Free must be one of the more popular words in the English language. After all, who doesn't like free stuff and any other word/concept with free connected. I would bet if you took a poll of Americans and asked what one word most represents the U.S., it would be freedom (although, perhaps, not as much anymore).

Problem is, there's no such thing as free anything. If something has value, there's a cost built-in and somebody must bear it. If it is readily available, e.g., air or ocean water, then it just exists apart from value and would not be considered free. It's just there.

Of course, that never stops retailers or anybody else from employing the notion because even though we (deep down inside) know that it's really not free, few can resist the allure of fantasizing that they beat the System. It's similar to getting really excited when your candidate wins the election, hoping that things are going to change.

What's really interesting is that all words are just like this (albeit more subtle. It's just that free makes it really easy to understand.