Free Samples

I have a confession to make. When Todd and I first got married, we used to go to Sam's Club every week on our day off and eat lunch on the samples. Money was tight and you can't get much cheaper than free. I'm not sure why but I felt like I needed to act super interested in whatever the item was I happened to be tasting. I would say things like, "Ooh, what's this?" The sample lady would roll her eyes and give me her rehearsed spiel about the 'all white meat chicken nugget that I could cook in the oven, microwave, or deep fryer' and then she would set it on top of a little white napkin and nudge it in my direction . For some reason I always felt like I needed to take the first bite in her presence so she could see my initial reaction. Whether I liked it or not, I would make groaning noises like it was the very best thing I had ever put into my mouth. Then I would quickly make my exit calling out to Todd, "Honey, we should buy these sometime!"

My local grocery store has sample people now too. They're different than the Sam's Club samplers though. I think these people must own stock in the products they're sampling. They are passionate and they know their stuff! Sometimes I buy things that I don't really like because I don't want to hurt the samplers feelings. It's just easier to put the item in my cart than to see their sad little faces when I walk away. But most of the time I buy stuff from them because they convince me that it's the best. They tell me all of the amazing things I can make with the product. They tell me exactly how to use it, what they've personally made with it, and how much they love it. I usually can't wait to get the product home so I can tell my family how much better our lives are going to be because of this amazing new marinade or dip or jelly.

Passion, excitement, knowledge, personal testimony and instruction makes all the difference. When someone really believes in something and is genuinely excited about it... you just naturally want in on it. When you can see it "working" in their lives, you want it to be a part of your life.

What are you passionate about? Are you giving out samples? Are people buying it?