They call it "retail politics", or that is what the man in the PD tent told me yesterday when I carried out a tour of the stands of the various political parties at the National Ploughing Championships in Mogeely, Co Cork, to see what they were offering.
Fianna Fáil had by far the biggest and brightest tent and the staff there were offering tea or coffee to the drop-in visitor.
He or she could also join the party and even become a closet supporter by not having to join a local cumann.
Equipped with that knowledge, a free keyring and pen, I proceeded to the Fine Gael tent where Tom Curran, the general secretary of the party, told me I could have "tea, coffee, membership and above all, sympathy".
While Fine Gael was offering something akin to a counselling service, there were no free pens, keyrings or anything else, but there was lots of free literature to take away in an EU Christian Democrats' bag, supplied by the European office.
Around the corner to the PDs, I was offered "tea, coffee or counselling" in that order but not pens, pencils nor keyrings.
There was a scarcity of literature too, because new handouts were being prepared.
The boys of the young brigade on the Sinn Féin stand were handing out nothing for free but membership and a cup of tea or coffee. However, I was told I could purchase posters, CDs, T-shirts and Saoirse and "Tá ar lá ann" hats at fairly stiff prices.
I nearly got in trouble at the Green Party tent when I asked what I could get there.
"Hope", I was told by lady at the desk.
"What about tea or coffee?" I asked.
"No tea or coffee" she said.
"So there is only hope here, no tea or coffee," which led the only other person in the room, a young man, to say the media would say what they wanted to say anyway, and why was I looking for tea and coffee.
So I added suspicion to the Green list before going off to look for the Labour Party to find they had no stand, no tea, no coffee, no nothing.
There were celebrations when Eamonn Tracey from Carlow won the National Senior Ploughing Championship, which meant he and Liam O'Driscoll, from Cork, will represent Ireland in the world championships.
As they celebrated last night they had no need of either tea, or coffee or anything else.