Friday, June 17, 2005

The lure of the free

Cadbury's must be doing a big promotion with the city buses. When I got on the bus this afternoon to go home, a man in a purple jacket (imagine a taller and much more wholesome Prince) handed me a Cadbury's chocolate bar and announced that the bus ride was free. Only after I sat down did I notice the sign on the bus window announcing free bus rides, and a box at the front brimful of chocolate bars.

The prospect of getting something for free, or at discount, really brings out my Cantonese upbringing. I've even accepted freebies which I have absolutely no use for, just because it was free - such as an insulated coffee mug with a church logo on it.

A few years ago, I was holidaying in Australia and lunching with a tour group. The tour leader had ordered an enormous plate of pizza bread and invited everyone to help themselves. Because I already had a huge hamburger on my plate, I wasn't interested - but then he said they were on the house.

And then...purely by reflex, my hand automatically reached out and took one. (The tour guy gave me shit about that, I can tell you.)

9 comments:

Rainypete said...

That woudl totally ruin my day with the free chocolate. I'd be riding buses all day trying to get as many free chockies as possible.

glomgold said...

I'm a real sucker for freebies too. When they were giving out free Redbull drinks I quickly grabbed one took a gulp and then almost puked. I'd probably do it again...
A friend of mine works with Cadbury's in their "gum development" dept. or something. Sounds interesting.

Geekery said...

Free chocolate and free busses wouldn't work up here in Auckland - we'd have to get out of our cars, and that just wouldn't happen ;-)

As for the free Pizza, so what if you already had a biog burger on your plate, you have to eat from both of the main food groups, pizza AND burger...... oh, my humour is lame on a Saturday morning....

Violet said...

rainypete: the weird thing was that the bus wasn't even half full. The Cadbury man tried to lure would-be passengers on board, but they wouldn't come on.

glomgold: gum development? sounds like a way to avoid losing customers whose teeth disintegrate thru eating too much chocolate.

onscreen: maybe in Auckland it would have to be free cappucinos or something.

eb: but the sample foundations are never any good 'cos they're for white people's skins.

gerbera said...

I saw the cadbury bus with a sign saying "free rides" in the front. I thought "wow, they probably give you chocolate too as well as it being free" and also thought it was a quite good promo idea really, probably quite cheap for them to do, and who wouldn't want to get on a free bus AND be given chocolate. Amazed that you said people were not wanting to get on the bus, I would have had I not been in a car going the opposite way thinking wistfully of free chocolate.

Unknown said...

damn, free chocolate on buses just when I had a week of taking my car in (due to leaving from someone else's house in the mornings).

George jnr informed me his happy meal toy was the same as one he got from the $2 shop. I said the McD's one was better cos it was free. He said "from the free dollar shop?"

Kazzer said...

Free Cadbury's chocolate? Is this country paradise or what? I'm a bit disappointed with Gerbera tho - it would almost be worth it just to go one stop!

Happy and Blue 2 said...

I would take the free bus ride but not the bar. I have food trust issues..

Violet said...

If I were in a car when I saw the free bus, I probably wouldn't have gone as far as stopping the car and chasing the bus - not for just one chocolate bar. Perhaps for a carton of 'em though...

happyandblue2: what do you mean by food trust issues - that food given to you by a stranger might be poisoned?

the editter: George jnr's remark was really funny! He's going to go far.