Comments on: Petty, Petty

By: Jacob J

Jacob J — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 23:49:01 +0000

I’m like you Don.

By: Bookslinger

Bookslinger — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 04:28:09 +0000

I’m reminded of a Simpsons episode where Homer wore a special overcoat to carry out all the candy.

Last 2 times I changed my own oil, I took the used oil to an auto parts dealer for proper disposal, and since they took the old oil for free, I felt “obligated” (see next message about “quotes”) to buy oil and a filter from them for next time.

By: Eddie

Eddie — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 16:02:59 +0000

You may not buy from them, but you might later say to another attendee, “The food at (Booth X) was really good.” Word of mouth advertising on a show floor is another reason companies do such things.

By: annegb

annegb — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 14:42:38 +0000

Nah, the food is there, they don’t expect everyone who eats to buy. I wouldn’t expect it.

By: don

don — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 06:15:56 +0000

Maybe I wasn’t totally clear in my post. I don’t have a problem eating food / candy from a booth I’m interested in talking to, whether I intend to buy or not. Nor do I have a problem eating at a booth I’ll buy from. My problem is going…eating from a booth I have no intention at all of even talking to.

But maybe it is more like Halloween, they expect to give out candy so who cares who comes, who eats or what happens.

By: veritas

veritas — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 00:43:26 +0000

Why would you go to a convention if you didn’t partake of the freebies? Isn’t that the point of conventions? Free food and keychains?

By: Ardis Parshall

Ardis Parshall — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 22:45:51 +0000

I’ve worked the company booth at library conventions, and visited dealers’ booths at many history meetings. Dealers put out candy (or wraps, or pens, or keychains, or whatever it is) to draw people to their booths, in hopes that they’ll be able to engage them there long enough to make a sale. Helping yourself to the freebies even when you have no intention of buying the product is expected, and is no more unethical than is watching “The Simpsons” when you have no intention of buying the cars and Happy Meals and beers and adult diapers that are advertised on the intervening commercials.

Filling your purse with candy for the grandkids is *not* part of the deal (although dealers expect that a certain portion of their visitors will do that) — the food is intended to keep you standing at the booth and looking over the products, which purpose is defeated by the purse-fillers.

By: Mark B.

Mark B. — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 22:22:57 +0000

I follow the advice that Brigham Young is said to have given to the woman who complained that her husband had told her to go to Hell–I don’t go. :-)