Free Quart of Glidden Paint -- a Good Deal?

Glidden Paint the Latest in a Series of Freebies

In the latest of many recession-busting giveaways, Glidden is giving away a free quart of paint to anyone who signs up on their website, or by calling their toll-free number.

We've seen a number of freebies in recent months. Oprah Winfrey attempted to give away free chicken dinners through KFC. Save-a-Lot Food Stores gave away the ingredients for a spaghetti dinner to 4,000 families in the Pacific Northwest. Quiznos gave away free sandwiches. Arby's has a new Wednesday freebies program, with a different free item each week (minimal purchase required).

Of course, the businesses always say they're just trying to help out the consumer during these hard times. In reality, it's usually an attempt to bring in more business for the company. Arby's requires some sort of purchase along with their free items - this week, you can get a free roast beef sandwich with the purchase of a soft drink, and of course they're hoping you'll buy even more.

In Oprah's case, she tried to give away full meals, no strings attached, and it didn't work out so well. KFC restaurants were overwhelmed with requests for free meals. Some franchise operators announced that they were not honoring the free meal coupons. The giveaway was a fiasco, and had to be shut down early.

Quiznos had similar problems with their free sandwich giveaway. Coupons for free sandwiches were issued by the corporate office, but not all franchise operators wanted to participate because of the cost to them. This resulted in angry customers. Eventually, Quiznos corporate agreed to reimburse franchises for the free sandwich coupons honored.

Glidden is giving away only a quart of paint, which isn't enough to cover more than a small piece of furniture. They're hoping you'll head to Home Depot for more Glidden paint.

Despite it being a marketing ploy, Glidden is giving the free paint away with no strings attached. All you have to do is give them your contact information, and they'll send you a free quart of paint, your choice of color. If you need a quart of touch-up paint, especially if you've used Glidden paint before, this could be a very usefully offer.