I worked for a brokerage house after getting laid off during the Clinton Recession. They were a lot more careful about spreading their samples around. Of course that was a completely different industry. Grocery wholesalers and manufacturers do not have the same profit line to soake p that kind of sales incompetence.
Curious however. When was this "Ancient history"? In the last 5 years?
Yes. I quit going to the dinners about five years ago and my wife quit bringing home samples when the university finally entirely banned the practice of pharmaceutical gifts (which was in 2005, iirc).