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Mint
17-07-2025
- Business
- Mint
One man's quest to break a record for birthday freebies
The night before his birthday, Clint Svatos was up late worrying about whether everything would go to plan. His schedule was packed with stops all over Los Angeles, starting at 6 a.m. He anticipated eating a lot of sweets, receiving a bunch of gifts and returning home exhausted. But Svatos wasn't preparing for a day of traditional festivities. He was getting ready to embark on his annual quest to snag as many free or discounted gifts as possible. The 38-year-old aquatics manager is part of a proud breed of competitive birthday freeloaders. Each year, they celebrate the big day by trying to get one over on Big Retail. It's a sprint that requires hours of meticulous planning, careful strategizing and a stamina for sugar crashes. This year, Svatos was trying to break his record of 35 freebies, set last year. 'I was stressed about it. How am I going to get it done?" Svatos said. 'But once I started with Starbucks first and got my quad-shot coffee…it was adrenaline for the first half of the day." The real work starts months before the big day. Svatos estimated that he spent about 15 hours sifting through emails, reinstalling loyalty apps, racking his brain for logins and passwords, and reading through the dreaded terms and conditions of rewards to ensure he's made any necessary purchases to qualify. Then, he builds a spreadsheet with meticulous notes to map out his route. He prioritizes rewards with the highest monetary value and tries to include shopping centers—jackpots with multiple opportunities for rewards in one spot. He looks for the 'true" freebies and avoids the buy-one, get-one-free deals or anything that requires him to spend more than $10. Svatos knows his energy will ebb and flow so he schedules free coffees at intervals. He also brings his four children for parts of the day, even though his teenager thinks it's a little embarrassing. Sometimes they slow him down by wanting to stop in at stores with no freebies. But they make up for it by helping him devour the sweet treats so he can stave off a sugar crash. 'It's hard to do all of this on a full stomach," Svatos said. If there's a Sephora or Ulta around, he grabs beauty freebies to give to his wife, who usually prefers to remain at home. He typically logs over 10,000 steps and anywhere from 30 to 50 miles on his hybrid car. 'I like to push myself to see if I can beat the last year," said Svatos. Birthday freebies are gaining popularity, according to Joanie Demer, co-founder of the Krazy Coupon Lady, a site that compiles deals and coupons. 'We all like feeling like we're outsmarting a system, even if it's just driving from freebie to freebie," said Demer. Case in point: her husband, a birthday freeloader who has his own spreadsheet of deals and treks around with his children every year. Denny's said it had a 28% increase in redemptions of its birthday freebie in 2024 compared with the previous year. More than 300,000 customers received a free Grand Slam breakfast. Sephora said roughly 14.6 million of its loyalty program members redeem their free birthday gift. But as more couponers get in the game, some businesses are getting stingier, according to Demer. The gift's monetary value decreases, or it becomes a discount instead of a no-strings-attached freebie. Demer loves a good deal, but she doesn't play the birthday redemption game. 'That's not how I want to spend my birthday," she said. 'I'm getting freebies every week of the year." Eva Larson, a 31-year-old content creator, approaches her birthday as a marathon. This year, she spread her freebie crusade over nine days in June, which allowed her to grab 61 deals. (Some offers can be redeemed for up to 30 days after your birthday.) 'It's become almost like a full-time job for a week," Larson said, estimating that she spent at least 40 hours driving around Southern California. She scheduled five to eight stops a day, and calculated that she spent $258.17 to receive $509 in freebies. Eva Larson grabbed 61 deals over nine days in June. Larson's husband, Dylan, finds his wife's dedication a little perplexing. He would rather spend his birthday with his family instead of on a draining search for deals. But there's one birthday freebie he always redeems: A $50 coupon at the restaurant he and Larson went to the night they got married. The couple returns to have dinner each time they celebrate their birthdays. 'It's like a 50% off wedding anniversary two times a year," he said. By early evening on Feb. 19, a tired Svatos paused to take inventory of his haul and realized he had done it—40 freebies, a new record. All told, Svatos redeemed 10 free beverages, 14 free desserts, 12 free food items including wings, burgers, tacos and a free popcorn, and four other discounted products. He contemplated going to a couple more places—after all, it was only 7 p.m., businesses were still open and he had missed a few free drinks and desserts. But he decided he wanted to give himself a chance to beat his record next year. So he drove home. 'It's one of those perfect examples of a hobby that gives you more than you put into it," he said.
Wall Street Journal
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Wall Street Journal
One Man's Quest to Break a Record for Birthday Freebies
The night before his birthday, Clint Svatos was up late worrying about whether everything would go to plan. His schedule was packed with stops all over Los Angeles, starting at 6 a.m. He anticipated eating a lot of sweets, receiving a bunch of gifts and returning home exhausted.
