To your question about companies giving away physical objects in order to sell more: I remember being told as a kid that pet stores sold small animals like goldfish and hamsters for near-zero because then the buyer would need to spend quite a lot more on habitats and food.
A quick Google in 2025 shows PetSmart selling non-fancy varieties of goldfish for as little as $0.29. Which is still not quite free but feels like it might not make for a particularly worthwhile business if it weren't for the tanks, filters, gravel, fish food, et al that the purchaser is going to need next...
Heh, that's a great example. Certainly, the stray kitten Jack brought home a few months ago has been anything but free. A nefarious vet would be giving away free kittens left and right.
To your question about companies giving away physical objects in order to sell more: I remember being told as a kid that pet stores sold small animals like goldfish and hamsters for near-zero because then the buyer would need to spend quite a lot more on habitats and food.
A quick Google in 2025 shows PetSmart selling non-fancy varieties of goldfish for as little as $0.29. Which is still not quite free but feels like it might not make for a particularly worthwhile business if it weren't for the tanks, filters, gravel, fish food, et al that the purchaser is going to need next...
Heh, that's a great example. Certainly, the stray kitten Jack brought home a few months ago has been anything but free. A nefarious vet would be giving away free kittens left and right.