Born Free: On Birthday Freebies

Since I’ve passed the age when presents are guaranteed, one of the best remaining things about birthdays is the freebies. In the past, free meals abounded from many restaurants with just the display of a driver’s license. But now, most places only offer a free dessert or a free entrée with the purchase of another entrée. Single celebrants have little to choose from if they want to dine alone for free on their special day.

A few days before my birthday, I scanned my e-mail for birthday coupons. But there were no free meals. Free dessert was available from Olive Garden (up to $10 value) and Outback Steakhouse (with purchase of an entrée). I could get a free scoop of ice cream with no additional purchase required from Baskin-Robbins. Jamba Juice would give me a free small smoothie and Pretzelmaker small pretzel bites with the purchase of a regular beverage. If I bought a Smashburger, I could get a free shake.

Thankfully, Denny’s still offered a free birthday Grand Slam.

On the evening of Monday, January 4, I was at my local Denny’s, partaking of breakfast at the start of dinnertime. I don’t usually eat pancakes at 6:00 PM, but IT WAS FREE. You got to take your freebies where you can find them.

That was the only offer that I utilized on my special day, even though I had made a special trip to the library on Sunday to print out my coupons. But most of the coupons didn’t expire until the following weekend.

On Saturday, I had to choose between the free ice cream, since the coupon expired that day, and the free shake. Even though the ice cream could be purchased alone and the shake could not, location was the deciding factor. Smashburger was at the local mall, but there wasn’t anything near the Baskin-Robbins except for a 99 Cent Store. I enjoyed a burger, fries, and my free shake, and even got to use a $5 off birthday coupon from Best Buy.

The next day, I enjoyed Pretzel Bites at the nearest outlet mall. There’s nothing like lemonade and free Pretzel Bites on a sunny, January day. A few days later, I stopped by Jamba Juice to get my free smoothie.

What if you don’t like sweets or pretzels? I got a lot of e-mails near and on my birthday from online stores where I have shopped in the past. I guess they assumed that I would be flush with birthday cash. (I didn’t get any.) Even though I have over a hundred tee shirts, I could have gotten a new one for $10 off of a $25 purchase, if I had ordered within two days of my birthday. A new bag could be had for $20 off of a $100 purchase, but I didn’t succumb. I even got an unexpected freebie. A few days after my birthday, a friend took me out to dinner (thanks, Mashariki) and afterwards, we browsed in a nearby Macy’s. When my friend mentioned my birthday to the salesperson at a makeup counter, I got free samples of foundation primer, blush, and lipstick.

But let’s face it: birthday freebies are a marketing tool. Everyone likes to feel special on their birthday, and a free scoop of one of the 31 flavors may be just what you need to celebrate another journey around the sun. Stores use that. They assume that once you get your freebie or discount, you will spend more on other things.

Even though my birthday was two weeks ago, I can still get a free package of six cupcakes until the end of the month at the grocery store where I usually shop. And you better believe that I’m gonna get it! I also have a mini lipstick and eyeliner to pick up at Sephora. Everything becomes more expensive as I get older, so if a free cupcake can give me a few minutes of happiness, I’m going to eat it. I didn’t go out of my way to get my birthday freebies, but the special feeling I got while enjoying each one was priceless. Next year, I plan to be in Las Vegas or Disneyland on my birthday — and I will be on the lookout for freebies.

Beatrice M. Hogg is a coal-miner’s daughter and freelance writer who was raised in Western Pennsylvania and has lived in Northern California for twenty-five years, where she wrote her novel, Three Chords One Song, and continues to write about music and life in general.

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