Gift Baskets-- They are SO Last Year

Look out Harry & David, you have an anti-gift-basket nemesis out there:  www.nobasketsplease.com.  This site was created after a company received 63 gift baskets in one year and started donating them to charity after basket #5.  The site recommends socially- responsible, healthful, and practical gifts that can be given instead.  This reminds me a lot of the post I just wrote about preventing clutter at the holidays... it's great if we can give people something that is truly useful and beneficial.  Of course the thought is what counts, ultimately, and everyone gets points for that, but there are only so many summer sausages that one person needs.

At my house we call these kinds of baskets a "Ham-a-Rama," which was the actual Hickory Farms name of a collection we received about 17 years ago.  If we hadn't moved so many times and thrown things out, I am convinced those Ham-a-Rama cheese logs would have still been edible today. 

Comments

[Heather in Washington State, USA]

I remember when I was a starving student, working several low-wage jobs, barely able to pay rent. I ate Top Ramen and Bananas most days because that's all I could afford. One Christmas someone at work gave me a gift basket filled with food. For me, at that time in my life, it was the best gift ever.

A few years later I could afford a more varied diet, but I was still on a tight budget. I won a gift basket in a raffle -- it was packed in a collander and loaded with Italian food. I still have the collander and use it every time I make pasta, and fondly remember the gift basket it once was.

I'm now much older, more comfortable financially, but I still delight in getting gift baskets, especially ones with food. There is just something wonderful about poking through and exploring all the goodies inside, and then later finding a use for the basket in my home (I love baskets for holding mail, mending, books to go back to the library, mismatched socks, etc).

So you can forward your unwanted gift baskets to me. And I'm sure there are others out there who are just as excited to receive them. Oh, but you can keep the summer sausage and processed cheese logs. I admit I don't care for those, either.

[eepah]

OUT: gift baskets

IN: care packages

[Gift Basket Business]

What a shame that some companies throw items together in a basket that don't reflect recipients' preferences.

Thousands of gift basket designers nationwide, many of which are my clients, practice the art of pairing great foods and gifts with recipients who are dazzled by the contents and creativity.

It is because of today's dedicated and professional gift basket designers, based in a home-based workspace or retail store, that individuals and corporations still order millions of gift baskets to start business relationships, show appreciation, and express emotion in times of joy or sadness.

Shirley George Frazier
Author and Gift Basket Industry Expert

[smith]

yes.. many companies are sending gift baskets to clients, it's a nice idea..
http://www.food-giftbasket.org

[Gift Basket]

"So Last Year"
I hardly agree.
People would rather a basket of sentimental value, than practice things.

Imagine it "Thanks for your hard work...here's some toothpaste and towels." Instead of say flowers, chocolates, fruit.

[john]

Gift baskets are in no way, so last year. Just Google the word gift basket and you'll see 10,800,000 returns. This is no accident there is a real demand out there. Giving a gift basket makes gifting so easy, you don’t have to worry about, if the person already has a pair of red socks or a blue tie, with a gift basket, your not giving a “thing,” your providing an experience, people feel special. Be it a food basket themed for a graduation, a retirement, or for a new mom. Baskets can be packed with delicious extravagant foods or with stuff to make memories from, like a basket for a newborn, with a molding kit to make impressions of the baby’s hands and feet to capture the moment, or a picture frame to hold the baby’s picture, or perhaps treats for mom and dad. There is just so much gift baskets can deliver, no wonder people loving giving and receiving them. The variety of baskets is enormous; basket sites have baskets for just about every occasion, person, and animal. To support my point, take a look at www.giftfavorbaskets.com, the site has nearly 320 unique baskets and in a wide price range from under $30 to over $300.

[Lorie Marrero]

OK, well apparently I hit a nerve with the gift basket community. I do think there are enough processed cheeses in the world already... but to each his own! I do think they are responsible for a lot of clutter, in my professional experience. But there are really great gift baskets out there too, so enjoy.

- Lorie

[Shop The Gift Basket Store]

Our motto at Shop The Gift Basket Store is, "Don't just give a gift, give a memory", and that is exactly what gift baskets are for. Ask someone if they remember what gift cards, pajamas or gloves they've received in the past. They don't. What people give, when they give a gift basket, is a memory. People will always remember the joy seeing that brown box left by the delivery company. They won't forget the fun of ripping through the packing and finding the buried treasure hidden inside. Whether it is a gift basket full of gourmet food, spa treatments, or delicious chocolate, people will ALWAYS remember the gift. Next time you want to send a gift that will create a memory, visit us at Shop The Gift Basket Store and see the special sentiments that we can deliver for you.

[gifts philippines]

Hmmm... when I saw this post, I remember my mom packing of gift basket every holiday and the gift baskets will be given to our relatives. Anyway thanks for posting about this.

-fern-