Everyone loves something free, even if it's just a nibble of food or a tiny sip of something. So, those little pieces of cut up scones at Starbucks aren't the product of a barista's boredom; they are there because your taste buds are tied to your wallet. Trader Joe's has a tasting station in the back of their stores and more often than not the featured item smells delicious, drawing customers to visit the other end of the store when they may just be there to pick up a few items.
According to a study from Arbitron, 35 percent of shoppers bought an item the same day they sampled it, and 58 percent said they'd buy an item they sampled in a later shopping trip. Two-thirds of shoppers offered free samples accept them no matter if they've heard of the product before or not. Do you always accept free samples when they're presented to you?
i actually don't try most samples - i think that the only time that i've really had something was at whole foods when they have fruit cut up or once or twice at Costco. the biggest reason that i don't is that i don't usually eat what they offer - if it's a bread treat or a meat thing since i'm a veggie. i CAN understand how there's value and strategy behind it. if you can tempt someone to try something then it's a great catalyst to buying things.
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