Gift Basket Myths Debunked

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Gift Baskets Uncovered

In our line of work we see many variations of gift basket designs from various designers, after all in order to stay on top of our game we need to know what is available on the market today..  Although we see beautiful gift basket designs that have been well thought out, in many instances the mechanics of the gift basket has not been considered.

There are two common mistakes in gift basket designs (we don't commit either of these) but we thought that customers deserved an explanation and a guide to choosing gift baskets.  This guide will help you to choose gift baskets that are not only beautifully designed, but also those that will travel well.  Yes, if you are sending a gift directly to the recipient in many cases these will need to be sent via Royal Mail or a courier.

In many instances the gift basket designer will package the gift well and add "This Way Up" stickers to the packaging.  The problem is that the postal services or couriers very rarely take any notice of these (even though the package will miraculously arrive with the recipient the right way up)  In fact I have had the staff at the courier depot turn the package upside down in my presence, even with "This Way Up" stickers clearly visible on each side of the box,

Many gift basket suppliers are themselves not aware of the mechanics of gift basket design, nor of the fact that couriers will probably not take note of This Way Up stickers.  So we cannot place the blame totally at their door, however it is their responsibility to know what they are doing and ensure that your gift basket arrives with you or the recipient in the same condition as when it left them.

To help you choose gift baskets based not only on design, but mechanics as well we have created a short slideshow, showing you exactly what can happen to gift baskets when in transit, when the mechanics of the gift basket has not been thought out by the designer.

To do this we created three gift baskets, one as we would normally design a gift basket and the other two based on the most common mistakes we find when researching our competitors.

We certainly hope this slideshow gives you more insight not only in what to look for when choosing a gift basket,, but to help you to ask the right questions when dealing with a gift basket supplier.

52 Great Romantic Ideas

With Valentines day almost upon us I thought we would bring you some creative romantic ideas.  Not just because it is nearing Valentines Day, but because I am a hopeless romantic and believe that everyday should be a day of love.  365 Romantic ideas would make for an awfully long read, so have decided to add 52 of the most romantic ideas we could find, one for each week of the year.  Try them out and for at least one day of the week, make the love of your life feel extra special and remind them of exactly how much you do love them.

1.  Write your partner a love letter or poem on one sheet of paper. Glue it to thin cardboard, cut it up into puzzle-shaped pieces, then mail all the pieces. Or, mail one puzzle piece per day!

2.  Buy a lottery ticket. Give it to your partner with a little note attached: “I hit the jackpot when I married you!”

3.  Make a custom certificate for your lover. (You can get blank certificate forms at a stationery or paper store.) Here are some suggestions: A certificate “For Putting Up With Me Over the Years,” an award for “The World’s Best Wife,” a ribbon “For Hugs & Kisses Above and Beyond the Call of Duty.”

4.  Initiate a spontaneous dance party. While you're cooking or going about other daily rituals, turn up one of your shared favorite artists and start grooving. Even if he tries to rein in your silly side, the moment he comes over to curb your running man can lead to a sweet, intimate hug and kiss.

5.  Take a walk down memory lane — visit some of the special places from your early days of dating.

6.  Make a scrapbook with photos, mementos, and little notes from you lives together. Then sit down together and relive those memories.

7.  Pretend you’re going on a first date — show up at the door with flowers, all dressed up, with your car washed and cleaned, looking spiffy. Recreate the first time.

8.  Write “I love you” in the steam on the bathroom mirror after he takes a shower.

9.  Write a poem. Then use Google Translator to translate a poem into either French or Italian. Then handwrite it out with the translation on the back side. Or better yet, greet your partner at night and read it to them with passion and then hand them the translation.
10. Make a CD with a few songs that are meaningful to your relationship, then tell him/her to play it on their way into work.
11. Surprise her at work and take her out to lunch, maybe take-out food in the park or maybe to a little diner, for a midday romantic interlude.
12.  Put together a little gift on his/her pillow: chocolate and a note that says “Your love is like chocolate: sweet and delicious.”
13. Cook a special love meal of your partner’s favorite foods. Play his favorite music and turn the lights low for a romantic dinner.
14. Send a text message or email that says “I love you!”
15. Mail a card and inside write down the top 10 things you love about your partner.
16. Give him a picture of you for his wallet that says “I love you.”
17. Leave a love note in her car telling her to have a great day.
18. When your partner least expects it, give him a great big kiss, even if it’s in public!
19. Go see a romantic movie, sit in the back row, hold hands, and cuddle.
20. King for a Day/ Queen for a Day. Declare that you will dedicate a particular day just to your partner to do whatever they want. Maybe start with breakfast in bed.
21. Buy a tree and invite your partner to plant it with you explaining that this tree represents the love between you both that will grow over the years.
22. In the midst of talking about how your days went, the chores that need to be done, etc. interrupt and say “I have something important to tell you. I love you and here’s why.” Then list 5 things (or more) that you really appreciate about your partner. Finish with a kiss and say, “Ok, so you were talking about the water heater.”
23. Write an old fashioned love letter and mail it. Be romantic and lavish. Have some fun with it.
24. Place an ad in the classifieds declaring your love. Then take the newspaper, wrap it in a bow, and put a little note on it saying what page to look on.
25. Blindfold surprise. Blindfold your partner and drive them to the place where you had your first date, and have that date all over again!
26. Do something romantic and spontaneous, like picking a flower and giving it to her right on the spot.
27. Make a small postcard sized love collage. Then cover it with clear packing tape. Write a love message on the other side and mail it!
28. Play hooky together. You work hard. Now today take a day to work easy at just sharing some fun time together. Call it an “I love you day.”
29. Make little “I love you” posters with either crayons, markers, collage, paint, whatever. Post them in surprising places: the bathroom, the wardrobe, the car, under her pillow, on her pillow.
30. Create a small website or blog dedicated to your partner. Write a short love message each day for a month…or forever.
31. Be super kind for a whole day. Act like you would with a new love, a child, or a frail person. Show lots of kindness, generosity, and love no matter what for a whole day.
32. Take an interest in your partner’s interests. For a woman it might be watching a football game with your guy. And for men it might be going to see a chick-flick. Do it with a spirit of enthusiasm and love. Have fun.
33. Sneak up behind her and give her a hug when she doesn't expect one.

34. Forward old e-mails/letters from each other again. Or print them up and get them bound into a love letter book.

35.  Plan a weekend away. This is seriously really important. Just take her somewhere nearby, or maybe a few hours away. A bed and breakfast for the night does wonders for the soul.

36. Talk a lot about good memories, scary dreams and what’s to come while lying down together before sleep.

37. Give your lover a dozen roses—with a creative twist. Give eleven red roses and one white rose. Attach a note that reads: “In every bunch there’s one who stands out—and you are that one.

38. Arrange a picnic – either in your living room, a place with a pretty view or in an interesting place (grassy knoll in the middle of a roundabout?) Laying out a picnic instantly makes any dinner a little more fun!

39. Go stargazing in the backyard or at a local conservatory.

40. Hold her hand, stare into her eyes, kiss her hand and then put it over your heart.

41. Write a fictional story about how you met/fell in love, etc. and give it to your lifemate.

42. Learn to say sweet things in foreign languages, including sign language.
43. Tuck a package of her favorite sweets into her purse. Tape a note to it that says you love her.

44. Leave a note for him to meet at his favorite bar or club. When he arrives, do some fun role-play and pretend you are meeting for the first time.

45. Designate a place as "yours" -- your favorite restaurant or bar -- and frequent it together often.

46. Feed each other dinner. Or better yet, dessert.

47. Put a little gift in a toy treasure chest (you can find them at party supply stores), and hide it in the house. Leave a trail of clues.

48, Around Valentine’s Day, buy a whole bunch of valentines. Give them to him/her at random times throughout the year.

49. Ask for a coin to toss in a fountain. Then say, “Actually, never mind, my wish already came true—I have you

50. Go a whole week without saying anything negative or critical—and pay compliments at every opportunity.

51. Talk about her right in front of her: Tell other people why she’s so amazing (or him)

52. Don't forget to buy gift for each other (large or small) for no reason other than to say I Love You.

For gift ideas for any occasion visit World of Hampers - Gift Baskets, Personalised Gifts - Novelty Chocolate Gifts and more....

Are You Paying A Fair Price For Gift Baskets

I recently read an article about how large supermarket chains were selling gift baskets and hampers that cost three times more than the individual items.  The writer of the article calculated the cost of each product sold in the said supermarkets as opposed to buying a gift basket filled with these products.  The writer however did not allow for the fact that the products she had priced already had already been marked up by the supermarket, and if she had calculated the price at the cost to the supermarket, not the consumer then these large supermarket chains in effect made more than three times the amount of the gift basket than the individual products would have cost.

Now all businesses need to mark their products up, if they weren't making profit they would not be in business, but there is a big difference between making a profit and greed.  Having said that on the other end of the scale you have home based businesses that charge too little for their gift basket creations.  I am sure as the consumer you may be thinking how can charging too little be relevant to you,

Think about it this way, if something went wrong, would the seller be able to afford to put it right.  Many sellers particularly in home based businesses, consider themselves to be hobbyists and do not add a markup to their baskets, but in many cases they have not covered their costs.  When you consider the cost of the basket, contents, wrap and bow in most cases the seller is selling at a loss, because they have not covered all of these costs.  Even if a seller was breaking even on the sale of a gift basket, the minute there is a problem that needs to be fixed they are already losing money.

No business can survive by just breaking even as they have not covered their running costs and do not therefore have the funds required to put problems right,  Let us say the gift basket you ordered arrived with you damaged, or worse still, got lost in the post.  The seller would have to honour the sale by sending out a replacement basket.  If they are just breaking even then the funds to create and send another basket would have to come out of there own pocket, and this is one of the reasons that many small home based businesses do not survive.

You as a consumer need to know that the company that you are dealing with has the resources to survive particularly in the case of small home based business.  If home based businesses are not covering their costs and end up closing down, you would find it difficult to get a replacement basket out of them should there be a problem with the basket they sent you.

For these reasons you need to know what is a fair price to pay for a gift basket.  You do not want to be paying the extortionate prices that large supermarket chains are charging, and neither do you want to risk purchasing low cost gift baskets from a home based business that is not covering their costs, and will therefore not be able to deal with any problems should they arise.

Ideally a small gift basket filled with quality products should cost you in the region of around £20 - £30 depending on the products provided.  Should the contents of the basket be of higher quality then the price should reflect this.  A small basket filled with items that can be purchased on the high street should cost in the region of £15 - £20.  These prices do not include any packaging or postal costs and would reflect the price should the basket be collected.  If the gift basket should be sent by courier then you can expect these prices to rise to the region of £20 - £35  This is to cover the cost of packaging including the box and packing materials, and this does not include the cost of delivery, which is additional. Obviously the larger the basket the higher the price.

So when you next look at purchasing a gift basket you should expect the prices to be in the region of £20 for a smaller basket to £50 and upwards for a larger basket.  Again this would depend on the size and contents of the basket.  Spa baskets tend to cost more as good quality skincare products can be quite costly.  Go for a basket that is priced to high and you will feel ripped off,and if you go for a basket that is priced too cheaply you take the risk of problems not being solved should they arise.

For baskets that are fairly priced please feel free to visit our website www.worldofhampers.co.uk

Article written by Jayne Groenewald - Owner of World of Hampers and Founder of UK Gift Basket Association.  

Gift Baskets Really Do Make The Best Gifts

With so many gift ideas out there, what is it that makes gift baskets the best gift?  Is it the surprise element, or the thought of all the beautiful gifts the basket contains?  Perhaps it is a mixture of both.

Speaking to a landscaper the other day, he was telling me that his wife did a gift basket for him last Christmas and filled it with tons of tasty treats.  He told me this was the best gift he had ever received and would be very happy to receive gift baskets again in the future.

I made gift baskets for my grandchildren last Christmas, and was filled with a little bit of trepidation that perhaps they would not like their gift.  I need not have worried.  Of course my grandchildren know all about gift baskets, but they were so excited at receiving one themselves that all of their other gifts were forgotten.  So much so that their mother had to take the gift baskets off them for a while to get them to open up their other Christmas presents.  They did with this haste and once they had thanked everyone for their gifts, begged to have their gift baskets back again.

So yes gift baskets really do make the best gifts.  It does not matter whether the basket is given to a woman, man or even children, they are loved by all, and the gift that seems to keep giving, long after the other gifts have been opened.  And certainly the gift that puts the biggest smile on the faces of both the giver and receiver of the gift.

Next time you are looking for that perfect gift, give a gift basket, your will be pleasantly surprised at how well they are received.

Gift Solution Specialists

We are always telling you how great gift basket are.  Perfect for any occasion and for any interest, gender age etc... However there are times where a gift basket just will not do it for whatever reason.  Perhaps you gave a gift basket last month as an anniversary gift and now it is the recipients birthday, you may not want to send another gift basket so soon after the last one.

So with this in mind we have scoured the best places to come up with solutions and with additional training we are now much more than gift basket designers we are gift solution specialists.

So no matter what you are looking for, whether it be a great gift basket, novelty chocolates, flowers or personalised items, we have a solution for you.  Come and check us out, with over 150 various products, you won't be disappointed.

                     

                      

    

       

For these and so much more please visit our website World of Hampers  Plus do not forget that we love to create individual gift baskets, specific to the recipients tastes.  If you would like us to create you a gorgeous custom basket, drop us a line using the contact form on our website.  Let us know what you would like, who the gift is for, and your budget and we will work closely with you to come up with a gift that would be perfect.

What To Look For When Choosing A Gift Basket

With so many gift basket suppliers out there, you may be wondering how you go about choosing the best supplier for your gift basket needs.  We have complied a few tips to help you along the way, from choosing gift basket designs right through to how the gift basket is put together and packaged.

Making the right choice.
Nobody can tell you which is the right choice to make and only you know what the gift recipient would like.  With this in mind ask the gift basket supplier if they are happy to make up a gift basket for you to include items the recipient would love to receive.  Most suppliers are happy to accommodate you on this and will ask a series of questions as to the recipients likes and dislikes.  They should also ask for your budget so they can work within this.

Will the products move within the gift basket during delivery process?
Ensure that the products will not move within the basket while being transported.  Although the basket may look beautiful in photos, how will you know that it will arrive with the recipient in the same condition.  Well you could ask the gift basket supplier how they stabilise the products in the gift basket along with questions about packaging.  You can normally determine this without asking the question though.

1. Have a good look at the photo, if the gift basket is already wrapped n cellophane, you can normally determine if the products are stabilized in the gift basket.  To do this first check out the cellophane wrap.  Has the gift basket been wrapped tightly with all products in an upright position.  Tightly wrapped gift baskets help ensure products do not move while being transported.  Bear in mind though that the supplier may use shrink wrap and will shrink wrap the product prior to shipping.  This is one of the best methods of wrapping gift baskets as the shrink wrap fits tightly around the products leaving no room for the products to move.  
2. Is there shred in the basket and are the bases of products tucked into the shred?  If not and the products are just layed in the basket the likelihood is that these products will move freely while being transported which means that when the recipient receives their basket the products will have shifted and will more than likely be in a jumble and not look as appealing as they did in the photographs. 
3. Try and determine from looking at the photo whether you think the products would move if you were to pick the basket up and give it a shake (many gifts basket suppliers do the shake test to determine whether products will move while in transit)  Remember that it does not matter how many this way up stickers or fragile labels the gift basket suppliers use, the likelihood is the courier company will not heed these and your gift basket could be placed upside down in the courier depot and van. So checking out and determining whether the products will move if shaken or turned upside down is a good way to determine the condition the gift basket will be in when it reaches its intended destination.  For Example:

  This gift basket has been tightly wrapped and a shrink wrap film has been used.  Once the designer has shrunk the wrap the contents of this basket will not move anywhere.  The basket has also been filled with shred and you can clearly see that the base of the products has been snugly fitted into the shred.  This basket has had the shake test as well has been turned upside down and shook, and nothing has moved.  The products in this gift basket will not move while in transit and the recipient of the gift will receive the gift basket in the same condition as photographed.

Now we will show you an example of a gift basket where the products have not been stabilised.  And you can clearly see the difference.  

This basket looks pretty enough and everything looks in place, now for the shake test.

The basket has now been through the shake test and as you can see everything has moved to the right leaving a gap in the basket on the left.  Now let us assume the couriers end up turning the package upside down.  Let's see what happens when turned back the right way up. 

In this illustration the basket has been turned upside down and then the right way up.  You can clearly see the the products have shifted and the basket now no longer looks as appealing as the lovely gift basket you saw photographed.  Now we all know that if the parcel is going to get turned upside down, with all the moving of the parcel from depot to van etc.  the parcel will end up a little shook up, so let us see what happens then.  

   The  basket no longer resembles the basket you originally purchased with products all jumbled up, although from this shot you cannot see exactly what has happened inside the basket let's take a closer look

You can clearly see in this shot how the products have shifted and in fact the base of the basket is just an empty cavity while the products have settled at all angles on the rim of the basket..  Would you really be happy knowing that the recipient of what you thought would be a great gift ended up with a gift basket that looked like this? I am sure you would not, but by using the above tips this can be avoided.

I see so many gift baskets made up in this way and quite frankly I cringe everytime I see them as I know what will happen when in transit which is why we at World of Hampers always use the shake test prior to sending our baskets out to ensure that the recipient of the gift basket receives it in exactly the same condition it was when photographed and despatched.

If you are unsure or cannot tell from the photograph supplied by the gift basket supplier, please ask questions.  A great gift basket designer would be happy to answer them and advise as to how they secure the products in the basket ready for transportation.  There are great gift basket suppliers out there, but there are also those that are under the impression that to make a gift basket you just add a few things to a basket and wrap it up with cellophane and a bow.  As you can see from the above examples this is simply not the case and so much more goes into gift basket design than most realise.