Past research suggests that consumers who have greater perceived control over a situation are more likely to evaluate the situation in a favorable manner. In the current study, this theoretical prediction is extended to the domain of product trial and brand choice. Specifically, the results of the study suggest that consumers who experience a product trial resulting from a brand choice process will find the trial to be more useful and valid, and they will feel more expert at judging the brand in the trial compared to those consumers who did not freely choose the trial brand but were simply given a sample of the target brand. There is also some indication that consumers experiencing free choice will judge the brand more favorably in the trial Implications for theory and practice are discussed.