Birthday Free Perks
Birthday Free Perks
I recently celebrated a birthday and took the day off work. Instead of going shopping and eating at a fancy restaurant I went around town collecting free food like Pokémon. Businesses love to help you celebrate the day of your birth with free giveaways in hope of having you grace their business on your special day. This can be a lot of free food when you actually sit down and compile a list of all the restaurants that have an offering. There are so many offers that it would take all day to actually redeem them all.
Birthday Offers
Crumbl - Free cookie
Dairy Queen - Free small milkshake
Denny’s - Free Grand Slam breakfast
Starbuck - Free drink
Booster Juice - Free smoothie
Baskin Robbins - Free scoop of ice cream
Olive Garden - Free appetizer or dessert
The Keg - Free cake (with purchase)
Boston Pizza - Free dessert
IHOP - Free stack of pancakes
Cobs Bakery - Free cinnamon bun
The Businesses' Angle
Businesses like money so giving away free products seems like a bad idea. But they are using a loss leader similar to Costco selling hot dogs at a loss (See also my post on Spending). The hope is that whoever is celebrating their birthday will invite their friends and family that then they would be purchasing at full price. Or even if the birthday star eats alone they would pay for a whole meal like Boston Pizza or The Keg thus still turning a profit after giving away a free dessert. Starbucks, Booster Juice and Crumbl would love for you to bring friends to their establishments but even if you come alone it can still build loyalty or habit for a return visit. Customers may visit Starbucks and Booster multiple times a week so a free drink once a year is easily absorbed. Places like Crumbl Cookies would be just looking to get exposure to the market since it's a newcomer to the area. They are hoping one taste will get customers hooked and coming back.
The Birthday Strategy
Milk businesses for as much free product as possible while giving them the least amount of money. It would also be wise while limiting your own spending to also limit your friends spending. Fast food locations like Starbucks, Booster Juice and Crumbl is easy to go in solo and just snag the food without even bringing out your wallet. IHOP and Denny’s you can eat solo, but I would be too socially awkward to eat a free meal alone for 30 minutes, so I would recommend finding a friend or spouse and making it a date. It makes it essentially a buy 1 get 1 deal. If you were already planning on going to a sit down restaurant, then going to The Keg, Olive Garden or Boston Pizza makes sense even though it is a poor deal. Not only are you only saving $10 ish dollar, you will probably invite others to spend on your birthday which is not sticking to the strategy of milking businesses for as much free product while giving them as little as possible.
Birthdays are normally a time of celebration which normally includes extra spending, but it doesn’t have to be. Money saved is money you don’t have to earn, plus food and drink tend to taste better when it's free. Take advantage of businesses' generosity during your birthday to enjoy free meals and treats while keeping your spending to a minimum, maximizing your savings and enjoyment.