Ikebukuro vs. Shinjuku

Which is better for getting free food samples at the dept. stores?

for shopping--maybe mostly window shopping.

I'm coming from Ueno Station.
How long does it take to these 2 stops?

Brad,

Which is better for getting free food samples at the dept. stores?

No difference.

for shopping--maybe mostly window shopping.

No difference.

I'm coming from Ueno Station.
How long does it take to these 2 stops?

Ikebukuro is fractionally closer...
http://www.hyperdia.com/

So, if there is no difference which is a better place to visit overall? Ikebukuro vs. Shinjuku?

surely your agent or Angelina should know!
it all depends on your personal taste. Tokyo has several districts with a somewhat similar choice of stores, entertainment etc. simply because Tokyo plus its suburbs is such a huge place (over 35 milion people) that one district is not enough!.
I much prefer Shinjuku and finds Ikebukuro harder, a bit more raunchy. Others love it. You could also try Shibuya, Omotesando etc. .

I actually prefer ikebukuro to shinjuku. Lot more smaller shops and nice alleys with nice food. A lot more character
Shinjuku just feels like a huge departmental store. Everything is about the same. Probably only good if you have something specific you must buy.
In ikebukuro, Sunshine city is quite a nice place to shop. Plus there's a nicely sized Uniqlo shop. Plus the food department of Tobu and Seibu are HUGE! Lots of yummy stuff there.