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Comment by standardUser | Hacker News Reader

It's true some swag has endeared me to companies, like my awesome, color-changing Weather Underground mug. But the vast, vast majority is low-quality garbage that I wish never existed, and certainly wish never become my burden to dispose of.

I say, aim for a tiny amount of high-quality swag. Or hell, just give people branded gift cards!

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Comfy T-shirts are always welcome swag.

Not always welcome - I certainly decline or recycle all the branded clothing I get. Better if it was never made.

I won a trip to a conference in Las Vegas. I didn't want to go but it was made clear that I couldn't turn it down. Looking around and just seeing the oceans of garbage being made to hand out to people who didn't want or need it on top of everything else that horrifies me about Las Vegas put me in a really awful mood.

For me, those are PJ shirts at best. But most swag shirts aren't that comfy!

FYI- I can't currently wear t-shirts since I've been either pregnant or nursing for the last 3 years. T-shirts aren't compatible with pregnant/nursing bodies, so I just decline them or immediately give them away when I receive them. Zip-ups are actually the most compatible, of all the clothing swag, and my partner can attest to how frequently I steal his swaggy zip-ups. :)

Generally I think that if there is going to be swag given away, people should get to opt in to swag or such swag should be wholly biodegradable.

Why couldn't you accept it, then wear it when you're not pregnant or nursing? Could be a nice gift to your future self (depending on the t-shirt!)

Agreed. If it looks like swag then I'm not bringing it home. If it looks like a shirt someone would pay for then now you've got something more people will wear.

My kid had a birthday party at a local trampoline park and they gave him a t-shirt. I wasn't expecting much, but it was really cool. It had a piece of original art on the front, followed by the name of the park underneath. Even with the name of the business, it didn't look like an advertisement because the name of the business doesn't sound like a business. Everyone around here knows exactly what it is, but if we went somewhere else it just looks like a fun t-shirt from the kids section at a department store. They perfectly nailed the balance between serving the business and the customer at the same time.

I used to accept the free stuff given away at conventions and conferences, but after realizing most goes in the trash, I just say no now. What I like to think to myself when they are handing free swag out now is, "Here, you put this in the trash for me."

Same, the only stuff I get stuck with now is the stuff my company sends me. And it might look bad if I asked them to stop sending me their "gifts"!

No, this is actually the worst to me. No, I will not actively wear your SWAG like it's special. I actually find it sad that so many employees actively wear company SWAG. It's even worse when the employees purchase it.

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