[alexmchale]

I promise I'm not trying to troll here.

When I hear "free soda" I hear "free diabetes and heart disease". Free soda is the worst kind of encouragement to have your employees living a healthy lifestyle. I'd love to hear about a company who seeks to provide fresh local fruits and vegetables at its snack table.

I really don't mean to come off as a Debbie Downer, but soda is such a terrible scourge on society as a whole.

[pnathan]

Free... soda, selzer water, coffee, Naked juice, fruit baskets daily...

The point is that these stupid small things make (or not make) you feel appreciated.

Although I don't hardly drink soda, having free soda available would allow me to believe that the company is willing to spend a few K/yr to say "We appreciate your hard work, have something small as a token of our appreciation"

[hga]

Ummm, I've never been at a (small) firm that didn't offer diet soda if anyone wanted it.

Heck, I got at least one place to get caffeine free with sugar Coke, since I don't like the effects of the former and (at least back then) didn't have to worry at all about calories at that level. I was probably the only one who drank it, but it was a really minor effort for them to include it along with everyone else's preferences, and obviously that sends a message as well.

[ionforce]

Soda is symbolic for free perks. Free water, free tea, free snacks, free cabs, free dinner, etc.

[conradfr]

Yahoo! Ireland used to have free fruits, at least around 2006/2007.

I'm with you about the sodas. They are free at my work (with a loose rule of one per employee per day) and I always say to my fellow colleagues that it's terrible, sugar sugar sugar.

[canvia]

Not even sugar. High fructose GMO corn syrup that's subsidized by your tax dollars. Much worse than cane sugar.

[conradfr]

Well not in my case I think as I'm in France.