What’s In Your Gift Basket Toolbox?

June 18, 2008 · Filed Under Deliveries 

A broken balloon. Newly-torn cellophane. The strangest things happen to baskets while traveling to a client.

When the destination is important and there’s no time to waste, you can be sure that something will happen to that gorgeous basket somewhere between getting into and out of the car.

To solve the worst of problems, designers carry their own version of a doctor’s bag, a suggestion I share in The Gift Basket Design Book.

Move over aspirin — the contents of this bag promises to remove all the pain associated with having the smallest of things go wrong to ruin the event.

Your bag doesn’t have to be an actual bag. It could be a toolbox, a wire-bound carryall (shown above) or a small cardboard box. Use whatever works for you and fill it with the following products, which will travel inside of your vehicle at all times:

1) One sharp pair of scissors
2) Sticky tape or glue
3) One roll of transparent tape on a dispenser
4) Two to three unfilled balloons with matching cups and sticks
5) A minimum of three star sprays in the color of your choice
6) One all-purpose pick enhancement
7) One bunch of raffia, any color
8) One roll of brushed gold curling ribbon (unless another color is preferred)
9) One roll of all-purpose ribbon (determine the best color and width to carry)
10) One queen-sized carry bag

Today’s gift basket designer always carries these tools in case of an emergency. If the vehicle’s tire suddenly goes flat, you need a ready spare. The same can be said of a basket design that’s just suffered a hazard.

Keep these tools handy. It’s a great investment in time and against headaches.

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Comments

4 Responses to “What’s In Your Gift Basket Toolbox?”

  1. TD Sanders on June 23rd, 2008 6:50 am

    Business cards should also be in the tool box, along with a camera.

  2. Rhonda Schiessl on June 23rd, 2008 8:43 am

    Great list. Thank you Shirley.

    I also take blank gift cards and envelopes. Once upon delivery I discovered I had been given the wrong spelling of the recipient’s name.

    The toolbox is great to have along when making presentations also.

    Rhonda

  3. Shirley George Frazier on June 23rd, 2008 8:57 am

    Hi TD,

    I totally agree.

    Those two items are “right on,” or “spot on” as they say in Australia. The low cost and availability of both make them easy to add.

  4. Shirley George Frazier on June 23rd, 2008 8:59 am

    Hi Rhonda,

    You make an excellent point about adding gift cards and envelopes and also about what’s required in case of misspellings.

    I bet lots of designers have experienced that problem and didn’t know how to fix it on the spot.

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