The year 2017 presented a diverse landscape of freebies, samples, and promotional deals for consumers. These offers spanned multiple sectors, including food and beverage, entertainment, and special appreciation events. Access to these no-cost opportunities often required specific actions, such as visiting participating locations, presenting proof of eligibility, or adhering to strict timeframes. The availability of these promotions was typically limited to particular dates, geographic locations, or participating franchises, requiring consumers to stay informed about the specific terms and conditions of each offer.
National Coffee Day Freebies
On September 29, 2017, numerous brands participated in National Coffee Day by offering free or discounted coffee products. These promotions were available at various national chains and regional retailers, often requiring specific redemption methods.
Cinnabon provided a free 12 oz coffee to all customers on that date. Chick-fil-A in Garner offered a free small hot or iced coffee, limited to one per person. Dunkin' Donuts offered a free Medium Hot Coffee with the purchase of a Medium or Larger Hot Coffee at participating locations.
Veterans Day and Military Appreciation Offers
On Veterans Day 2017, a wide array of restaurants and retailers offered complimentary meals and discounts to active military personnel, veterans, and their families. These offers typically required proof of military service, such as a military ID.
The following restaurant free meals were available: * Applebee's: Free Meal * CiCi's Pizza: Free Pizza Buffet * Hooters: Free Meal with purchase of a beverage * Little Caesars Pizza: Free $5 Hot n Ready lunch combo * Outback Steakhouse: Free Bloomin' Onion and Drink * Red Robin: Free Red's Tavern Double Burger and Bottomless Steak Fries * Texas Roadhouse: Free lunch, beverage, and sides * Bonefish Grill: Free Bang-Bang Shrimp * Wife Saver: Free dine-in only meal from 11 am - 9 pm
Other restaurant offers included: * Dunkin' Donuts: Free Donut * Menchie's Frozen Yogurt: Free 6-oz. frozen yogurt * Red Lobster: Free appetizer or dessert with dinner purchase * Starbucks: Free tall brewed coffee
Retail discounts were also offered. Target provided 10% off for all military personnel, veterans, and their families. Outback Steakhouse also offered 20% off the check from November 12-16.
Tax Day 2017 Deals and Freebies
Tax Day 2017 saw various restaurants and retailers offering free food items and discounts to consumers. These offers were generally valid on or around April 18, 2017.
Cinnabon offered two free Classic Bites without the need for a coupon. Great American Cookies provided a free Birthday Cake Cookie to all customers on April 18. Hot Dog on a Stick offered one free Original Turkey Dog to all customers.
Several pizza chains offered discounted deals. Cheese’s offered two large 1-topping pizzas for $22. Hungry Howie’s offered a medium one-topping pizza for 18 cents with the purchase of a large one-topping pizza at regular menu price.
Black Friday 2017 Freebies
Black Friday 2017 offered numerous freebies and deals available throughout the week, including Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. Some promotions extended to Cyber Monday.
AAFES Exchange Black Friday Sweepstakes From November 1 to December 31, 2017, every use of a MILITARY STAR card automatically entered the user for a chance to win prizes. The grand prize was the MILITARY STAR bill paid in full (for 5 winners), the second prize was $1,000, and the third prize was $500. As a sweepstakes, there were optional ways to enter without making a purchase. However, if the prize was to pay off a credit card bill, a winner with no balance might receive nothing.
Harbor Freight Tools Harbor Freight Tools was known for mailing coupons that were good for free items with no purchase required. It was recommended to get on their mailing list to receive these offers.
Petco Petco offered free pet antlers with a purchase on Friday and Saturday, along with other "buy one, get one" (BOGO) offers and "free with purchase" offers.
Stage Stores Stage Stores had multiple free gifts with fragrance purchases.
Walgreens A free $10 Walgreens gift card was available with the purchase of a $50 iTunes gift card or a $30 iTunes multipack.
Menard’s Menard’s offered a Farberware 3-Tier Wood Shelf for $11.99 with a $10 mail-in rebate, making the final cost $1.99.
The Dump Luxe Furniture Outlet In the Tempe/Phoenix, AZ area, The Dump Luxe Furniture Outlet advertised free $800 handmade 8 x 10 foot wool rugs, free remote control dump trucks, and free 50-inch 4K Ultra HD TVs. It was noted that these were likely freebies that came with furniture purchases, though the ad did not specify that requirement.
Ashley Homestore Ashley Homestore offered a Scratch N’ Win Gift Card. The first 300 customers on Friday would receive a scratcher, and one lucky winner at each location would win $5,000 cash. A $99 minimum purchase was required to receive a card.
Cabela’s Cabela’s offered door prize gift cards and a $500 Gift Card Drawing. The first 150 adults in line on Thanksgiving and Black Friday would receive a gift card and an entry to win the $500 gift card. Specific free items included a Case & Sons Amber Bone Mini Trapper Knife ($54.99 value), a Badlands Release Day Pack ($99.99 value), and a Work Sharp Ken Onion Sharpener Kit ($249.97 value). Cabela’s opened at 5 am on Black Friday, and it was likely that customers would need to arrive more than two hours early to be among the first 600 in line. The store also offered free pictures with Santa and a "kids eat free" offer at its deli on November 25.
Cost Plus World Market Cost Plus World Market had several Black Friday freebies. From Friday to Sunday, the first 100 customers in stores each day could receive a Peru-Se Instant Win Game piece for a chance to win one of three trips for two to Peru. On Friday, the first 100 customers received a free $10 gift certificate. On Saturday and Sunday, the first 100 customers each day received a free tote bag. Stores opened at 7 am on Friday, and 8 am on Saturday and Sunday. The store also had a Golden Llama Treasure Hunt available from November 21-22.
CVS CVS offered a Black Friday freebie on Colgate toothpaste. The offer was for Colgate Max 6 oz, Total 4-4.2 oz, or 2 in 1 4.6 oz. The deal was priced at $3.50 – a $3 instant coupon (printed from the members-only in-store kiosk) – a $0.50 manufacturer's coupon (from the CVS app). There was a limit of one per household, and the offer was valid from November 23-25. CVS was open on Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday.
Field & Stream Field & Stream offered door prize gift cards and a $500 Gift Card Drawing. The first 150 adults in line on Thanksgiving and Black Friday would receive a gift card and an entry to win a $500 gift card.
Audio and Digital Freebies
In December 2017, Mindful-Audio released a free library of field recordings for users who had purchased libraries from them previously. This library, available until January 31st, included new nature, wildlife, vehicle, and aircraft recordings collected from various locations including England, Romania, Sweden, Wales, Scotland, and Senegal.
Additionally, a March 2017 playlist titled "March 2017 Freebies" was released by Strictly Nuskool Blog on SoundCloud. This playlist contained 14 tracks and was available for listening on the platform.
San Diego Comic-Con 2017 Freebies
Warner Bros. provided official SDCC 2017 bags to fans upon checking in at the show. These bags featured 20 bold designs and included a hidden surprise: an exclusive DC Super Hero pin. This marked the eighth consecutive year that Warner Bros. partnered with Comic-Con to produce the official bags.
While the provided documentation listed the WBTV bags as the first item in a "Top 15 Freebies" list, specific details regarding the other 14 freebies were not included in the source data. However, the documentation noted that freebies at the convention extended beyond promotional posters and that attendees often prioritised collecting free swag alongside pre-ordered exclusives.
Conclusion
The promotional landscape of 2017 provided significant opportunities for consumers to access free products and services across food, entertainment, and audio categories. Successful acquisition of these offers relied heavily on adhering to specific timeframes, such as National Coffee Day and Veterans Day, and following redemption instructions, which frequently involved digital engagement via apps or social media, or physical verification of eligibility. While specific offers varied by brand and location, the consistent availability of such promotions highlights the value of monitoring brand announcements and event-specific guides for no-cost opportunities.