I don't understand it?

The other day I sent a previous customer a discount on her next order as a thank you gift, and received a response asking me to remove her from my mailing list? She wasn't on a mailing list, she was just getting a one time discount offer in response to her satisfaction with her previous order.

Then today I decided I should get rid of the couple calendars I have left. Sure I could discount them and sell them off that way, but wouldn't it be more fun to give them away? So I spend the afternoon writing up a giveaway page on the website. I twitter it, direct message a few people I follow, post it in my yahoo group and blog it on my other blog. So far the only responses I have received were from:

1. A person the direct message got double sent to on twitter due to a traffic overload. The twitter gave me an error page telling me to try again, so I did. Apprently that made it double send.

2. A person asking me not to direct market them by sending them giveaways.

3. Someone who actually thanked me for letting them know.

So here's what I don't understand. How come if I want to give people discounts (that I can't even really afford to give with sales down due to the economy) and give away free items, how come I am either getting no response or complaints? Seriously, it's beyond me. Personally, I love discounts and freebies and even have a special folder for them in my yahoo mail. It makes me feel terrible. I never wanted to annoy people, and I'm not sure how I did? I have a very personable family run shop that isn't coming close to paying the bills at the moment, a husband that has been unempolyed for over a year, and yet I still think about how I can save others money and maybe brighten their day, and that is somehow a bad thing? Do people just assume it is like a big corporation who is just trying to milk every dollar they can out of everyone? The ones that give discounts just to make you buy things you don't want or need because you feel like you are getting a deal? Because that's not me. In fact, when I run specials I don't really see a big jump in my sales, probably because I have a much smaller customer base than big guns like Best Buy and Amazon. If anything, I have to work harder for the same amount of money or less. That doesn't really benefit me. But I do it for others. Which I guess is pointless, because it would seem no one takes it that way. It seems the harder I work, the more I think of others, and the more thoughtful I try to be, the less favorable response.

Maybe I'd be better off dropping my small town family run mentality and adopting a selfish corporation mentality. I am starting to feel like people would respect me more if I was just out to get their money instead of actually caring and being there when they need help or advice. But then I would just be going against my nature.

*sigh* just can't win.