There is such a thing as a free lunch

The $39 experiment

Participant: Tom Locke

Hypothesis: That writing random begging letters to companies might persuade them to send him free products.

Summary: Tom had a $39 roll of stamps, and he decided to see if he could grow this investment by writing to companies and asking for free stuff. So he sent letters like this one:

Dear Sir or Madam:
I have to tell you – I love your chicken. It's the best fried chicken around. The breading... I could eat a bucket full of just the breading. Breading and skin. That's the ticket! Anyway, your chicken is outstanding. If I weren't afraid of being arrested, I'd go to KFC to lick other people's fingers – that's how much I like your chicken. Please send me a coupon for a free chicken, so that I do not have to resort to licking strangers' fingers. Thank you in advance,
Tom Locke, fried chicken enthusiast

From 100 such letters, he got free stuff from 35 companies, at a total value of $275. He then auctioned the stuff online, and donated the proceeds to the American Heart Association.