Bad Manners and Brimstone

Starting this up again because the last thread was rather old and I think this is the most unusual swag that I've seen so far.

An eco-friendly stainless steel straw with a rubber-ish (? don't know what material that is made of) mouth piece along with an insertable cleaning brush in a nice pouch which has our logo on it.

My first thought was "whaaaaat? " Okay, I get that plastic straws are being faded away in favor of paper straws. But a stainless steel reusable straw? Really?

Then I heard someone comment about "Eco-friendly? Ha! do you know what goes into making stainless steel? Pollution in the air, dumping stuff in the water? Look it up!" I looked it up and couldn't find anything damaging to the environment like he was talking about. (He's in his early 60's so maybe he was thinking about old processes?)

I was still skeptical about how the give-away would be received (tomorrow is the event). I brought one home for my DD#2 and she LOVED it! She said "This is the best [swag] you've ever brought home."


So I was wondering what you all thought about this give away. Yes? Love it? or absolutely no.



And, like in the old thread, if you would like to bring up new, innovative give-aways, please mention them!

I guess the thing with stainless steel is that even though its manufacture does have an impact on the environment, it's a one-time thing (as long as you actually use it)

I would love a free stainless steel straw. I like drinking from straws because of my sensitive teeth but don't like using disposable plastic for many reasons.

I got a set of stainless steel straws and two brushes.  Haven’t used them yet.

I'd say that if you (or whoever you gave it to) liked and routinely used that stainless steel straw it would prove the greener alternative over its working life, given that many people use straws daily.

A bigger issue is that company giveaways as a class are environmentally unfriendly, because such a huge proportion of them are picked up on the principle that 'hey, it's free' and never used, or indeed handed out in the event pack so that people don't even get a chance to decide whether they want the thing, or even if they know anyone who might.

I also love my stainless steel straws! I don’t really like using paper straws.

My company and the different vendors that we work with give us swag all the time. Most recently
 - stainless steel water bottle
 - water resistant picnic blanket
 - phone chargers

I am not as hip as most, so my first reaction would be confusion. But I understand the need for more reusable goods, so I would give it a shot. I might end up loving it! Swag, in general, I find wasteful. Most of the items are junk. However, I am not the sort of person who likes to toss things, so I have a collection of swag goodies that I never use and don't want.

I am attending a conference in about a month. They encourage us to visit the vendors, but I actually try to avoid it. Not because I do not want to speak with the representatives, sometimes I learn something new about their products and services. But more so that I don't want the swag!   

Can you simply not take it?  I know they can be kind of pushy, but you should be able to say "No, thank you."  Even then, I've seen many people just accept the swag without comment, then place it on the other end of their table as they walk away. 

WOW! I'm loving your answers!

The event planner (EP) for my company sits in the cube next to me, so I do hear a lot of conversations and all that I heard about these straws were negative. But the people making these comments are around my age (approaching 60 or older).

I could tell that she was starting to get a bit worried. At one point I heard her firmly say "It's for the millennials! They're going to love it." Good for her!

Like you, DaDancingPsych, I was confused as well.

Sheena -- your 10 year old! wants one for her birthday? Just WOW. That's so cool!

So I guess, from your responses, EP made a great choice!

(I called in sick today, feeling miserable, so I won't hear about the success stories until Monday.)



Another company give away is food. For this event EP asked me (and she doesn't ask my opinion very often, she's that good at her job) "Do you think 500 donuts is enough?" (I'm pretty sure she was thinking out loud) "On the healthy side I'm going to order granola bars, bottled water and coffee."

I said "What about fresh fruit? Like bananas, apples and oranges?"

EP took my suggestion to heart, cut down on the donuts and ordered a bunch of fresh fruit. Yea!

I'm tired of the smaller events like cake-cutting (I know it's a traditional thing) or cupcake give-aways. That's fine and dandy for those that can eat those types of sweets but for me? Please have an offering of an apple or some such. Is that too much to ask?