Today, I would like to alleviate some misconceptions regarding the delivery of gift baskets. Namely, how it is done and how long it takes. I am going to focus mainly on Canada, but also touch on delivery within the United States in the hopes of clearing up any confusion and making your gift shipping a little more understood.
Unlike floral shops, gift basket companies are not set up with things like FTD. They do not take orders and then farm them out to a gift basket company that is close by to have built and delivered. Most gift basket companies actually prepare their orders and ship them to the destination from their location.
This is slightly different in the USA and/or if the company is a drop shipper. Drop shippers (many are based in the US) receive orders and send them to a central "drop ship center" where the baskets are assembled and shipped from this one location.
Therefore, if you need a gift basket in a particular city in a very short period of time (same or next day), you will need to find a gift basket company located in that city. It might take a little investigation, but all good gift basket companies clearly display their location on their website, usually under "contact us".
Alternatively, if you find a particular company which you like working with, familiarize yourself with their policies. Make sure you understand the difference between processing times and shipping times. Processing times is how long it takes them to actually process or build your order and have it ready for pick up by their courier. Shipping times pertain to how long it takes that courier to get it delivered to the recipient from the moment they pick up the gift. This information too is clearly visible on all good gift basket company sites. If you are not sure, contact them. They have a vested interest in getting your gifts delivered within your required time frames, however, if it says it takes 5 days to ship to a particular destination, there is no way they will get it there tomorrow, and if they are unable to contact you, they will send it out as is.
The best advice I can give you, if you send gift baskets frequently, is build a relationship with your gift basket provider. Ask questions and request details. They have the knowledge and experience to make your gift shopping experience an enjoyable event.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Friday, November 5, 2010
Gift Baskets, Family and Time
Where has the time gone? I started Boodles of Baskets, my gift basket company over 15 years ago. At the time, I had 3 young children (one more joined us two years later), a husband who worked very long hours to support our family and a wish and a prayer to make this business successful so that I could bring in enough money to help with our expenses, but still be available for my family.
15 years later, 2 of my children are full grown, while 2 are on there way. One is entering the Nursing field, another is joining the RCMP. One is just starting her higher education and yet another will be moving on to secondary school next fall. My husband still works hard, but not as long each day. And my last baby (Boodles of Baskets) has grown beyond anything I could have imagined during the early winter of 1995 when I began to formulate my business plan.
It's funny how one thing leads to another. My family grew and changed and my business grew and changed right along with them. Back at the beginning, I was a one man show. Taking orders, building baskets, creating designs, updating the website. As the children grew and became more independent, I was able to have more time to look into the future and realize that there were other alternatives to gift baskets. I slowly, over time included candy bouquets, cookie bouquets, fresh baked cookies, fudge, cakes and poporn to our gift line, step by step the business grew, from infancy to adulthood, right along side my growing children. Our staff grew as well and I am happy to say I am no longer a one man show, but have wonderful staff who care as much as I do about providing our customers with the best service and gift choices available.
Yes, there were growing pains and major learning curves for both my family and the business, but I am proud to say, I have stayed true to my purpose. I continue to nuture my children as they grow and will continue to nuture my last child, Boodles of Baskets, so that it can continue to grow, thrive and be the best it can be!
15 years later, 2 of my children are full grown, while 2 are on there way. One is entering the Nursing field, another is joining the RCMP. One is just starting her higher education and yet another will be moving on to secondary school next fall. My husband still works hard, but not as long each day. And my last baby (Boodles of Baskets) has grown beyond anything I could have imagined during the early winter of 1995 when I began to formulate my business plan.
It's funny how one thing leads to another. My family grew and changed and my business grew and changed right along with them. Back at the beginning, I was a one man show. Taking orders, building baskets, creating designs, updating the website. As the children grew and became more independent, I was able to have more time to look into the future and realize that there were other alternatives to gift baskets. I slowly, over time included candy bouquets, cookie bouquets, fresh baked cookies, fudge, cakes and poporn to our gift line, step by step the business grew, from infancy to adulthood, right along side my growing children. Our staff grew as well and I am happy to say I am no longer a one man show, but have wonderful staff who care as much as I do about providing our customers with the best service and gift choices available.
Yes, there were growing pains and major learning curves for both my family and the business, but I am proud to say, I have stayed true to my purpose. I continue to nuture my children as they grow and will continue to nuture my last child, Boodles of Baskets, so that it can continue to grow, thrive and be the best it can be!
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
The Differences between Big Box Stores and a Specialized Gift Basket Company
They can be tempting. You're shopping at the local big box store and the shelves are simply bursting with holiday gift baskets at unbelievable bargains. But is it really a bargain? Lets compare...
Big box stores have their gift baskets in the store by early fall. Due to the quantities they need, manufacturers often build and assemble these baskets beginning in early summer. Result: Product in these baskets is already 6 months old when you are presenting them as a gift.
Specialized gift basket companies begin planning their next years designs almost as soon as the holiday is over. They shop for containers beginning in January, but their shelf stable FOOD product do not arrive until late October to Early November at the earliest, so your gift are the freshest possible. Fresh product like cookies, cakes, etc are baked to order.
Big box stores use curling ribbon or pull bows and clear, fragile (inexpensive) cellophane to wrap and top their gifts giving the baskets a more "production" look that takes away from the message you want to convey when giving a gift basket.
Specialized gift basket companies such as Boodles of Baskets use higher grade decorative cellophane and hand-tied bows made from scratch giving the gift a warm, homey feeling. The basket looks like you took the time to select something special rather than picking it up during your weekly shopping excursions.
Big box stores do not offer a delivery service, which means you either have to deliver the gift yourself, or pay a courier to do it for you. It takes a lot of planning and organizing on your part to get the baskets delivered further than your city.
Specialized gift basket stores have experience in shipping and deliveries. Many times throughout the country or continent. They know how to carefully package and ship your gift so that it arrives in beautiful condition.
Big box stores do not allow any customization. You buy what they have and that's it. Most specialized gift basket companies will be only to happy to customize your gift to ensure you are receiving exactly what you are looking for.
So you see, the age old adage "you get what you pay for" is truly pertinent here. What message do you want to send to your family, friends and important customers?
Big box stores have their gift baskets in the store by early fall. Due to the quantities they need, manufacturers often build and assemble these baskets beginning in early summer. Result: Product in these baskets is already 6 months old when you are presenting them as a gift.
Specialized gift basket companies begin planning their next years designs almost as soon as the holiday is over. They shop for containers beginning in January, but their shelf stable FOOD product do not arrive until late October to Early November at the earliest, so your gift are the freshest possible. Fresh product like cookies, cakes, etc are baked to order.
Big box stores use curling ribbon or pull bows and clear, fragile (inexpensive) cellophane to wrap and top their gifts giving the baskets a more "production" look that takes away from the message you want to convey when giving a gift basket.
Specialized gift basket companies such as Boodles of Baskets use higher grade decorative cellophane and hand-tied bows made from scratch giving the gift a warm, homey feeling. The basket looks like you took the time to select something special rather than picking it up during your weekly shopping excursions.
Big box stores do not offer a delivery service, which means you either have to deliver the gift yourself, or pay a courier to do it for you. It takes a lot of planning and organizing on your part to get the baskets delivered further than your city.
Specialized gift basket stores have experience in shipping and deliveries. Many times throughout the country or continent. They know how to carefully package and ship your gift so that it arrives in beautiful condition.
Big box stores do not allow any customization. You buy what they have and that's it. Most specialized gift basket companies will be only to happy to customize your gift to ensure you are receiving exactly what you are looking for.
So you see, the age old adage "you get what you pay for" is truly pertinent here. What message do you want to send to your family, friends and important customers?
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Christmas Gift Basket Designs
It may seem strange to many folks that I start working on my Christmas designs during one of the hottest months of the year in Canada (August). But to me, having done this for the past 15 years, I can't imagine doing anything else during this lazy time of year. I can't wait to get all my catalogs to get my creative juices flowing for the coming season. And it will be quite the season!
I've already selected some beautiful Christmas cookie tin designs for our delicious fresh baked cookies, as well as some simply gorgeous Christmas popcorn and fudge tins.
Our gift basket containers had all been selected back in the winter, so now comes the creative part ->combining the products with the baskets to make some truly memorable gifts!
I've already selected some beautiful Christmas cookie tin designs for our delicious fresh baked cookies, as well as some simply gorgeous Christmas popcorn and fudge tins.
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| Winter Wonderland |
Our gift basket containers had all been selected back in the winter, so now comes the creative part ->combining the products with the baskets to make some truly memorable gifts!
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| Christmas Goodies |
As always, we will have quite a few chocolate gift basket designs using premium Lindt and Ghirardelli chocolates.
We'll be introducing a Christmas candy gram design for the first time this year and are still finalizing our Christmas cookie bouquet selections.
The plan is to have all of our designs ready by early October to ensure our customers have plenty of time to browse, before deciding on the perfect gifts for the good little (and big) boys and girls on their Christmas lists this year!
To view all of our selections go to http://www.boodlesofbaskets.com/
To view all of our selections go to http://www.boodlesofbaskets.com/
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