Don Canney

Free is the ultimate catch word for any promotion. Use the word “free,” and one is likely to garner almost anyone’s attention. Free with purchase, free for stopping by, free, today only. A TV ad for a regional car dealer who likes to “keep it awesome” even promises free money. Of course, we all know there must be some strings attached to that offer.

But I can remember the days when we could shop in a store, fill our cars with gas, or through the magic of “mail order” (there’s a term I bet you haven’t heard in eons) get something for “free.” Or course, still with probably strings attached. But it didn’t seem as obvious when we were innocent kids.

My Mom used to buy a laundry detergent known as Silver Dust, at one time a sponsor of one of the popular old soap operas that ran for only fifteen minutes on a weekday afternoon. Thus, the term “Soap Opera.” Depending upon the size of the box, she’d get either a face towel (small box), hand towel (medium box) or bath towel (large box) with each purchase. It was almost an incentive to get your clothes dirty.

Remember when you could pull into any gas station and get a free map? Yup, if you were lost or just wanted the security of keeping a map in the glove box, almost any gas (or then, filling) station would have a free map for your state or city. Those days are long gone. Some maps can set you back several dollars nowadays.

We used to be able to buy jelly or jam that came in a glass container that doubled as a drinking glass once emptied and washed. Some even had designs on them. Nice way to enjoy toast and jam in the morning while sipping juice out of a free glass!

There was a gas station on Canal Street in 60’s Nashua that at one time, during the Celtics’ glory years, would give you your choice of a basketball or Celtics logo glasses with a fill up. Nice way to start a great glass collection or stock up on future Christmas gifts (said with tongue in cheek).

Cereal box top promotions were a huge thing in the 50’s and 60’s. We kids would be prompted to send in a certain number of box tops to get a free Space Ranger decoder ring or balsa wood airplane. Many cereals would offer a free toy or ring right in the box! Some of us “smart” kids would open the box from the bottom to get right to the prize, until the companies matched our wits by placing the prize mid-box.

Almost every store in Nashua at one time offered free S&H Green stamps, Gold Bond, or Top Value trading stamps. It would take a while, but dry tongue could result in trading those books in for a free toaster, can opener or other useful appliances.

And who doesn’t remember the classic product that always brightened our day with a free trinket – Cracker Jacks! As kids, we could always count on the box with the kid in the sailor suit to provide us with something to look forward to when we opened that rectangle of peanut and popcorn pleasure. Alas, not even Cracker Jacks offers a freebie anymore.

And lastly, the ultimate freebie – air! No not the air that we breathe (although there may indeed be a charge for that someday). But the air we use in our tires. I can remember riding my bike to a gas station, hopping off, popping that kickstand down and pumping those fat tires with free air. Or my Dad pulling up to pump air into the car tires if one may appear to be low (long before TPMS was an acronym). But now, a credit card or pocket full of change is needed to do the same tasks. Oh, and by the way, you better be quick and have your car in the right position to access all four tires, lest you incur additional charges.

Those were the days and man, how I miss those good old days of free stuff. …

Don Canney is a freelance writer and professional voice artist. He was born and raised in downtown Nashua with great interest in Nashua history circa 1950-1970. He now resides in Litchfield.