Store Swag: Shops That Offer Freebies

1:30 PM, January 18 2012

By Elana Fishman

The free gift with purchase has been tempting shoppers since, like, forever. After all, who doesn't love to get the most for their money?

But there is something even better: the elusive in-store freebie. Whether it's in the form of a complimentary beverage, beauty treatment or reusable tote, here are seven shops that offer their valued customers a little something extra. There may be no such thing as a free lunch, but hey—we'll take a free whiskey on the rocks any day.

We love this Tel Aviv-based bath and body shop for its deliciously-scented soaps and lotions. In addition to the soap samples handed out at the door, every single customer who enters a Sabon boutique is treated to a mini hand scrub treatment using the scented products of their choice. A mini spa experience, completely gratis? We're in.

Earnest Sewn makes some of the best-fitting denim available. And in the back of their freestanding shops, they've got a bar stocked with coffee drinks and pay-what-you-wish artisanal beers. So you can sip while you zip.

Legend has it that this CFDA winner once doled out fried chicken at his various boutiques. Luckily, shoppers can still imbibe free whiskey while they sift through Reid's suiting separates and rugged footwear for guys and girls.

The easy, breezy store known for its bohemian-style wares doesn't package customer's purchases in just any ordinary shopping bag. No, they opt for patterned cross-body carryalls that can easily be repurposed as beach bags, bookbags or even yard garlands (if you're crafty).

The editor-loved cosmetics company is famously generous when it comes to free samples. Online shoppers can choose any three mini-products with their purchase. In-store, the sky's generally the limit. And in our experience, Kiehl's staffers are often more than happy to hand out samples of anything you'd like to test-drive—even if you don't actually buy anything.

This Miami Beach shopping mainstay is packed with labels like Balmain, Lanvin and Suno. They even have a capsule collection with Target in the works. And on a recent visit to their store, our own Ray Siegel was offered complimentary mojitos while she browsed. What more could a shopper ask for?

OK, so it's not quite the same as booze or free bags—but Uniqlo's offered free in-store tailoring and alterations with any purchase since Day One. And when you couple that with their very reasonable prices and uber-soft cashmere, it's definitely reason to stop by.