topic Re: Giving and/or receiving Gift Baskets in Community Chat

Giving and/or receiving Gift Baskets

Goodie2shoes — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 01:55:10 GMT

Have you ever given or received a gift basket and for what occasion? Example: Beauty, Housewarming, Birthday, corporate gift? Did you like what you received? I have a friend who's thinking about starting a gift basket business and I'm just trying to help her come up with ideas so I just thought I would ask my forum friends if anyone has received or sent a basket and maybe if it's even a good idea to move forward with it.

I have sent a couple of baskets with beauty products and they enjoyed what I sent. ( Nail polish and remover, lip gloss, makeup remover, eye liner etc) I think she's going to be a busy girl ! I retired in 2016 so my working days are over ! Happy girl just trying to help a friend Thanks !

Re: Giving and/or receiving Gift Baskets

smoochy — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 02:08:10 GMT

I think gift baskets have a solid footing in the marketplace. I especially like the ones that feature items specific to a particular region or state

Re: Giving and/or receiving Gift Baskets

Desertdi — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 02:16:16 GMT

I can say only one thing: Don't give a food gift basket to a person who lives alone.

Re: Giving and/or receiving Gift Baskets

Bookplate — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 02:19:05 GMT

I received a gift basket of spa-type products when I was recovering from a surgery. I have given food gift baskets to bereaved friends. Also when I was working my department received a corporate-type basket of snacks. In each case the basket vendors were local, with unique products. I personally don't care for the more generic baskets with nationally available brands.

Re: Giving and/or receiving Gift Baskets

Biftu — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 02:37:00 GMT

I have received gift baskets, some with breakfast items, some food baskets, and those with a variety of beauty items. Never use all the food items, or just don't like the food. Beauty baskets, no thanks. I like the brands I like. Don't send me a gift basket, and I will never send one to you.

Re: Giving and/or receiving Gift Baskets

rockygems123 — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 04:20:53 GMT

@Goodie2shoes

Don't particularly like gift baskets. Quality usually isn't great and seems to be a waste of money and product to me.

Re: Giving and/or receiving Gift Baskets

Tori3569 — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 04:31:11 GMT

@rockygems123 wrote:
@Goodie2shoes

Don't particularly like gift baskets. Quality usually isn't great and seems to be a waste of money and product to me.

Not to mention packaging--always takes forever to open / dispose of all the pieces. Personally, I think there are too many basket vendors online--including on Etsy. Unless one has a legit way to source products at wholesale, it wouldn't be cost effective to sell.

Re: Giving and/or receiving Gift Baskets

AuntMame — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 04:44:43 GMT

I've received gift baskets, some great, some not so good.

Love Harry & David fruit baskets especially at Christmas. I love fruit and our local grocery stores don't have the best fruit in winter.

Love gift baskets with sweets and nuts, but the items need to be fresh, especially the nuts.

Received a gift basket of wines and ended up regifting all the bottles because I don't drink wine.

Not a fan of beauty gift baskets. Most of the items are not things I use.

Re: Giving and/or receiving Gift Baskets

AuntMame — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 05:02:23 GMT

I once received a gift basket with different kinds of honey. I thought that was pretty cool. Had no idea there were so many types of honey.

Re: Giving and/or receiving Gift Baskets

FancyPhillyshopper — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 05:15:54 GMT

I have given LOTS of gift baskets in my life, and received a few as well!

Nowadays anything can be put together in a basket! Traditionally it was fruit, foods, chocolates, coffees, cookies, etc., etc. Often it was just one specific brand, like Harry and David.

Then baskets were developed for housewarming, baby showers, and who knows what else. Yes, beauty boxes and fashion boxes have now become a real fad.

There is a company called Happy Box that lets you design your own boxes-- I have sent these boxes to family members.

I am sorry to say that I do not really think your friend will fare too well with this idea as a money-maker as the market is saturated. She would need to have a very wide field of supporters, and would have to establish some standard of quality and efficiency that would make people want to purchase through her.

In my case when shopping for gift baskets, I always prefer well-known companies. I wish her good luck, as it seems like it would be a fun work experience if she can get the customers.

Re: Giving and/or receiving Gift Baskets

AuntMame — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 05:35:25 GMT

A friend started a gift basket business by selling them through hospital gift shops. From there she branched out to selling them to local businesses that needed to send out corporate gifts. She was quite successful, and did this for many years. But she had other product lines such as specialized gourmet foods and customized corporate food gifts. At one point she was selling through local gourmet-style grocery stores. I always wondered when she had time to sleep.

Re: Giving and/or receiving Gift Baskets

Desertdi — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 05:45:05 GMT

@monicakm wrote:
@Desertdi

WHY??

@monicakm Probably no place to store the stuff...and HOW MUCH can an individual person EAT... di

Re: Giving and/or receiving Gift Baskets

Group 5 minus 1 — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 11:26:31 GMT

Gift Baskets: Depends on what the receiver likes and eats and special diets. So many times the stuff in gift baskets goes to waste.

I think many times a gift basket is an "easy" gift. Not much thinking about but makes you feel good. You gave the gift.

I read once about a person the made up a gift basket for a friend and included those products that may have been too $$ for the receiver.

Re: Giving and/or receiving Gift Baskets

lynnie61 — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 12:27:44 GMT

I've made some baskets for charity events for auctions. I think it would be a tough business. Keeping the costs manageable and shipping costs.

I've received some corporate baskets and some breakfast baskets like Stonewall kitchens or Harry and David. I always tried to use all the items. I've seen some beauty baskets that were a little too generic. People like their specific brands.

Many, many years ago, my friends got me a big, big Bath and Body Works basket when my mom passed. I LOVED it. It was lovely.

Re: Giving and/or receiving Gift Baskets

We rescue cats — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 13:13:02 GMT

When I had the travel agencies we would put a 'welcome home' gift basket together for folks that were away for over a week. I worked with a gift basket gal, and we usually knew enough about the client to pick what they liked, there's a lot good about a small town! We often included things like milk, bread, cereal, eggs-even lunch and/or dinner items, treats for the kids or pets . . . each basket was personalized.

Re: Giving and/or receiving Gift Baskets

haddon9 — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 13:26:36 GMT

@FancyPhillyshopper wrote:

I have given LOTS of gift baskets in my life, and received a few as well!

Nowadays anything can be put together in a basket! Traditionally it was fruit, foods, chocolates, coffees, cookies, etc., etc. Often it was just one specific brand, like Harry and David.

Then baskets were developed for housewarming, baby showers, and who knows what else. Yes, beauty boxes and fashion boxes have now become a real fad.

There is a company called Happy Box that lets you design your own boxes-- I have sent these boxes to family members.

I am sorry to say that I do not really think your friend will fare too well with this idea as a money-maker as the market is saturated. She would need to have a very wide field of supporters, and would have to establish some standard of quality and efficiency that would make people want to purchase through her.

In my case when shopping for gift baskets, I always prefer well-known companies. I wish her good luck, as it seems like it would be a fun work experience if she can get the customers.

I have to agree with this. Yes sometimes gift baskets can be fun to give depending on the situation, etc. However unless this friend can really specialize in something unique with a market for it, I'm afraid her business might not take off.

There are too many large companies who offer this with them offering customization.

Re: Giving and/or receiving Gift Baskets

ScrapHappy — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 13:39:16 GMT

My go to is Wolferman's. I've sent sympathy baskets to friends. I used to send to my mother for Easter, she really liked their english muffins.

Re: Giving and/or receiving Gift Baskets

San Antonio Gal — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 13:53:40 GMT

Gift baskets oftentimes have non-brand/off-brand items to keep the cost down for the basket.

@Goodie2shoes - Will you friend be able to put good guality items in the baskets while keeping the cost down? It seems like the profit per basket would be so low that it wouldn't be worth her time.

Is she planning on personally delivering the gift baskets? Mailing would be very expensive. If she's delivering, she needs to figure out how much gas it will cost.

Re: Giving and/or receiving Gift Baskets

San Antonio Gal — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 13:48:23 GMT

The only thing nice about a gift basket is the presentation. After that, it's throwing away all the stuffing and putting away the basket or discarding it.

Hit and miss on the items.

Re: Giving and/or receiving Gift Baskets

Bri369 — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 13:59:32 GMT

I don't usually give gift baskets. The only exception to that is Edible Arrangements. Everyone I send those to loves them.

Any time I ever receive a gift basket, it's hit or miss on what I usually use. The presentation is usually is usually what people ooh and ahh over.