Jim Schifeling of Acme Comics in Normal, Illinois had a very successful Free Comic Book Day, with a few glitches:

While I was quite worried about the date change this year (I would still vote to have it earlier), FCBD was a smash for us.  Media coverage came in the form of radio spots and an in-store remote.  I had a 'Business section' story in the local paper (the woman who wrote my article got just about everything wrong except the time and date).  I drove to do a TV interview on a morning magazine type news show and we picked up a little TV spot that a station filmed for a bumper.  This year we didn't advertise for free food and the weirdoes and homeless stayed away (NEVER advertise free food).  At 9 am we had a line forming outside; they couldn't wait to get in.  We added balloons and Dum Dums (suckers) for the kids this year and what a difference it made, I mean what a way to blow a kid's mind, free comics, candy AND a balloon!  I ordered twice the comics for 2004 trying to make sure I had some left for Halloween, boy was I shocked when most of my titles were gone by noon.  I tripled my regular Saturday sales, saw tons of new faces (most of them 4 footers to boot!) handed out almost 6,000 comics and had a great time.

Okay, now the bad:

1.  We had five Wednesdays that the product could have been shipped and billed but the bulk came on one Wednesday--why couldn't this have been broken up better?  Not only that but FCBD comics were shipped in boxes with regular Wednesday product mixed together.  On top of that, Friday I get a single FCBD T-Shirt in a box all by itself.

2.  I would like to see what my numbers could have been if it wasn't on a holiday weekend when travel is the rule. 

3.  Black T-Shirts?  I mean REALLY?!  It's JULY!  Black is just too hot for July in the Midwest, I can't imagine how painful it would be in a hotter climate.  Not only that, we are meeting new faces for the first time, this black shirt stuff is too stereotypical.