Why are there so many free offers online and are they real or just scams?
That's a great question, many of these are very real, just like this one that offers a Free Home Depot Gift Card to you in return for you submitting your email address and filling out a survey for their company. The reason they do this is twofold.
Stroller Depot
First, by you giving them your email address you are added to a huge email list that they can use to send out advertisements, which they get paid for of course, and other offers for surveys and free stuff. Second, they will ask you to fill out a survey or two, depends on the offer, and they can use the information they get from that survey and compile it and then sell it to advertising firms and large corporations that are seeking research on the things people want, there likes and dislikes, what turns them off, and so on and so forth.
These companies make a ton of money from selling the results of the surveys and also make good money just by utilizing the email list that they build through these offers. It's just like when you buy something at a store such as Barnes and Noble and they try to get you to sign up for a special card, the only reason they are doing this is to get your email address and be able to sell to you later on after you have walked out of the store, and also be able to track your spending habits so they can use that data later on too.
I have done tons of these surveys and have gotten loads of free stuff, mostly gift cards to various chains and restaurants. It is pretty easy to do and usually takes about ten to twenty minutes depending if you actually put any thought into the questions, I do since they are giving me something in return, it helps keep my conscience clear.
I do use a throw-away email address from yahoo so I don't get a bunch of advertising in my real email though. Check it out, fill out a survey and get your Free Home Depot Gift card and decide for yourself if it is worth it or not, not much to lose though in my opinion.
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