Happy birthday! It is your day of birth! This exceptional day that comes once a year is all about you. Have you ever wished everyone you came across would just automatically know it is your birthday and treat you amazing on your special day? Would you want to receive gifts from all your favorite places without burning a hole in your pocket? Well, it is possible, and while it is not new, I thought it deserved some spotlight since this was my first year ever collecting birthday freebies.
Birthday freebies bring a fun experience for customers to celebrate their special day. People can visit their favorite places and receive items without emptying their wallets. This gives customers the opportunity to try a new product or brand that might have interested them before without the risk of wasting money.
Many businesses and major companies offer free birthday gifts, but there’s a catch. These perks are part of marketing strategies designed to boost engagement and visibility, so the birthday person often needs to sign up for rewards programs or download the company’s app at least a week or even months in advance. For example, free wings from Buffalo Wild Wings are offered to Wild Herd Rewards members of 30 days or more, and a free drink is offered to those who have joined their Starbucks Rewards a week prior to their birthday. This fact is not commonly known and is not usually mentioned in most sources advertising birthday freebies. Thankfully, my older sister told me this, which saved me the disappointment of many rejections on the spot. As people register online using their contact information, companies grow their customer lists for future marketing. With this access, companies can reach out, promote deals, and encourage more purchases.
To increase engagement further, some businesses also require a minimum purchase to receive the “free” gift. This helps raise company profits, though it can also backfire. Some people feel it is not worth spending money on something that is supposed to be free. It really depends on the person. Other businesses will provide a discount on their items as a one-time offer, which tends to entice their customers. This provides a great opportunity to save money and is especially great for families with kids or students with low incomes.
This year, I grabbed birthday freebies from Ulta, Sephora, Bath & Body Works, Starbucks, and Miniso. Ulta and Sephora have multiple freebies to choose from that change each month to make every birthday month a special one. Bath & Body Works required a purchase to receive a free item in-store, but Miniso allowed customers to pick any blind box under $25 to take home for free with no other purchase. I did not make it to the food spots like Wingstop, Dunkin’, or Krispy Kreme, but the places I did visit were so exciting. On top of the free gifts, the employees were incredibly kind, which was the cherry on top of an already great day.
If you have done this before, how was your experience? And if you have not, would you want to try it on your special day? Enjoy all your birthday freebies, but do not forget to download those apps ahead of time!
