“Line Karma” a.k.a. 10 Ways to Pass the Time in Line on Free Cone Day

Talk to Strangers

There’s no doubt about it: ice cream tastes even better with friends. And what better place to make some new pals than in a line full of ice cream lovers!? So don’t be shy –– say hello to a stranger and maybe you’ll get to know each other better than Milk & Cookies. We’ll even get you started with this ice breaker: “If you love Ben & Jerry’s, then you must have great taste. Wanna help me decide which flavor to order?” See? It’s not so hard!

Start a Sing-a-Long

If you’re in line at Free Cone Day, then you’ve probably heard of Cherry Garcia. But you might not know that music is, and always has been, a big part of the Ben & Jerry’s lifestyle. Whether it’s naming flavors after our musical idols or giving away free cones at our favorite music festivals, we always find that there’s nothing like a good tune to get our taste buds dancing. So why not pass the time with a little sing-a-long of your own? Bring a ukulele or belt it out a cappella style, and get your line neighbors to join in. We’re all ears … and spoons!

High Five a Ben & Jerry’s Scooper

Our Scoopers thrive on happy customers, and there’s nothing like Free Cone Day to bring out the smiles. Sometimes though, the excitement of reaching the front of the line is just too much. Your brain is vibrating with all the flavor possibilities, your mouth is watering with chunk-ticipation, your feet are dancing along to dreams of fudge and sprinkles, and … ok, deep breath. Let’s put that positive energy to good use. Smile wide and high five your Scooper. That felt good, didn’t it? Now, don’t forget to order!

Phone Home

We’re thrilled by the fact that so many young people love Ben & Jerry’s. In our hometown of Burlington, Vermont and beyond, local college students comprise some of our most loyal Scoop Shop customers. Free Cone Day is almost certainly the kind of party that mom and dad will approve of, so why not give them a ring to tell them about it!? 

Conduct a Ben & Jerry’s Flavor Quiz

How many Ben & Jerry’s flavors can you name? Can you beat your line-mates in a little trip down pint lane? And for extra credit, how about naming some of our retired flavors? Be sure to keep score and the winners (and losers) will get, you guessed it, a free cone!

Do the Ice Cream Shuffle

Ok, close your eyes. You see an empty stage, and the audience is on the edge of their seats. The lights come up, the beat drops, and a very brave soul (is that you?) begins to dance. This isn’t just any dance though. This dance is phunkier than Phish Food and sweeter than Chocolate Fudge Brownie. It’s called the ice cream shuffle and you just invented it. Except, that’s not a stage –– that’s the line on Free Cone Day and everyone is staring at you. Just own it and maybe they’ll join in.

Some news is actually worth spreading, and we’re always trying to get the word out about some of the issues we hold most dear at Ben & Jerry’s. Did you know that we support Climate Justice, Marriage Equality, Fairtrade Sourcing, and many other values-led initiatives. Help us spread the word and make the world just a little bit brighter, one scoop at a time.

Start a Wave

Go ahead and throw your hands in the air like you just don’t care. We don’t think baseball games should get all the fun when it comes to throwing your arms up in jubilation. There’s always a great crowd on Free Cone Day. And when there’s a crowd, there should be a wave! Don’t you agree? Let’s try it … 1, 2, 3 … waaaaaaaaave!

Do Some Jumping Jacks

The little ‘not-so-secret’ secret of Free Cone Day is that even though you can only order one cone at a time, you can always go through the line more than once. So why stop at two times through the line? How about three or four trips to the land of ice cream bliss? After all, if you need to burn a few calories to make room for the next scoop, Ben & Jerry’s officially encourages all forms of aerobic activity. Just be safe kiddos.

Help Ben & Jerry’s Say, “Thank you”

Imagine a world without Half Baked or Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. Without our fans, many of our famous euphoric flavors would have never seen the light of day. So for over 35 years, Ben & Jerry’s has been celebrating Free Cone Day as a way to say thank you to our loyal customers. After all, you’ve enabled us to scoop our way into the freezers of ice cream aficionados all over the world. So here’s to you, Ben & Jerry’s lover!