I just got a couple Knorr-Bremse beer steins today. (They weren't actually intended for the peons, but were swag for the booth at a trade show. They had some left over and left them out for us.)
I'm curious if anyone has ever gotten anything cool from their employer.
I've gotten things like cups or shirts from most of my employers. The best I got from each was a birdhouse from Nextel (unfortunately I was living in an apartment at the time and had no use for it.) A backpack from AT&T with the AT&T Death Star on it, which I still have. I got a coffee cup from GE with the drawings of their patent for locomotive wheels. I got a portable charger from Alstom (they didn't give out much. I did get an Alstom hard hat after begging.)
I regret to say that the best I've ever got is a company branded snood.
Not swag per se, but I think my Bretton Woods country club golf hat is pretty badass.
I got some shirts, hoodies, random merch like drinking bottles or cups etc. from my employer. I also got stuff like a driving safety training.
I guess the best thing I got on top of my normal remuneration was that I could keep my airline miles from my golden Lufthansa card and use them for private trips. I flew backpacking to South America in business.
Never got any interesting swag. It's all water bottles, cups and shirts.
When I worked for Sears I got 300$ vacuum for 20$. That was cool.
Mostly mugs and water bottles. Last place gave away hats, sweaters, and tshirts. While they were good quality I'd feel weird wearing them outside. Did get a cool insulated lunch bag that was combo-ed with a padded gym bag. Technically it wasn't for the office stuff, but the techs. It's was Marketing's idea. Branding baby. But the techs liked me so I was the only office staff that got one :D
While not in the spirit of the question, I have won cool stuff at Christmas and golf events. Top of my head I won a fancy drone I regifted to my little cousin. Worth a few hundred. Also won Lenovo smart bedroom clock, and while not expensive I still use it to this day.
Some great swag I received at conferences I spoke at was a painting, a blanket made by a local indigenous community and a sculpture.
Quote from: HVC on August 19, 2025, 05:13:16 PMMostly mugs and water bottles. Last place gave away hats, sweaters, and tshirts. While they were good quality I'd feel weird wearing them outside. Did get a cool insulated lunch bag that was combo-ed with a padded gym bag. Technically it wasn't for the office stuff, but the techs. It's was Marketing's idea. Branding baby. But the techs liked me so I was the only office staff that got one :D
Yeah, brandings the name of the game for this stuff; which is why I was surprised that it was so hard to get an Alstom hard hat.
The funniest swag I got was from Alstom, now that I think about it, at the beginning of our Toronto project the entire team got luggage tags, and I thought "That's subtle..."
:lol: Oh well, at least I love to travel, even for work.
Quote from: crazy canuck on August 19, 2025, 05:14:32 PMSome great swag I received at conferences I spoke at was a painting, a blanket made by a local indigenous community and a sculpture.
That's really nice.
At one rail conference I went to, one of the suppliers was raffling off an enormous wooden whistle that sounded like a train whistle. The base was about a meter square and had to be operated by bellows; when they sounded it you could hear it throughout the conference hall. I didn't even enter the raffle; I had no idea what I would have done with that.
One of the benefits of my speaking engagements is I am often speaking with a member of the judiciary, and they can't accept gifts, so Mrs. CC gets something too :D
Quote from: Savonarola on August 19, 2025, 05:51:36 PMQuote from: HVC on August 19, 2025, 05:13:16 PMMostly mugs and water bottles. Last place gave away hats, sweaters, and tshirts. While they were good quality I'd feel weird wearing them outside. Did get a cool insulated lunch bag that was combo-ed with a padded gym bag. Technically it wasn't for the office stuff, but the techs. It's was Marketing's idea. Branding baby. But the techs liked me so I was the only office staff that got one :D
Yeah, brandings the name of the game for this stuff; which is why I was surprised that it was so hard to get an Alstom hard hat.
Yeah, it's why the customer dancing guys got all the cool stuff. Which I agree is surprising you yourself didn't get more.
I always try to get some fun prop from the shows I work on, although the art department/directing team/actors will get first dibs on the coolest stuff.
My favorite piece is a bunch of fake vynil covers from a fictional band that the protagonist of my very first show played drums for. Also a couple of background muppets (as in, not fully articulated) from the muppet show I did, and assorted murder weapons (pity the blood has come off from most of them by now) since I worked on a couple murder shows. I barely missed on a Royal Medal presented by HRH Queen Elizabeth II, but the actor (an Irishman, no less) finally got that one.
Also, when I reviewed movies for a TV show we used to get loads of movie swag, which we raffled off among all who worked in the show. As a result I have a collection of (very old by now) t-shirts from absolutely random movies from the 2000s: Blair Witch Project 2, Flinstones 2, a Dusk Till Dawn sequel, several Spanish movies. Also art books and such. Honestly it's all stashed at my parents house, I don't really remember what else might be there. We used to get tons of that shit.
A ton of shirts, hoodies, bottle openers, posters, random swag, and lots of beer when I worked for a brewery doing tours, tastings, and promotional work. :cheers:
Quote from: Savonarola on August 19, 2025, 03:56:54 PMI just got a couple Knorr-Bremse beer steins today. (They weren't actually intended for the peons, but were swag for the booth at a trade show. They had some left over and left them out for us.)
I'm curious if anyone has ever gotten anything cool from their employer.
I've gotten things like cups or shirts from most of my employers. The best I got from each was a birdhouse from Nextel (unfortunately I was living in an apartment at the time and had no use for it.) A backpack from AT&T with the AT&T Death Star on it, which I still have. I got a coffee cup from GE with the drawings of their patent for locomotive wheels. I got a portable charger from Alstom (they didn't give out much. I did get an Alstom hard hat after begging.)
We printed caps and shirts for the employees, and made a few coats.
A long time ago, in a... Ah, well, just a long time ago :P
We often get t-shirts, polos etc. for events. For a convention we got nice Adidas sneakers I still wear (also have a branded pair but not quite as nice). But my favorite is probably one of the hoodies we got - fluffy, cozy and perfect for lounging at home. :P Not sure if it counts, but during a team retreat everyone got awarded "employee of the month" with a personalized gift. Mine was a book about non-existsnt places (Mountains of Kong, Lemuria, Mu, the Kingdom of Prester John, ...) - way more thoughtful than most of what my family ever got me. D
If I say they might ask for it back.
When we were forced into overtime and working without any protective equipment during the early months of COVID, I got a t-shirt saying "healthcare hero" to go along with a 0.25$/hour raise.
I quit a couple days later lol.
:ph34r:
If we consider other gifts, I still enjoy the $1000 desk (at home) which I got for my 10 year anniversary. :P
Quote from: Syt on August 20, 2025, 10:57:49 AMIf we consider other gifts, I still enjoy the $1000 desk (at home) which I got for my 10 year anniversary. :P
You're up on me, I got a set of Corningware for my 10th year anniversary from Alstom; but, at least that's something I sue. I got a Waterford crystal bowl from AT&T for my tenth anniversary there, I'm not even sure where it is.
One of our technicians got a statue of an anthropomorphic rail spike with his feet up on his desk for his retirement present. I thought that was pretty cool, and appropriate.
I stole some ice-cream cones from the swimming pool when I worked there 30 years ago. That's like a gift.
The foundation owning the newspaper I work at used to be quite generous with Christmas gifts, so one year I got some towels of Egyptian cotton and kitchen counter greenhouse for growing herbs. The cooking ones, not the smoke-them herbs. Although, I'd think it is multipurpose. :cool: