Gift Basket Articles, Stories, and Lessons
1. Newsday.com recently spoke with a designer who operates a gift basket/flower shop, asking her how the high price of gas is affecting business. You can read the story here.
I was surprised to read that she only charges $1 per delivery.
How are you handling delivery charges? Are you passing the cost to customers, or do you provide additional incentives to keep them buying?
2. TBO.com (Tampa Bay Online) profiles a woman who recently opened a gift shop. You’ll see a tall gift basket in the photograph accompanying the article.
Do you find that your taller designs sell faster than shorter ones?
3. A designer recently asked how she can stay within a fixed budget to photograph her baskets. I respond at Ask The Gift Basket Expert, explaining that it doesn’t take a lot of cash to create your own photography studio.
The photo shown is from the Gift Basket Design Studio Extreme Makeover.
4. Thank you to everyone who sent well wishes after my emergency surgery this week. I urge all of you to care for yourself the same way you care for every order.
What’s In Your Gift Basket Toolbox?
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 
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.
What’s Bugging Your Baskets?
Customers love eating the snacks we choose for gift baskets. So do bugs, mice and other critters when inventory is not stored properly.
Once edible goods are delivered, check each package for puncture marks and other signs of breakage.
If products are sealed correctly, transfer the goods from shipping boxes to another holder such as snap lid storage containers found in all-purpose department or variety stores.
Clear and opaque are popular container colors because it’s easy to see what’s inside without removing the lid. Still, it’s best to tag each container with a labeling system that identifies the goods, quantity, and expiration dates.
When teaching gift basket classes, I often tell the story about a product that was delivered to my warehouse intact, yet one package included an “uninvited guest.”
What would you do if this happened to you? In my case, I contacted the manufacturer who handled the problem quickly and to my satisfaction.
The article Is Something Bugging You? includes more helpful advice on storing your valuable inventory.
Gift Basket Week in Review
Enhancements create a lively and dazzling appearance in gift baskets, and Flora Brown of Gift Basket Business World features a blog article on how enhancements spice up your designs.
This topic is right on point for Charlene, who just asked a question about making an inexpensive basket for corporate sales more elaborate. You’ll see her question and my response when you scroll down to the comments section.
Want to know more about enhancements? Learn more about them and see a photo in the Gift Basket Dictionary.
Lorie Obernauer of Apex Gift Foods reminds us that the Summer Fancy Food Show will arrive in New York next month. She also provides information for next year’s event.
I’ve mentioned in past newsletters that if you’re unable to attend a trade show due to time or travel, but want to know who exhibited, call or Email the producer and ask how you can receive a show directory. It may cost you, but it won’t cost as much as the actual travel and lodging.
Are Gift Baskets a Business Tax Deduction? is the current question at Ask The Gift Basket Expert. I may not be able to give a definitive answer, but I do provide general guidance to find expert help on this sales-increasing topic.
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