They’re not usually for me! If it’s a full-sized item that I was actually wanting, sure, but most of the time, they’re smaller sizes–samples or minis–and I rarely reach for those.
— Christine
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I personally can’t stand those serum sample packages that once you rip open it dries up!
I don’t even consider samples gifts with purchase. They’re just freebies. To be consider gift it should be either a full size products, or a set of at least 2 travel sizes; maybe just one travel/mini size of it’s a very expensive product, like a serum.
Well… who doesn’t like free stuff? 😁
Gifts with purchase are a nice way from the brand to incentives customers, adding extra value. But on the other side, I would prefer a bigger discount on my cart (items I actually need or want), rather than some extra free stuff.
I certainly discovered many new products I wouldn’t have tried as a purchase gift, so it might be a good way to discover new products. But it’s a hit or miss, you can also end up with products that don’t work for you, or can’t use. I usually try to further gift back to family and friends items I won’t use, not to be wasteful.
I like when brands offer 2-3 options to choose with gifts with purchase, at least I can choose the best option for me.
I also prefer gifts with purchase to be actual products, not bags, stickers, pins, books, or other items like that.
I also like when gift with purchase are mini sets I can use for travel (more of a thing of the past and hopefully of the near future).
The thing I don’t like as much is when gifts with purchase are repetitive, especiqlly when I purchase often from a brand. Yeah… I like getting a mini Peptide Booster with my Paula’s Choice orders from time to time; but I also end up having 3-4 mini 2% BHA liquid exfoliant back-ups at all time.
I like mascara GWP. Samples are hit and miss.
If the GWP is generous or just something that I would really love to try out, then I’m down for that! But, too often it isn’t either option, so no cigars for those.
It depends on the GWP. I am not generally interested in one that if you spend $125, you get a sample bag of 26 products. Most of which I won’t use.
When I was younger, I liked GWP. I would stock up on stuff from a couple of places. One month, buy x product, the next month what else I needed. The bags were usually of good quality and you sometimes got a generous sample of products. I still have some of the bags.
For the past few years, the bags have become cheap and low quality and some have been smelly and ugly. I don’t mind the mini mascara and the skincare products. Those work nicely in the handbag or traveling. If there is a lipstick, it seems to always be the same color. The gifts have become repetitive. And not enough of a reward for brand loyalty or repurchases.
More companies will be phasing out gifts and jus pt give you gift items based on how much you spend. The current bags are just a waste. I think I would prefer a $20 discount and skip the gift.
On the bright side, I do tend to put products I can’t use and a few bags into a donation to the local women’s shelters. Another woman may be very happy to use them.
I give 99% of all GWP’s away. They do not motivate me to buy.
The only time I pay attention to GWPs is when I’m shopping with my mom and we decide to split one. When she comes to visit we usually have a mother-daughter pampering day so inevitably we end up at makeup counters lol. Then it’s not so much about scoring goodies as it is the sharing. The last time I got a GWP on my own was about five years ago when I made a planned perfume purchase at Ulta and it came with a robe. That was a surprise, and it’s actually a decent robe lol.
I like sample sizes of lip products, mascara, and skin care that I have been interested in trying. I like for there to be an option to “opt out” of a gift if I don’t want it included. I don’t like samples that are just a smudge of something attached to cardstock.
If it’s a good gift they always entice me to buy something. Most of the time I save them for travel. And I enjoy using new products and some of my favorite samples on my trip. Especially skin care like body lotions, serums and moisturizers.
The cons are some of the time they expire before I get to use them and that makes me sad. And I have way too many samples presently.
Unless it’s something I am curious to try which is seldom , it get set aside to give away to the shelter with toiletries and food staples .
I personally like them. I had to travel recently for work and they are life savers when it comes to packing. I have purchased full size items from samples I’ve received. I especially love waterproof mascara samples as I never seem to use a full size up before it goes bad.
I like gifts with purchase if I was going to buy a particular item from the brand anyway, as it gives me a chance to try some of their other products.
But at the same time, there are often a couple of products (like toners) that I don’t use or lipstick shades that I don’t like.
Sometimes the GWP contain products that the brand can’t shift, for obvious reasons that the product is a dud and occasionally what you have to spend initially to get the GWP is a large sum of money.
I would rather a discount than a GWP. A GWP does not motivate me to purchase anything. If I am purchasing something and it comes with it and it’s something that I am interested in trying that’s good, if it is something that I’m not interested in then it’s going to be donated. Small samples that I can travel with are great so my suitcase isn’t weighed down and it gives me a chance to try something new and see if I want to purchase the full size this is how I got turned onto Caudalie and Amorepacific.
I used to be a sucker for GWP but as they accumulated and overrun my space, I had to drop the axe. So I’ve been swapping unused and unwanted GWP online. However I still get giddy over fragrance GWP. Those are typically travel size yet I can get many uses from a 5ml-9ml bottle. Getting those mini bottles saves me from shelling out for full size perfume that I would never use completely.
One benefit of sample size GWP is that they are wonderful for travel.
Swapping is a great idea. Where do you swap GWP online? I have quite a few and I am not sure what to do with them.
I love fragrance minis! Especially since COVID, it is harder than ever to sample perfume. Mini size and full size products are the best. Packets are annoying and should be free. I agree that GWP products are often repeated: same lip color, same skincare cream etc. Certain brands are repeated ad nauseam: IT cosmetics skincare, Smashbox primers. No thank you.
For the most part I like gifts with purchases bc it gives me a chance to try other things I might like. I’m not into samples so much as I’m into minis.
However, I’d like it better if there were more choice involved in some brands with the gifts bc sometimes it can be wasteful if you only want one of a seven piece gift or if you’re just not interested at all.
I love them when they contain products I’m interested in. My commercial perfume purchases have all come from samples first. Some of my hair and skin care came from sampling first. And I always love me a good deluxe sample for traveling. I’ve even got some reuseable bags that came from GWPs that have become grocery shopping workhorses. So, yeah, I’m in to GWPs when they’re useful. A powdery gross eyeshadow palette that is clearly some dollar store made in china bs (ulta brand has a lot of questionable gwps like that)? Pass.