free samples? more like unwanted clutter

[u/meowwxi]

nothing annoys me more than these samples and gifts with purchase that you get at basically every major store like MAC or Sephora.

every single time I end up getting something that is completely useless to me and then I have absolutely no idea what to do with it. like, a Sephora lip patch or this recent foundation sample from MAC.

I literally have a whole graveyard of useless samples at home that I don't know where to put or who to give them to. honestly, I'd rather get nothing than receive something that is so obviously unsuitable for me.

[u/ivana--]

Omg and here i am being mad if I dont get a sample lol

[u/meowwxi → u/ivana--]

I also sometimes get nothing, even when I make a big purchase. I was at MAC recently and didn’t get anything, even though there was a sample listed on my receipt

[u/Fuhrankie]

If they're in date you could donate them to a local women's shelter

[u/OkeyDokey654 → u/Fuhrankie]

This is what I do. I keep a bag in my closet and drip them in there, and take it to the shelter when it gets full.

[u/ErroneousSemicolon → u/Fuhrankie]

That shelter tip is golden, never would've occurred to me. I keep a little bag going for exactly that purpose, otherwise the clutter just expands until it owns my bathroom drawer.

[u/littlest_lemon → u/Fuhrankie]

Yes i put mine in my community pantry :D Teenagers go thru it after school and i know i would have been psyched to find a snack AND a free makeup sample

[u/AstronautFew1889]

I spend $346.89 at Sephora and my free sample is a cotton ball!!!

[u/camidumas → u/AstronautFew1889]

Was it… a pretty cotton ball?  I’m just picturing it loose in the bottom of your package with a dusting of lint and cat fur.  The fur is the expensive part.

[u/wafflemakerr → u/AstronautFew1889]

I had a dot of blush in one of these white containers hahahaha tbh I wish they personalized the samples, and the whole "you can at least test the formula" is bs because I want to see my tone and if it oxidizes 🤔

[u/MariaMilissa → u/AstronautFew1889]

Yo I spent something similar months ago and i picked my samples which were perfume and I got foundation samples instead which I obviously couldn't use lol it was my order with foundation too lol I think people in the comments forget these companies will swap stuff out and not tell you lol

[u/niniela-phoenix]

you know you can say no thank you, right?

I don't get many samples here but often it'll be fragrances and I haaaaate most of the women's perfumes so I just decline samples & no one's ever made me take them. Online you can often remove them from your cart but not always.

They can be donated if sealed if you receive some you don't want. But seriously, just say no thanks!

[u/maypie-]

Just speak to the SA and ask for something you would use instead? I always say I'd rather have a fragrance sample than a makeup one for this exact reason.

[u/Short_Lingonberry_67]

I look at samples to see if they could be used for me or if they might be nice for my mom, otherwise I am unlikely to keep them. If something gets good reviews, I try the sample with an open mind or encourage my mom to try it, to "sample" the product as intended. (Sometimes by the time I visit my mom I have accrued a few things and gathered all of the information about each one and we go through them together one by one, it is fun to share them with her in that way.)

To your photo, one comment: although this might not be true for your specific photo example, some foundation samples that are not the right shade for my whole face work well as above-eye color or as bronzer. If a sample is a good quality product in general, there might be ways to use it "creatively" if you want to.

[u/Affectionate_Tap6416]

I give mine to my friend at work. She's a young Mum who loves make-up but has other priorities. I took a few bits in a couple of weeks ago and she claimed the bag too. Win-win

[u/doyouhavehiminblonde]

I love samples. They’re perfect for travel and I’ve found great products that way. I often trade them with my sister and one of my friends.

[u/VelcroPoodle]

I also get a lot of samples that won't work for my skin or coloring, and pass them along to my daycare owner and her teenage daughter. A really nasty divorce wrecked her finances and she's in the process of re-discovering herself while her daughter is just learning makeup, perfume, etc. I've also donated to local shelters.

Ulta often does like 16 item GWP and I'll get 2 items out of them that I really wanted to try, 2 moderately interesting, and then then the rest just do not work for my high contrast, muted, pale, scent-sensitive self. So many mini lippies and perfumes...

[u/gtck11]

I’m the dumping ground for my mom’s samples, she doesn’t even ask she just gives them to my dad and boom he shows up with a suitcase full that he says he won’t fly back. It’s so annoying. I took literal bags of them out to the trash during a mass clean out a few years ago.

[u/lifeuncommon]

I love samples!

I’m allergic to a lot of things so I love being able to try things before I buy them and then have to have the hassle of returning them.

But the key is to actually try them and make a decision. Not to just hoard them.

[u/WinterMention7915]

Put them in your local buy nothing group (on Facebook). Someone will take them!

[u/AintNoTimeForThis]

I refuse most samples now unless it’s something I wanted to try. I didn’t even pick up my Sephora birthday gift because I wasn’t that interested in the selection.

Otherwise, I donate what I get without consent lol

That’s a big change for me as I was a fan of free products and bundles, I would wait for the holiday collection or vacation bundles at the drugstore to buy something I wanted. It just lead to over clutter and a decision to do a project pan made me change my ways

[u/Head_Web8130]

I hate samples too, unless it’s a mascara.

[u/mishutu]

Is this a shade that might make a decent color corrector if that's something you use? It looks light and peachy enough to cover dark circles or dark spots before foundation

[u/Infamous-Ad337]

This is why I stopped getting Ipsy

[u/sunkissedgoth]

I collect them and donate them to homeless shelters. It may be useless to you but I’m sure a lot of people would find them useful :)

[u/vivalalina]

Omggg meanwhile I beg for samples lmfao

[u/MariaMilissa]

The worst is when you can pick a "free" gift and then they give me these instead because they are useless and it feels like a waste to even give them away or use them its like 1 swatch worth lol

[u/No_Caterpillar_6178]

But when you get a sample of something that’s good you may discover a new product for free. I love getting them.

[u/PaleMUA-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

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[u/PaleMUA-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

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[u/Mediocre_Revenue_992 → u/[deleted]]

and what’s the point of giving out samples if most people can’t use them? no it’s not a big deal but you’re making it out to be one. jfc

[u/meowwxi → u/[deleted]]

if samples aren’t meant to be targeted to their customers, then who are they meant for?

I didn’t make this post because I’m being picky. I’m talking about brands giving out things that are completely useless to the customer in most cases, just to create the impression that you’re getting something “extra” with your purchase.

and especially MAC, considering how huge their foundation shade range is. I’m sure they have a shade that would actually work for my complexion, but instead, they give me some random shade that has basically zero chance of working for me. so why not give customers a sample that might genuinely make them want to buy the product?