#FeedbackonFreebies

Are birthday freebies worth the hype?

Do you guys in SoCal remember that ONE YEAR that Disneyland gave everyone a free ticket on their birthday? You could get into the park for FREE on your birthday. I think my entire family went that year, except for my son, who was so annoyed that he had a soccer game on the same day as his birthday. Anyhow, they did that just once, and they didn’t do it again, because you know I would be there if they did.

But it got me thinking…

For my birthday this year, and in honor of my first official post on Substack, I decided to see what the birthday freebie craze is all about. I found lists of places that offered birthday freebies and focused on vendors I myself regularly frequent - I also downloaded all these vendors’ apps on my phone to sign up. I encourage you to check out your favorite vendors to see how THEY celebrate birthdays too!

Here are my birthday reflections, along with feedback on the freebies…

So, first out of the gate was the restaurant Denny’s. This place gets hyped up about your birthday! The birthday coupon is for a triple-double slam, which means you get pancakes, french toast or biscuits and gravy, plus eggs and bacon. That’s a lot of food (and a lot of gym time to work it off), but they win so far for their quick and thorough excitement for your birthday!

My best birthday freebie experience was at Starbucks. I received a reminder on my Starbucks app, and when I told the barista, she gave me a free drink of choice - caramel macchiato, my go-to. AND unexpectedly, she gave me a free pink cake pop with a special note. It was the unexpected that was so cool, and kicked off my birthday with a great start!

Other places sent lovely bday messages and coupons or freebies on that day, such as Panera, Subway, Joanns, Krispy Kreme, and other places I had signed up for. Many, if not most, places allowed for the coupons to be used beyond the actual birthday date. Much appreciated!

I have to shout out to Jersey Mike’s and Denny’s for providing actual MEALS as freebies, especially in this day and age, with the inflated cost of nearly everything. Jersey Mike’s was awesome - enough points for a free regular sandwich. This went into my overall points, so no expiration!  Denny’s platter was good for the entire birthday month. They were emailing me all month long to remind me 🤣.

Disappointingly, two restaurants that SAY birthday surprises on their website sent me NOTHING (and unfortunately, I have the receipts for that): Lazy Dog and Black Angus, two restaurants we have frequented lately. I was excited to plan a steak dinner at Black Angus and another dinner at Lazy Dog, but no luck. I’m not sure if I could have just shown up on my birthday to receive the freebies, but did not want to take a chance. I was so disappointed - should I contact these places to ask why they did not send me birthday items? I did join their Prime Club, and it says the birthday items below:

I also received happy birthday wishes from other places without any freebies, and that is always appreciated, but it’s more fun with freebies. Overall, I would do another birthday freebie spree again, and now that I know which vendors go all out, I would focus on them.

So, some final #feedbackonfreebies tips:

• Select your top 4-6 vendors you most frequent (food, shoes, cosmetics, etc.)

• If they have it, sign up on their apps (or alternately, website). They will keep you posted on things besides birthdays.

• If you DO benefit from a birthday freebie, share it! It benefits both you AND the business - so why not? Use all your platforms and them know you appreciate it!

What are your favorite birthday freebies? Share in the comments!