The Gift Exchange

Question:
Beth Shepherd Says:
July 17th, 2008 at 6:15 am
Is it appropriate to give a gift for the birthday child and their siblings so they don’t get left out?

Sandy - Customer Service Representative
Answer:
This is always appropriate to do for a sibling (especially a younger sibling). Though, you’ll want to make sure that the gift for the Birthday boy of girl is more flashy and exciting in some way. One suggestion to achieve this would be to add a balloon to the present of the birthday child.

Netta - Business Development Assistant
Answer:
My mom always did this for my sister and I when we had birthdays. The Birthday girl would always have more gifts of course, but she would always make sure we got a little something. Some might say it’s a little excessive, and not necessary, but I have some great memories of birthdays, mine or not!

Question:
Jennifer Says:
July 16th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
How do you address the gift card when you’re sending a gift to someone who has had a baby and you don’t know how to spell the baby’s name?

Brandy - Customer Service Representative
Answer:
People want their baby to have a unique name, and a lot of times it is a unique spelling for a traditional name. It can be embarrassing if you misspell a name so what I suggest addressing the gift to the whole family. For Example, address it “To John and Sue Smith and Family”. When you get to the card message, I don’t think it’s absolutely necessary to say the baby’s name. Maybe just put “To John and Sue, Congratulations on your new baby girl! I can’t wait to meet her! Love, Bob”. But don’t be too upset if you find out you did spell it incorrectly. I’ve seen my name spelled a hundred different ways and it doesn’t bother me when someone spells my name incorrectly.

Katherine - Gift Services
Answer:
“Congratulations on your new addition to the family.”

Question:
Carrie Says:
July 16th, 2008 at 3:22 pm

What would be an appropriate gift for a co-worker who’s had a death in their family and you think they will be overwhelmed with fruit and flowers?

Shawna - Director of Customer Service
Answer:
When I send bereavement gifts I try to send items that are shelf stable or non-perishable. That way I am still giving them good stuff to eat without much preparation. Also engraved items are very thoughtful for these types of situations. I know a lot of people order the Amazing Grace Engravable Wind Chimes and have the deceased name etched into the chimes with their birth date or years. I think during situation as delicate as these even a card is always appreciated by the recipient.

Katherine - Gift Services
Answer:
Seeds of Life Oak Tree Kit

Question:
Vicky Boackle Says:
July 17th, 2008 at 5:09 am

Is it ever too late to send a thank you card?

Shawna - Director of Customer Service
Answer:
Absolutely not. A late thank you is better than no thank you at all. This goes for any occasion. Normally thank you notes should be sent within 3 months of the event or gift receipt. If you go beyond this still send the note, but don’t get into specifics about why or how they ended up late. Simply apologize for your tardiness and go on with the art of thanking.

Brandy - Customer Service Representative
Answer:
If you miss someone’s wedding just put on the card, “Happy 1 Month Wedding Anniversary”. Or if you miss someone’s birthday, put on the card “Happy 32nd and 2 week Birthday”. That way they know you acknowledged the day and it will be a gift that they weren’t expecting. With weddings, especially, they will receive gifts for long after their actual day. So don’t worry about how late you are. I really don’t think people put much too much thought into it.

Jean Hepburn Says:

What is an appropriate gift for a young lady who is throwing herself an “I’m Finally Getting Divorced from that Thug party” that would go along with a bouquet of dead flowers wrapped in silk ribbon that I am bringing to the bash?

My Advice:

I have gone to such a party and let me tell you, it was certainly educational! All of the guests were told to bring whatever they thought would be appropriate, and having no clue as to what that might be, I just drew on my experience from my own divorce. I was so young when it happened and yet so relieved to be rid of the life-sucker! No one had parties for this stuff back when I was going through it, but I knew how my friend felt as I’d watched her own life being sucked out for years by this parasite of a now ex-husband. Do I sound bitter? Nah…just realistic.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Anniversary…everyone loves to be remembered…Anniversary literally means to return yearly. The Wedding Anniversary originated in Central Europe in the Middle Ages. Medieval Germans presented their wives with a wreath of silver for 25 years and a wreath of gold for 50 years. We now call them Silver and Golden Wedding Anniversaries. In the United States they simply began with paper and flowers. From the very first kiss to a life of wedded bliss, your anniversary represents love compassion and friendship. Whether it’s the first or the 50th an anniversary is a special time to share with your significant other.  The gift of flowers is very popular whether modern or traditional. Here are some flowers that represent anniversaries. Read the rest of this entry »

Every year my family goes strawberry, blueberry, pear and even grape picking in the summer. Being in a family of 14 plus the parents and 11 nieces with nephews, we pick buckets full of fruits and usually it’s gone with in the first few days. With all this it makes me think that we are probably not the only HUGE family around here, there must be more! Well try sending a sympathy or even a Christmas gift to a family that is huge and not spend hundreds of dollars. In this case, there is only 1 option and that is to follow the following 3 steps.
Step # 1 go to GiftTree.com
Step # 2 put product number 42 under gift search
Step # 3 type the zip code in and proceed with the order

This Colossal Fruit Basket has a big verity of different fruits to fill everyone’s taste buds not to mention perfect size for any sized family and I guarantee it will not stretch your pocket.

And the winners are…Beth Shepard, Sharon Jones, Vicki Wurgler, Marie Noguerole, and Janet F. Congratulations to our winners and a big thank you to everyone who participated! We really enjoy reading your questions and we will be answering them in the Ask an Expert blog catorgory in the days and weeks to come, so keep an eye out.

I am a big fan of television programs that air bloopers or blunders and though it doesn’t happen every day here at GiftTree, we certainly have our share of them as well. Here is a sampling of some of our lighter moments:

• Card message typo for a new baby gift: Congratulations on the newest addiction in your family. Hope you’re not up all night long with this one!
• A customer e-mailed me a very nice compliment, and though I intended to forward it to my supervisor, I selected reply instead and entered: “I rock, I rule! I told you I was good!” Imagine my horror when the customer replied to me, “Indeed you do rock! Feel free to pass this along to your supervisor or manager if you’d like.”
• Our supervisor was talking with a customer one evening and kept being interrupted by the customer talking to someone else in the background. She asked the customer if she would like her to hold for a minute while she finished her conversation. The customer said, “Oh no that’s okay. I’m just talking to the Jerry Springer Show on my TV.” Read the rest of this entry »

From time to time I receive calls from customers looking for something completely unusual, and the first thing I show them is the Island Breeze Tropical Arrangement. This arrangement is so unusual that people who see it for the first time usually are silent for a few seconds as they read the description. Once they realize how uniquely beautiful it is, most decide to buy it without even exploring other options. It never fails to make someone happy! So if your looking for that special touch and need something a little bit different to give why not change it up and try the Island Breeze? You are sure to get oohs and ahhs from your recipient!