Everyone who has ever traveled and stayed overnight in a hotel or motel knows that they put a basket of sample soaps and shampoos out for the traveler’s convenience. If you’ve forgotten your shampoo, you’re likely to find a sample that will hold you until you can purchase your favorite brand.
\nUsually, there is a little stand or tray, or sometimes a basket to hold the items, and the more you pay for the room, the greater the number of samples, and the more amenities.<\/p>\n
\nIt’s not uncommon now to find an ironing board, an iron, a coffee maker, a blow drier and fluffy white robes with the hotel’s name embroidered on them. In the sample basket I’ve found shampoo, conditioner, soap, a mending kit for emergency repairs, a shoe shine cloth, body and hand lotions and a shower cap. In one place I stayed there was toothpaste and you could even get a free toothbrush if you asked at the desk. And where they have coffee makers, you’ll find packets of coffee and tea.
\nI assume that the cost for the room includes the cost for these samples. When I was younger, I took them home with me. Now, when I travel, I save these samples for a group I’m in which collects them to provide things for women in shelters. Since you’ve paid for them, ethically, it seems right to me to be able to take them.
\nI have an acquaintence who clears the samples off the counter into her travel bag each day, expecting them to replace the missing samples on a daily basis. I suppose, if you look at it from an accounting point of view, she is right to ask for them. Even if you haven’t used up the sample, you still pay for them with each day’s rent of the room.
\nAnd, it’s likely that the hotels get a break on the cost of these samples for the advertising they provide. I can remember seeing Pantene shampoo, Ivory and Irish Spring soap bars, Oil of Olay products and others, so there had to be a deal made by the chain to feature those products. Those hotels who provide amenities with the hotel name on them, likely buy in bulk and repackage, keeping the cost down.
\nWhere do you draw the line at what you take? I know that hotels will charge you for towels that disappear into your suitcase, and the things in the minibar could really sink you, if you’re on a budget. I know that people steal pictures, alarm clocks, TVs, and anything that isn’t bolted down in some hotels, but I assume they mean for you to use, or take the samples.
\nI have a trip coming up. I’ll be staying at a lovely hotel. Most likely, I won’t fill my luggage with their samples. I’m rather conservative about what I use and I don’t want to be loaded down with samples on my way home. But, I was wondering what you<\/b> would do.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Everyone who has ever traveled and stayed overnight in a hotel or motel knows that they put a basket of sample soaps and shampoos out for the traveler’s convenience. If you’ve forgotten your shampoo, you’re likely to find a sample … Continue reading