Gift Baskets?

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Sarah Botchick

Sarah Botchick

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Dec 10, 2008
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Berea (Near Cleveland)
www.pioneerwholesaleco.com
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Hi all,

I have a question for whomever cares to give their two cents... do you (as florists) sell gift baskets?

I don't hear too many people talking about them on here. But I see an increase in recent years in the floral magazines, encouraging florists to make and sell gift baskets. I just am wondering if real florists actually do this. And the reasons why/why not.

Just looking to get inside some good heads, if you don't mind. Thanks!!
 
In my past experience.....I find gift baskets to be massively inventory consuming.

It takes a good amount of gift type inventory to have an adequate supply on hand to offer a nice variety of gift items for baskets.

The flip side of that is that I find the majority of pre-made gift baskets to either be unrealistically priced for the contained product or put together in such a way as to present an unattractive item.
 
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yes we do.

BUT sometimes we just sell gift products and put them in a Aprils garden bag with tissue paper and a pretty bow so our customers don't spend the money on a stupid basket.
I think baskets are a waste of money. I can't stand baskets.

We sell expensive stuff and not so expensive stuff. We even sell laundry detergent.. yep, but it's kick ass laundry detergent.

people love getting a goodie bag or gift basket from us. They know they are getting quality stuff!

Sold a bunch of small goodie bags today and one big one, but more like a goodie platter. The bowl looks like a bird of paradise bowl. then I put candles and bath salts and lotion and linen spray etc in it. Was totally cool.
 
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We sell gift baskets. Very seldom do we have premade ones. We like the customer to choose a theme and give us a price range. We have an extensive gift and gourmet food shop. We do baby, pamper, home decor, gourmet food/wine and sometimes a mixture of all the above with a plant or flowers included.
Depending on how much someone wants to spend really determines what you present it in. We offer the option of gift bags if they don't want to pay the price for a basket. Some customers though prefer the look of a basket or one of our bowls for presentation.
 
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shannonlovesflowers said:
yes we do.

BUT sometimes we just sell gift products and put them in a Aprils garden bag with tissue paper and a pretty bow so our customers don't spend the money on a stupid basket.
I think baskets are a waste of money. I can't stand baskets.
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I agree, there are many ugly, "stupid" baskets on the market. If I could completely rid the earth of the coco midrib basket, I would be eternally grateful.

BUT... the other side of the coin is that there are also many beautiful baskets that are neither stupid or a waste of money. They serve a purpose as a decorative container to hold product and display it better than it can be seen in a gift bag. They also increase the perceived value of the gift because it looks like more when it is displayed.

I like the idea of the bowl that you mention.

My point in posing the question was not to debate whether gifts should be placed in baskets or bags. Likely we could debate that for days and never get anywhere. My purpose was to decipher whether florists tend to stick to just flowers, or sell other gift items too. Thank you for answering that.
 
RWK said:
In my past experience.....I find gift baskets to be massively inventory consuming.

It takes a good amount of gift type inventory to have an adequate supply on hand to offer a nice variety of gift items for baskets.

The flip side of that is that I find the majority of pre-made gift baskets to either be unrealistically priced for the contained product or put together in such a way as to present an unattractive item.
Click to expand...

Thanks Ricky. I appreciate that explanation. Makes sense.
 
Yeah I know it wasn't about baskets or bags...But rather if people sell more than just flowers, as I said, yep, we sure do.

When we do use a "basket" for a gift basket it's usually wrought iron type looking basket we get from IHI or someplace like it.

I personally do not think people want baskets. This is the reason---> how many times have ya gone to a yard sale and saw the mountain of baskets with dust all over them? I have seen lots.

Never have seen one of our IHI products though.
 
Shannon, I am glad you have found something your customers like. Personally, I work non stop, so I am not at a lot of garage/tag sales to know what is being gotten rid of! We sell containers full of baskets every year to gift basket companies, so SOMEONE likes them. But perhaps it is just the gift basket companies, not the recipients!
 
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shannonlovesflowers said:
oooo, you know what else we do....

Sometimes this...

how's that for a gift basket?
Click to expand...

THAT is amazing. It needs a way better name than "Gift Basket". "Gift Basket" doesn't do it justice!

Do you mind if I ask what you charge for something like that? I am just curious. You don't have to reply!
 
I think actual baskets are just an easy way to present "stuff"

you can get all the stuff in and see it when it's covered with cello, etc. They serve their purpose.

I just think there are more interesting ways to present gifts.

I hope you sell a bazillion baskets... but ya wont sell 'em to me! ;)

If baskets work for any particular florist,,, cool.
I'm by NO MEANS saying people should stop buying baskets. All I'm saying is I don't like 'em.

I don't like shrimp or booze either, but people still buy it! :)
 
Hey shannon, we agree on something. I hate shrimp too! :)

Not saying florists should buy baskets. Just try to get a feel for whether or not these magazines are being realistic.

I also notice a HUGE difference between where the gift basket industry is at media wise (websites, magazines, forums, etc.) and where the floral industry is at, and I am trying to figure out WHY. Maybe it is because everyone really does hate baskets. :) Or maybe it is because there is no flowerchat for the gift basket industry. :)
 
We occasionally do gift baskets, we use a basket if requested or a pretty wrapped box with the set up like a gift basket and we also use various home decor pottery that is inexpensive, have seen this alot. We carry quite a selection of gourmet product that is handy for the baskets. Personally, I enjoy doing gift baskets, I love to fru fru them up.

Trish
 
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Seasonals said:
There is a forum connected with Rave Review Magazine
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There are a few forums out there. And I hear there is a new one on its way. A new person is trying to start the "Gift Basket Association" and a forum connected to it. Poor woman is getting slammed... But none of the forums are as well supported as FC. Nor are they as well developed, computer wise. Maybe it is just the industry as a whole is smaller.
 
Sarah, is this the person you recommended as a member?

Also, we have discussed gift baskets before when another person joined.

And thank goodness people do want gift baskets (in baskets) or I'd be out of work.

V
 
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I would love to hear how successful gift basket sellers do it. (V?)

We have a grocery store at our disposal-and we don't do very well with them.
When we have tried to do up a bunch of them with different themes, they don't sell.
We've had a little luck with some simple, inexpensive one like our "S'mores" basket.

I find that when I see them in catalogues, I'm often amazed at how low they are priced for the products that are in them. By the time we put all the products in, charge for whatever "container" we use, and labor, ours would cost a lot more.

We do get custom orders occasionally.

Maybe we just aren't the place where people like to buy gift baskets? Maybe they are more high end and a grocery store isn't the right retail match?

Any advice would be appreciated since it has always bugged me that we just can't seem to develop a following for them even with several attempts.
 
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I will say that in various shops I have worked with......consistently, when I did attempt to bring in some type of gift type basket compliation/combination......this may work for you as well Sandy.....Far and away the best seller I have ever encountered is a large basket piled to overflowing with nothing but Junk/Snack food....Candy, Little Debbie cakes, chips, soda, and the like.
 
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Victoria said:
Sarah, is this the person you recommended as a member?

Also, we have discussed gift baskets before when another person joined.

And thank goodness people do want gift baskets (in baskets) or I'd be out of work.

V
Click to expand...

Yes, V. She has two gift basket companies. My theory was that maybe she could learn from the example of a good forum. And I thought perhaps she could offer perspective from a related, but different industry, especially if there is some crossover with some florists creating gift baskets. And who knows - I thought there could be an interchange of ideas. But I didn't realize people were so "anti-baskets", so now I am thinking perhaps it was a bad idea to recommend her. I REALLY didn't mean to cause a problem!!
 
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