The provided source material details a variety of freebies, promotional offers, and sweepstakes available to consumers, particularly surrounding Mother's Day in 2017 and 2025. These offers span multiple categories including dining, retail, and digital contests. Information regarding specific free samples for beauty, baby care, or pet products is not present in the provided data. The sources highlight deals from specific restaurant chains, retail rewards programs, and brand-sponsored sweepstakes, often requiring specific actions such as signing up for email clubs, making purchases, or entering online contests.
Mother's Day Dining Deals
Several sources document specific dining promotions available on Mother's Day, primarily from national restaurant chains. These offers typically involve free food items or discounts, often with specific conditions attached regarding location, purchase requirements, or dining method.
- McDonald's: In 2017, participating South Florida locations offered a free breakfast to mothers. This deal included a breakfast sandwich or a breakfast extra value meal, accompanied by a choice of small orange juice, coffee, or soft drink. No purchase was necessary, but the deal was dine-in only during breakfast hours. Additionally, mothers were required to be accompanied by a child and order in the lobby.
- Miller's Ale House: This chain provided a free glass of house wine or a Bloody Mary to mothers who dined in at participating locations in 2017. A $10 bonus card was also included, redeemable from May 15 through August 31 of that year. A meal purchase was required to receive these freebies.
- Ruth Chris Steak House: In 2017, mothers dining in on Saturday and Sunday received a $25 credit to use on a future purchase through July 2. Select locations also featured specials on Sunday.
- Pollo Tropical: During the 2017 Mother's Day period, consumers could text "MOM2017" to 52198 to receive a coupon for a whole chicken, rice and beans, and four rolls for $9.99. This coupon was valid through May 14. Email club members also received a coupon via email.
- Tijuana Flats: In 2017, mothers received a free entrée on Mother's Day by showing a specific Facebook post or an email coupon sent to members of the restaurant's Flathead email club.
- Starbucks: While not exclusively for mothers, Starbucks ran a Frappuccino Happy Hour promotion in 2017, offering half-off Frappuccino blended beverages of any flavor and size at participating stores from 3 to 6 p.m. on the Sunday of Mother's Day weekend.
Retail and Rewards Program Offers
Retailers also participate in Mother's Day promotions, often leveraging loyalty programs to distribute free items or host events.
- Lowe's: In 2024, Lowe's Rewards Members were eligible to receive a free one-pint annual plant at local stores on May 11-12. To claim this freebie, members needed to sign into their Lowe's Rewards account and reserve the item under the "My Rewards" section.
- Verizon: Select Verizon stores offered a limited-edition Mother's Day mercado bag, created by the Latina lifestyle brand Hija De Tu Madre (HDTM), with any purchase made during the 2024 Mother's Day period.
- Pottery Barn Kids (PBK): PBK hosted a free Mother's Day craft event at participating stores on May 11, 2024, from 10 a.m. to noon local time. Space was limited, requiring consumers to RSVP ahead of time.
Sweepstakes and Digital Contests
Digital contests and sweepstakes provide opportunities for consumers to win high-value prizes, often requiring social media engagement or simple online entry forms.
- MoneyGram "Love Each Day" Sweepstakes: MoneyGram hosted a sweepstakes where participants could win a prize package from Bonne Maman and Milk Street. Five winners were set to receive a $500 Milk Street gift card, jars of Bonne Maman Hazelnut Chocolate Spread, a Sampler Gift Tin, preserves, lemon curd, and fruit spreads. Entries were accepted through May 15.
- MoneyGram "Trip Home" Contest: MoneyGram also offered a chance to win a plane ticket home to "hug mom in person." This contest was open to residents of the United States, Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, France, South Africa, Brazil, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico. To enter, participants had to create a Mother's Day card at a specific link (mgrm.link/makeyourmothersday), save it, follow @MoneyGram on Instagram, and post the card as an Instagram Story tagging @MoneyGram. This contest ran through Wednesday, May 15.
- Raising Cane's Giveaways: Raising Cane's listed numerous sweepstakes and giveaways on their promotions page for 2025. While the specific entry mechanics are not detailed in the source text, the page lists various prize opportunities including tickets to Stranger Things on Broadway, the Dusk Music Festival, Gonzaga Men's Basketball, Chicago Wolves VIP experiences, Red River Rivalry games, and various hockey and zoo events. Other listed promotions include "Lucky 20" and "First 100" events, likely referring to giveaway structures for customers.
Digital Couponing and Freebie Resources
Beyond specific brand promotions, general resources exist to help consumers locate freebies and coupons.
- Coupon Mom: This platform, established in 2001, offers a Digital Coupon Database with over 2,000 coupons updated weekly. It allows users to search by product name, category, or store to find savings. The site also promotes a "Cut Out Hunger" concept, encouraging shoppers to use free coupon deals to acquire items for free or near-free to donate to local food pantries.
- Pinterest: The platform hosts profiles dedicated to freebies and coupons, such as "Coupons and Freebies Mom." These profiles curate boards containing money-saving ideas, recipes, giveaways, and DIY projects, serving as a visual directory for consumers seeking free offers.
Conclusion
The provided sources outline a landscape of promotional offers that, while specific to certain timeframes (primarily 2017 and 2024/2025), demonstrate common strategies used by brands to engage consumers. Dining deals often require a purchase or specific dining conditions (dine-in only, accompanied by a child). Retail freebies are frequently tied to loyalty program membership or purchase requirements. Sweepstakes offer high-value prizes but require active participation, such as social media engagement or online form completion. Consumers seeking similar offers in the future should monitor official brand websites and rewards program communications, particularly around major holidays like Mother's Day.