Contact Your Local Freebie Provider

Your best source of freebies could be just down the street. Businesses are always trying to keep the flow of inventory going. If a local business has an item that hasn't sold at retail price, then they'll try to sell it at a discount. They may even include it in a promotion or store-wide sale. If the item still doesn't sell, then they might move it to a clearance section. If it doesn't sell at that point, then they only have a few options left, but one thing is for sure, they can't keep it. At that point the item has not only lost it's money-making potential, it is also costing the store money because another item in its place would sell and make a profit. They have to clear the shelf and fill it with something that will sell and hopefully keep selling. To get rid of this unsellable item they will either sell it to a second-hand store, donate it to a non-profit for a tax deduction, throw it away, or they'll give it to you for free!

The amount of time that the store allows the item to sit on the shelf will depend on the store and it will also depend on the item or product. If the item has a an expiration date, sell-by date, or it's made for a specific season then it will either go on sale or be given away after the date or season is over. However, the fact that the product has lost its money-making potential doesn't mean the item isn't useful anymore. There is a difference between a "sell-by" date and a "use-by" date. Also, products which are made for specific seasons will be useful again when the season comes the next year.

Keeping a flow of inventory is a key concept for those who dumpster dive or practice extreme couponing. It can also be useful for anyone who is willing to simply muster up the courage and ask local businesses for freebies.

On multiple occasions I've spoken to employees of Home Depot who have confirmed that when they have a tool that won't sell, they mark it down. And when it won't sell after having been marked down multiple times and moved to the clearance section, they mark it down to a penny and then throw it away! One manager that I talked to said it happens occasionally, though she tries to avoid it by donating the tools to a non-profit. When I asked if they would ever be willing to give the tools to individuals instead of non-profits she said that's against store policy. In fact, they not only throw the tool away, they destroy it and then keep it in a locked container until its disposed. The store doesn't want to build a reputation that might attract scavengers and ultimately draw away actual customers. However, when I spoke to this particular manager, she admitted that they frequently give away wood scraps, saw dust and even day-old mulch. The day-old mulch is still usable. A person only has to sprinkle water over it to re-moisturize it. Sawdust can also be useful in a garden, and free wood scraps can be used for crafts or firewood.

I'm convinced that any business produces it's products in enough excess to be able to provide some of them for free. All you have to do is think of an item that you need, and then think of a business that manufactures it, promotes it, uses it for promotion, sells it, or uses it and replaces it frequently.

Getting freebies from a manufacturer is a well-known strategy for obtaining free samples and coupons in the mail. If the manufacturer happens to be nearby, you may also obtain freebies by visiting the factory. Some factories even give away freebies during free tours. For example, if you take a tour at the Jelly Belly factory, you'll receive samples throughout the tour, as well as a free bag of Jelly Bellies at the end of the tour (and the tour is free).

Marketing companies, company sponsors, and companies which promote products are also known to give away freebies. One time I was visiting my local bank who happened to be giving away T-shirts featuring the local professional baseball team. They were sponsors of the team, so they were using the T-shirts as double promotion and to get people to sign up for a new account. I already had an account with the bank, but I was going to a baseball game that night with my dad so I really wanted a T-shirt. When I explained the situation to the teller, they went to ask the manager and I not only got a T-shirt for myself but for my dad also.

Trade shows are great places to get freebies. In fact, they're perfect places to get freebies because the business promoting the product doesn't want to pay shipping to return the product back to headquarters. The product was meant for promotion at the trade show. Once the trade show is over, the product is out of its package, therefore used, and it can't be sold. So these products are often given away for free.

Dentists not only promote the use of toothbrushes, toothpaste and dental floss, they also use these items to promote their practice. They order these products with the practice logo and contact information. If you needed any of these items, there's probably a dentist within a 10-minute drive that would give them to you whether you use their dental services or not.

Businesses which sell the product (retailers), are the most obvious and upfront businesses to the average consumer. They're your local grocery and drug store, department store, mini-mart, electronics store, auto store, restaurant, etc. They spend lots of money on advertisements to get people into the front door. However, if they give away any freebies, you'll find them in the back door or by talking to the manager.

The retail level of business is where the "sell-by" date rule most often applies. While growing up I played at my cousin's house frequently. There are a lot of siblings in his family and during those years they were borderline poverty-level. But somehow they always had a full bag of bagels from the local bagel shop. As a kid I was never able to figure out how they were always so fortunate to have so many bagels when my own family was rarely able to buy them. Later, I was able to match the fact that their neighbor was a dumpster diver with the fact that the bagel shop down the street guaranteed "freshly-baked" bagels every day. They conveniently put all the day-old bagels in a closed black trash bag next to their dumpster every night. The dumpsters behind any food store can be a nasty place, and a black trash bag never looks appealing because we correlate it with the trash. However, a new black trash back, with only bagels inside and closed, actually keeps the bagels clean and edible. The "freshly-baked" guarantee was a "sell-by" characteristic that gave my cousin and his family a virtually unlimited supply of free bagels.

If you're not willing to dumpster dive, then you may possibly get "sell-by" products before they go in the trash by talking to the manager. The local mini-mart has to clear out and clean their hot-dog burners. They've got to do something with those hot dogs. The pizza place has undelivered or unclaimed pizzas all the time. Make friends with the managers of these places. Even for products that don't have a specified "sell-by" date, you can still possibly get freebies from retailers by knowing the business itself and the cycles of sales that they have throughout the year. This can help you keep an eye on products that are getting left behind even during the sale.

Once you're willing to actually ask for freebies, the most frequent obstacle you may encounter is the store employees. After all, they work there, so they are probably the first to know when something is offered for free. I've never known a pizza delivery guy that didn't come with a pizza most nights of the week.You must also be willing to settle for an item that isn't necessarily the best item, the name brand, or the newest, most popular item. Its very unlikely that you would get a free iPod, but you may still be able to get a free MP3 player.

Businesses which frequently use products and replace them don't have much interest in selling the old products because that's not their business. On multiple occasions I have seen businesses give stuff away because they were simply done with it. This includes desks, computers, books, etc. Once I got 10 five-inch binders from a local attorney's office. I thought they'd be useful for class notes. It was a week later when I went to Office Depot, happened to pass by their 5-inch binders and found out that they were $30 each! I was shocked because 1-3 inch binders are only a couple of dollars at Walmart. I didn't realize that I had received $300-worth of specialized office supplies for free.

Local schools replace their computers every few years. Libraries may replace their shelves with newer books. Car dealerships may purchase upgraded tires in order to sell their cars. You'll never know what they do with the unused lower grade tires unless you ask. (My brother was certain I could make an eBay business out of that if I wanted to. He used to be in the tire business.) Apartment complexes, especially ones with storage units, are left with incredible treasures on a regular basis because people leave things behind when they move out.

If the business is some type of training school, they'll use the product and have no interest in trying to sell what is left over because their business is the training, not the sale of that product. For example, any local school which has a floral design class will have leftover flowers which you may get for free. If the school trains their students to give haircuts, they may not charge for the haircut. You just have to be patient with a student who is learning yet is still supervised by a professional. You can even get free health care from students in training.

All of these examples are meant to show that local businesses can be freebie providers. They don't wast their time and money promoting the fact that they're giving something away so you have to ask for it to find out. If there is a certain product that you want or need, then think of a business that deals with that product or uses it. This can be any level of business including manufacturing, promotion, and retail. Then, once you've thought of the business, go to it and see what you can get for free just by asking. Sometimes this will require thinking outside of the box. Getting electronics for free might be difficult if you only go to the local Best Buy. However, if you go to a trade show, or a local school that is replacing their computers, then you might get what you need for free.

Common Free Samples at Local Businesses:

• Free food samples at the local grocery store, especially the deli and bakery.
• Free music samples on CD at local music stores and musical instrument stores.
• Free makeup, skin products, perfume and cologne samples at the department stores of your local mall. If the sample is for something like a cream, then ask for a full week's worth and explain that you'd need to try it for at least that long before determining if it actually helps your skin or not.
• Free books at libraries and book stores.
  
• Any stores that specialize in candy, chocolate or ice cream will often give out samples to help people decide what they want to buy.
• Dentists often give away toothbrushes, toothpaste and floss (as mentioned above)
• Find more under each specific category of Free Samples and Gifts.
  

Other possible ways to get freebies from local resources:

• Go to garage sales and offer to haul away whatever is left at the end of the day. You must be willing to haul everything. Then you can keep what you like and take the rest to Goodwill or offer it for free on Craigslist.
• Check the bulletin boards in local churches, restaurants, libraries, markets, laundromats, etc. People who are not as internet savvy don't know to post stuff on Craigslist, so they post them in these places.
• Many of the specific category pages in the Free Sample Directory have suggestions for getting local freebies.
  
• See Free Health Care for more free services.
• See Gift Economies to see if there is a Really, Really Free Market or Free Store near you.
• The Freebies by State page lists many specific local freebies and invites visitors to submit local freebies.