Today’s question is from Ashley:
We’ve all seen those survey sweepstakes at the bottom of our receipts, right? You fill out a survey about your shopping experience and you’re entered for a chance to win money, gift cards, etc. But I’m wondering: has anyone actually ever won one of these things?
Is it worth the time and effort to fill out the survey, or do most people find it to be just a waste of time? -Ashley
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Something to note: I spoke to an employee at Bilo and was told that every month that she has 10 surveys or more completed she gets a $25 bonus. She is only given 20 hours weekly to work and is also on fixed income. Think of it this way – she can possibly increase her income by $300 yearly. This extra helps buy Christmas and Birthday gifts for her grandkids and such things. Even if I never win I’ll keep doing the Bilo surveys since I know I’m helping out someone else.
If you have a Sweet Peppers Deli, their survey usually gives you a code for a free cookie on your next visit. And their cookies are GOOD :D!
I fill them out consistently but I’ve never won anything. The commentators before me have covered most of the instant freebies from survey receipts. I’ll add 2 more: Subway (get a free cookie on your next visit) and Einstein Bagels (free beverage on your next visit).
My hobby is entering sweepstakes and although I don’t win from those receipt surveys I still enter them. You never know if you are going to win. Tonight I took my receipt to Chick Fil A and got a free sandwich and took another receipt to Bath and Body Works to get $10 off of $30. The receipts only take a few minutes and are well worth it!
on my receipts from whataburger i often get a free whataburger when u buy medium fries and a medium drink……it comes in handy.
I get free sandwiches at Chick-fil-A frequently by doing their surveys. I also occasionally get a free hamburger at Whataburger.
In the Midwest we have Panera soup,sand,salad, and bakery restaurant. I fill out there receipt surveys often. Not long ago I received a $50 gift card in the mail for filling out surveys. They have special invite only tastings that I have been invited to also. So worth it!
Great question!
Payless Shoes usually has a survey that guarantees you like 20% off next purchase
I fill them out to try and win something but also because I want to be heard! I told target for years that we needed a store that carried fresh produce. All the time I was thinking it was a long shot that they would actually put a super target here. What they did do this year was turn our store into a Pfresh target with fresh produce, meat and triple the groceries as before. I can’t help but think they listen to surveys !
I usually complete the surveys for Food Lion, Walmart and Dollar General. I have won a $50 Dollar General gift card when completing their survey, so I do know that they select winners.
I have been doing them for years and finally out of the blue received a $25 gift card from Target!
I actually won $1,000.00 by completing a form after I had purchased something on line. When I received the call, I thought it was a hoax, but when I received the check a couple of weeks later, I was ecstatic!
My mom won a child’s log-cabin ployhouse from Log Cabin syrup! It was at the perfect time, our daughter was 2 years old and she LOVED it when she was little. The winnings included the log-cabin and free delivery direct to her door! It was fantastic!
I normally only fill out receipt surveys when there’s a certain reward, like the coupon codes that Gap and Old Navy often offer. But now that I know some people have actually won the prizes–I might just have to take a couple of minutes to fill out more of these!
I will take the time if I have multiple chances to win. For example, when my husband and I were renovating our house, we were shopping at Lowes ALL the time, so we always had receipts. They offered a $1,000 gift card every month, and that would have been such a blessing to completing our project. I didn’t win, but would definitely do it again. Only took 1-2 minutes to fill out.
The last few times I’ve gone to Outback, they give you a free blooming onion or appetizer for doing their survey
Some (not every receipt) Sonic receipts have an offer for a free Route 44 size drink if you complete a survey. Sonic is my very favorite place for drinks, and I funded this for quite a while by simply completing the survey when I got one of those receipts and then turning it in the next time I stopped at Sonic. Because I was there fairly frequently I got to know one of the workers and she would occasionally give me extra receipts that would otherwise be thrown away. Then I would take a drink to my husband at work or stop by and take one to my sister.
My sister-in-law won a grand prize from the Cold Stone Creamery sweepstakes a few years ago — a free iPad. 🙂
I always do the Target ones in hope of winning that gift card…no luck so far.
It’s funny that this should this question should come up, today. I just put aside a couple of receipts intending to complete the surveys.
I’d done the surveys in the past, but stopped because of the time involved w/ taking them., and I wondered if completing the surveys was a waste of time since I’ve never won anything.
I suppose that it wouldn’t hurt to complete them,( if only once in awhile), for a chance to win.
As one commenter already mentioned, I’m much more motivated to complete the surveys that guarantee some type of benefit upon completion, like a discount on a future purchase. JC Penney’s surveys are like that.
I wondered the same thing. The WalMart one takes a while to fill out. I have done the Arbys one and you get a free sandwich at your next visit.
I fill them out if I am getting something immediate in return. Bath and Body Works is my favorite because they offer you $10 off a $30 purchase, and there is no expiration date for it.
I don’t fill them out consistently, but I did win once! I filled it out at a grocery store I rarely go to, and I won a $100 gift card to the store.
I fill them out too and wondered the same thing. I do like fast food receipts, Burger King and Wendy’s often give free sandwiches for filling it out.
Ive always wondered this myself, sometimes I do them other times not. I still havent won anything and didnt know if they were really legit.
I fill them out all the time, have not won anything. I have friends that work at Target, example, and say customers have won their prizes. I will keep trying and see what happens.
Absolutely. I sit at a computer all day for work. It takes only a few minutes! Someone has to win right! Two years ago, I filled one out at our local Martin’s grocery store and two months later I received a call to come get my $500 worth of gift cards. This was a very welcomed surprise and I used it at their gas pumps for months!
Yes! I always fill them out. A few years ago I won a $2500 gift card to Kum and Go (a convenience store in the south). I was able to use it for anything in the store, including prepaid Visa cards, which I bought and then used for groceries, Christmas, etc. Obviously I used it for gas too….which was $4 gallon at the time..
Wow! I wondered if anyone actually wins any prizes.
I complete those types of surveys once in a while but always fill out the surveys for a freebie- like Chickfila or for a discount on the next purchase like for Petsmart.
I won a $25 Check from Darden Restaurants a few years ago.
I only do the ones that are a sure thing…like a free item the next time I’m in that particular store/restaurant (sometimes it’s $1 off next purchase, free food item with a purchase, whatever). 🙂
Laura – at which stores and restaurants do you get a free item? I don’t think I’ve ever noticed a free offer on the bottom of any of my survey receipts? Please let me know and I will pay closer attention!
Sometimes Buffalo Wild Wings will offer 6 free wings when you complete the survey. It’ll show the coupon offer on your receipt – it won’t be there every time. I think you get only like a week to redeem it, though.
Dunkin Donuts does a free donut thing on their receipt. I don’t eat donuts, but I do drink coffee… if they had a free coffee receipt I would definitely fill it out.
Here’s some that I remember, going from memory…
Burger King – free whopper when you buy a drink/fries (this is on the back of the recipt!)
Wendys – something similar to BK
Panda Express – buy 2 entrees, get one free
Del Taco gives you $ off or a free item with a purchase, and I’m not sure if they do it all the time, but sometimes Culver’s has a free scoop of custard w/purchase if you do the survey….Others that have been mentioned are ones I’ve done in the past too. There may be offers on the receipts for higher end places, but we don’t really go out to those…
I only do the free items also….
Arby’s will do a free roast beef sandwich occasionally.
Chickfila does a free chicken sandwich also, every now and then.
Bi-Lo grocery stores in the southeast have surveys on every receipt and after taking the survey you can print a coupon for a free store brand item. The item changes every 4-6 weeks. I have gotten everything from snack size bags to gallons of orange juice.
I do the Del Taco surveys every time, for the $1 off or free burrito or soft taco. Subway was, for a long time and maybe still is, giving you a free cookie on your next visit. And this summer at least, Jack in the Box has been giving away 2 free tacos. (With my almost-daily soda habit, at least I’m earning 2 free tacos from the survey!) I keep the completed survey receipts in my wallet, and it’s nice to be out and somebody needs sustenance, and you can run in and get something free.
I have found that taking surveys to enter a sweepstakes is a total waste of my time. Every now and then I take one, just to see… but they are long and so far fruitless. It feels like basically giving away your time (after you already gave them your money) for nothing.
Our McDonalds will sometimes have one for a free soft drink of any size. Also, Sonic has a free ‘route 44’ size drink. Culvers has a free scoop of custard. I’m sure these are all regional or something though!
I’ve seen get free scoop of ice cream at Culvers, free Entre when you buy one at Pandra Express and free cookie at Subway.
Chik-Fil-A’s is a free item. So is our Taco Bell. Red Lobster used to be free appetizer, but I haven’t been there in a long time. I like to check the bottom and see the reward. If it’s immediate gratification, I’ll do the survey. If it’s a enter to win, I don’t. I figure there’s too many people entering for my chances.
Jason’s Deli will give you a free big cookie for filling out the survey. Sometimes I have received a free Chick-FIL-A sandwich.
Arby’s has freebies on the backs of their receipts for doing their survey… I think most of the “free” stuff I’ve seen for taking surveys has been on the back of the receipt – not printed on the front of them.
Dunkin Donuts (free donut) and McDonlad’s (buy one sandwich get another free of equal or lower value)
Bath & Body Works always has a survey on the bottom of their receipts that gets you $10 off your next $30 purchase. It never expires, which I really appreciate.
If I had kept reading the comments prior to submitting mine, I’d have seen that someone else already wrote about this! Can’t find a way to delete my comment, so this will have to suffice. (:
I do those mostly…Popeye’s is usually a free 2 piece chicken and biscuit w/ purchase of a large drink(cheap lunch for hubby) and Sonic usually has a free 44 oz drink w/purchase(usually get my youngest $1 tater tots, the drink is for me :))