think I just made up some cheesy poetry so I’ll stop while I’m ahead. If you feel like talking, give me a call. ~D Sophie sat down on the floor and, through blurry eyes, reread the note so many times she had it memorized. She was going to do more than give him a call.
Jenny Lyn (Clearing the Air)
Rather than some boozy lunch with editors and sponsored parties, we cut right to the chase. We have editorial integrity, we don’t accept freebies and we make the final decision about what is worthy,” he said. “But as publisher and editor, I’m part of the religious and secular worlds, and I make the decision. No offense, but I think the whole church-and-state thing is a very tired, U.S. concept.
Anonymous
look, and I’m sure you’ll be amazed at the wealth of great books—usually there are several hundred freebies in virtually every category of fiction and nonfiction, every day of the year. And these aren’t just the
Steve Weber (Kindle Buffet: Find and download the best free books, magazines and newspapers for your Kindle, iPhone, iPad or Android)
There is a boat ride at Epcot across the World Showcase Lagoon and some could argue this is an attraction. However, there is a boat ride from the International Gateway at Epcot that goes all the way to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The ride consists of stops at Epcot, Disney’s Boardwalk, Yacht and Beach Club, Swan and Dolphin Hotel, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. It’s a lovely cruise that connects the two theme parks. Most folks who are not staying in the resorts have no idea this 30-minute ride even exists. It is a fun way to see the different parts of the resort and it gives everyone an idea of how close Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios really is (if you don’t have to drive.) For those adventurous types, there is a walkway too and along the way you could check out the interesting architecture of the buildings.
Jodi Jill (Disney Freebies: 35 Freebies to Grab on Your Disneyland and Disney World Vacation)
When you’re on a budget, you take any discounts and freebies you can get.
Christy Dilg (Mouth: A Steamy Anthology)
FREEBIE FRIDAY!  
Shelly Morgan (Born Into Destiny (Forsaken Sinners MC, #2.5))
Sooner or later there will always be a cost for "Free Stuff
Will Leamon
Not only do fossil fuel companies receive $775 billion to $1 trillion in annual global subsidies, but they pay nothing for the privilege of treating our shared atmosphere as a free waste dump—a fact that has been described by the Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change as “the greatest market failure the world has ever seen.” That freebie is the real distortion, that theft of the sky the real subsidy.13
Naomi Klein (This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate)
In addition to the exterior packaging, don’t forget the items that go inside of the package, such as hang tags, free stickers, posters, postcards and other freebies. You can get stickers printed for a low cost at 123stickers.com. For postcards and any other printing, we recommend NextDayFlyers.com. You can also make hang tags yourself by printing them as business card and punching ⅛” holes into them (then attach them to your products using a tagging gun). Use your creativity to come up with additional affordable packaging ideas.
Moust Camara (Launch a Kick Ass T-Shirt Brand: An Essential Guide to Building a T-Shirt Empire)
No longer would the Post write such lines as one identified by Chal Roberts in his history of the paper: “Sam Jones, 24, Negro, was arrested for larceny yesterday.” Overnight, he eliminated “freebies”—trips paid for by the government and free tickets for anything. Also, after just a few weeks on the job, he called in the police reporter, Al Lewis, to ask if he was having parking
Katharine Graham (Personal History: A Memoir)
Mastery isn't about being the best tennis player or the best mom. The resonance of mastery is in the process and progress. It is about work, and learning to develop an appetite for challenge. Mastery inevitably means encountering hurdles; you won't always overcome them, but you won't let them stop you from trying. You may never become a world-class swimmer, but you will learn to swim across the lake. And the unexpected by-product of all of that hard work you put in to mastering things? Confidence. Not only did you learn to do something well, but you got a freebie. The next point is invaluable. The confidence you get from mastery is contagious. It spreads. It doesn't even really matter what you master: For a child, it can be as simple as tying a shoe. What matters is that mastering one thing gives you the confidence to try something else.
Katty Kay (The Confidence Code: The Science and Art of Self-Assurance – What Women Should Know)
What you should be looking for is something simple like • Less organized to more organized • Anxious to calm and happy • Struggling to get traffic to plentiful page views and subscribers Determining this will help you better articulate the benefits and the problem that your opt-in freebie solves.
Meera Kothand (The Blog Startup: Proven Strategies to Launch Smart and Exponentially Grow Your Audience, Brand, and Income without Losing Your Sanity or Crying Bucketloads of Tears)
Hashtaggers and Instagram influencers may have no goal other than profit, self-promotion, and self-enrichment (getting freebies from the brands they are flashing, and more followers), but the impact on everyone is widely felt. This impact can be particularly profound in more impressionable groups, particularly younger people.
Ramani S. Durvasula ("Don't You Know Who I Am?": How to Stay Sane in an Era of Narcissism, Entitlement, and Incivility)
One platter held two fillets of salmon, each thinly sliced and surrounded by appropriate garnishes and small rounds of dark bread. The other platter had a lush assortment of appetizers. "Why, that's perfectly lovely," said Sally, who immediately had a brioche round swathed with foie gras on the way to her mouth. I attacked the salmon. Between chews, Sally managed to say, "Please thank him for us. I'm sure it's a sweatshop in the kitchen, but when there's time, I'd love to meet him." "I'll be sure to tell him. Right now he's a bit like a chicken without its noggin." "This salmon is delicious. Do you smoke it yourself?"I always like to compliment freebies from the kitchen. It usually keeps them coming. This time I was being totally honest; the salmon was incredible. "Aye, we do. And the other salmon fillet on the plate is cured in tequila and lime juice. We do that here as well. And we bake the brown bread that's with it. All of our salmon comes from Ireland, as well as the dark flour for the bread.
Nancy Verde Barr (Last Bite)
The most popular Foursquare feature is a competitive challenge called The Mayor. The rules read: “If you’ve got more check-ins than anyone else at a particular place, we deem you ‘The Mayor’ of that place. But once someone else comes along who has checked in more times than you, they then steal the ‘Mayor’ title back from you.” As soon as you become mayor, Foursquare sends an announcement to your friends congratulating you. Even better, some bars and restaurants have set up special deals for whoever happens to be mayor at any given time. The Marsh Café in San Francisco, for example, lets the current mayor drink for free. Of course, this is also a smart move on the part of the café—players have extra incentive to bring their friends there nightly to try to achieve or hold on to the mayor status, boosting business throughout the week. It’s also a good example of how traditional brick-and-mortar companies might be able to augment their services by more actively taking part in this popular reality-based game. Currently, hundreds of venues—from the Sacramento Zoo to a Wendy’s fast-food restaurant in the student union at the University of North Carolina Charlotte—offer deals or freebies for Foursquare players. Why do people love the idea of becoming the mayor? Because trying to become mayor of your favorite city spots gives you a chance to keep doing something you already love, but do it more. It gives you an excuse to spend as much time as possible at the places that make you happiest. And when you notice someone else vying for your mayor status, you get an instant friendly rival, motivating you to visit your favorite places more often, the same way a Nike+ challenger pushes you to run faster and longer.
Jane McGonigal (Reality Is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World)
More than a decade ago, when my office was in the suburbs of Bethesda, Maryland, I used to enjoy feeding the squirrels in the yard through which my patients walked to reach the waiting room. The little critters—certainly nothing to be afraid of—grew increasingly tame, until some were taking the peanuts from my outstretched hand. I left a can of raw peanuts in my office waiting room to remind me to give them a few handouts each day. One day, I was sitting with one of my patients in the office when we heard a startling clatter coming from the waiting room. I got up somewhat fearfully to investigate. The door from outdoors into the waiting area was ajar and the can of peanuts knocked to the floor. Encouraged and empowered by my generous freebies, squirrels had invaded the inner sanctum of my office. That invasion seemed humorous and harmless enough until a few days later, when I heard one of my patients shriek as she came through the pathway to the office. A squirrel had climbed up her pants leg, seeking a peanut handout. I stopped feeding the squirrels. Obeying negative legacy emotions is like feeding wild critters. They will take over and grow in power until we have unmanageable beasts trying to overwhelm us from inside our heads. We need to stop feeding the squirrels in our heads. We can start by refusing to listen or respond to them.
Peter R. Breggin (Guilt, Shame, and Anxiety: Understanding and Overcoming Negative Emotions)
The society that lives on subsidies and freebies, is always responsible for a corrupt governance.
Dr. Ashok Anand
IF SOMEBODY IS NOT EDUCATED IN AGRICULTURE AND YOU GIVE HIM THE VOTING RIGHT, WHAT WILL HE DO? IF YOU GIVE HIM 1000 RUPEES OR SOME FREEBIE, THAT IS THE ECONOMIC PRINCIPLE OR STRATEGY FOR HIS PERSONAL LIFE, SO HE WILL VOTE FOR YOU, THAT’S ALL! THAT IS THE WAY THE FREEBIES HIJACKED THE HEALTH OF THE NATION.
The SPH JGM HDH Bhagavan Nithyananda Paramashivam, Reviver of KAILASA - the Ancient Enlightened Hind
A POOR MAN KNOWS ECONOMIC POLICIES AND STRATEGIES ONLY FOR HIS PERSONAL LIFE. HE IS NOT EDUCATED ABOUT THE COUNTRY’S GOOD - WHAT IS GOOD FOR THE COUNTRY OR WHAT IS THE RIGHT POLICY FOR THE COUNTRY. THIS IS HOW FREEBIES ARE USED TO DESTROY COUNTRIES. THIS IS WHAT IS IRRESPONSIBLE DEMOCRACY.
The SPH JGM HDH Bhagavan Nithyananda Paramashivam, Reviver of KAILASA - the Ancient Enlightened Hind
Gameosophy is a leading platform offering App Templates, Games, Web & WordPress. The downloads are available as paid-in-demand. We update weekly exclusive freebies and blog entries about the newest trends in the digital world. gameosophy.net
Gameosophy
I get paid for my time, not sex, but if she’s hot and wants it, I say why not? I’ll throw it in as a freebie.” “And if she’s not hot?” “I’ll probably still throw it in. My standards aren’t real high.
J. Bengtsson (Fiercely Emma (Cake, #3))
I started weeping out loud as the scenes of my past replayed through my head. I’d always seen God’s interventions as freebies, as nice gestures from an all-powerful genie-like figure. I was finally beginning to see not only what it meant to have a clean slate, but also how much it cost Him to give me one.
Michael J Heil (Pursued: God’s relentless pursuit and a drug addict’s journey to finding purpose)
A favorite freebie was the heat-sensitive Oxy-Contin mug that bore the words: “The one to start with . . . .” When filled with hot coffee, the rest of the slogan materialized: “The one to stay with.
John Temple (American Pain: How a Young Felon and His Ring of Doctors Unleashed America’s Deadliest Drug Epidemic)
There’s something about a snowy weekend that feels like a freebie; like the earth is saying, Slow down, enjoy yourself, there’s nowhere to go anyway.
Heather Marshall (Looking For Jane)
A further reason for the indestructibility of the Presidency lies in the psychology of mass democracy. Once again Tocqueville provides the text. “Our contemporaries,” he wrote, “are constantly excited by two conflicting passions: they want to be led, and they wish to remain free....By this system the people shake off their state of dependency just long enough to select their master and then relapse into it again.
Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. (The Imperial Presidency)
You see this?” Suryo held up a tiny, green plastic toy soldier about 4 cm in height. It was one of those common plastic freebies found in crisp packages. There was something odd, however, about the toy soldier. There was a dark, long nail that was bent around its crotch. “What does this mean?” My grandmother demanded. “A nail around the crotch? Is it a spell to break up our marriages?” Aunt Salma asked. “Not sure,” Suryo sighed. He looked at my grandfather. “It’s over now. We’ll get rid of this.” “Suryo, how long has it been in the pond?” My grandfather asked. “A long time.” “The toy soldier. Is that meant to be my father?” Adam asked. We stopped and stared at him. Suddenly I felt frightened. My father. The soldier. Was this spell also meant to bring harm to my father?
Salina Christmas (The Keeper of My Kin: The Constant Companion Tales)
Paying or having paid for something often makes it seem necessary; or better, more important, or more useful than it is.
Mokokoma Mokhonoana
Change begins when you realize that there are no hidden or buried treasures. No Santa Claus nor genie. Just you and your determination to succeed.
Michael Bassey Johnson (Night of a Thousand Thoughts)
Great, a freebie then.” Ryan swipes the money from her hand. “See yourself out.
Ker Dukey (Empathy (Empathy, #1))
No freebies...be paid for your art. This is your business.
Lisa Goldin (40 Ways To Tame A Musician)
Real estate developer offer varied deals to attract home buyers. This includes low attention loan, freebie, and supplementary features in the residence.
Cyrille Auxenfans
Activity pouch on airplanes Buttons and pins Crayons and coloring place mats from restaurants Disposable sample cup from the grocery store Erasers and pencils with eraser tops Fireman hat from a visit to the fire station Goodie bags from county fairs and festivals Hair comb from picture day at school Infant goods from the maternity ward Junior ranger badge from the ranger station and Smokey the Bear Kids’ meal toys Lollipops and candy from various locations, such as the bank Medals and trophies for simply participating in (versus winning) a sporting activity Noisemakers to celebrate New Year’s Eve OTC samples from the doctor’s office Party favors and balloons from birthday parties Queen’s Jubilee freebies (for overseas travelers) Reusable plastic “souvenir” cup and straw from a diner Stickers from the doctor’s office Toothbrushes and floss from the dentist’s office United States flags on national holidays Viewing glasses for a 3-D movie (why not keep one pair and reuse them instead?) Water bottles at sporting events XYZ, etc.: The big foam hand at a football or baseball game or Band-Aids after a vaccination or various newspapers, prospectuses, and booklets from school, museums, national parks . . .
Bea Johnson (Zero Waste Home: The Ultimate Guide to Simplifying Your Life by Reducing Your Waste)
Students at places like Cleveland State - and I've confirmed these observations with people who have worked at comparable schools - are being trained to occupy positions somewhere in the middle of the class system, in the depths of one bureaucracy or other. They're being conditioned for lives with few second chances, no extensions, little support, narrow opportunity - lives of subordination, supervision, and control, lives of deadlines, not guidelines. For students at prestigious schools, it is exactly the reverse: connections, freebies, privileges, access. And one more thing: impunity.
William Deresiewicz (Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life)
The fastest way to kill creativity and human potential in any community is to keep feeding them freebies. Charity cannot cure poverty
Nicky Verd
At the café chain Pret A Manger, for example, regular customers noticed that, every now and then, they’d be given something for free with their order. One service expert wrote, of getting free coffee, “It has happened a few times over the last few years, too often for it to be a coincidence, yet so infrequent that it is unexpected. This makes me feel valued as a customer, puts a smile on my face and encourages me to visit again.” These “spontaneous” gifts are only half-spontaneous, as it turns out. Pret A Manger employees are allowed to give away a certain number of hot drinks and food items every week. Pret CEO Clive Schlee said of his staffers, “They will decide ‘I like the person on the bicycle’ or ‘I like the guy in the tie’ or ‘I fancy that girl or that boy.’ It means 28% of people have had something free.” Think on that. Almost a third of customers have gotten something free at least once. (Probably more than once, if they have dimples.) Other retail chains provide discounts or freebies to customers who use loyalty cards, of course, but Schlee told the Standard newspaper he rejected that approach: “We looked at loyalty cards but we didn’t want to spend all that money building up some complicated Clubcard-style analysis.” This is ingenious. Pret A Manger has restored the surprise and humanity to perks that, in a loyalty card scheme, would have been systematized. Note that the giveaways are satisfying for the staff as well as the customers. In an industry where rules tend to govern every employee behavior, it’s a relief for employees to be given some discretion: Hey, every week, give away some stuff to whomever you like. It broke the script for them, too. In the service business, a good surprise is one that delights employees as well as customers.
Chip Heath (The Power of Moments: Why Certain Moments Have Extraordinary Impact)