I remember getting towels, glasses, etc., in boxes of detergent back in the day when I was a kid. Towels were, of course, thin and cheap, as was the glassware. But we used them!
Also remember getting bonuses from banks and grocery stores, usually in the form of a small appliance or dishes. In fact, I still have a partial set of dishes that came from a Super Valu grocery store promotion back in the early 1970s.
My stepfather said movie theaters did the same sort of thing in the 1940s to keep customers coming back every week.