Freebies must be the worst thing to happen to a journalist. Especially if they are expensive and new and designer and oh....!
Like these lovely stoles, with the compliments of the designer, which had to be returned because of principles - those nasty things that ruin all the fun.
There's an unwritten code about what to take and what to politely refuse though; one that I'm still trying to figure out. If you're writing about beauty care products for instance... do you accept them? Perfumes? Photoframes (please Madam, thrusting into hand, Simone Tata wants you to have them)? Free lunches? - It's a pre-lunch interview so stay on and join us for this lavish five-course lunch (even though your interview is over and you have no need to be here anymore). Junkets? A free designer haircut ("because we're going through a major revamp, you must come and check us out")?
Sigh.
