The £7k freebie

Pretty much the first question people ask me when I tell them where I work is: 'Do you get loads of freebies?' ('Is it really like The Devil Wears Prada?' comes next incidentally). 'To be honest, you do,' I tend to answer. 'But you're also expected to look the part so it's a bit chicken and egg.' The qualifying statement isn't exactly true. Of course you're meant to be interested enough in fashion you'll want to own a few designer pieces and follow trends, but the pressure to look perfect 24/7 is much less than you might think. But adding that don't-hate-me-too-much line makes me feel slightly better about the long list of freebies I'm then asked to reel off: beauty products by the bucket load, the odd high street top here or there when they've featured in a story, at least one designer bag a year, plus candles, trinkets and Hummingbird Bakery muffins ad hoc. And that's without mentioning discounts at virtually any store, and tickets to see Madonna from a box at Wembley. Though some might say these are the perks that make up for menial salaries, I say it's a privileged existence. Which is why I'm always surprised to hear the seemingly perpetual stories of someone taking advantage. 

At every magazine I've ever worked on there have been freebie whores. Some you'll only discover when they've left and a PR rings up to ask when that feature on their Bahamas beach side hotel is going to print. Others are so blatant in their freebie hunting it's amazing the PRs can't see through them. Or maybe they can but they know that by tossing them a scarf/pair of shoes/dress (delete depending on their rank on the masthead) they're guaranteed a place in print forever more. But the story I heard today was the most shocking yet. An assistant at a weekly fashion supplement had apparently scooped £7,000 free dental work by offering them a three page feature. Amazingly, she hasn't been fired.