Do you need some ideas of what to give this Christmas?

With rivals for your business, it has turn out to be absolutely necessary to give a thank you and appreciation gift item at holiday time. Like it or not the mindset of saving money worked for only a couple of those difficult economic years. The accepted fashion was austerity and we all assumed and secretly hoped it might become custom and a way of life. Most of us cut back on everything. We cut down the additional items like travel and vacations, Starbucks, newest fashion pieces, new cars, and entertainment. We also monitored our pennies as we were cognizant of multi-tasking errands to cut gas costs, attentive to food price tags and shopping the deals, turning off lights and turning down heat, making gifts or regifting. It was interesting and some parts of it made us discover we do spend. However, we also realize how much we love using our time and money on things we take pleasure in. Take Jason from Denver, for instance. He missed not skiing, not going to Avalanche or Nuggets or Broncos games, not eating out and relishing a movie. He dived into the economic downturn with vigor and mentally told himself he could cut personal and business expenses and that would be the best way for him to handle both operations. He didn't like it but he was shocked at how much money he could save. He viewed games on television. He shopped at the grocery store instead of take-out food. He quit his gym membership and used the exercise equipment in his house. At first it was a unique experience and definitely eye-opening. In business he trimmed out one of his workers and spent more time doing the work himself. He cut the usual treat Friday by not bringing in breakfast and his employees understood when he told them times were tough and to keep jobs it was regrettable but there would be no Christmas party or holiday gifts or the traditional birthday gift. It absolutely saved money. There were three significant issues. One was that cutting the extras in his personal life damaged Jason's mental and emotional health. He found himself missing something and becoming more irritable. Second was that cutting business extra perks greatly affected the morale and spirit in his business for the employees and for Jason himself. Before long output went down and the surroundings of a positive place to work took a turn for the horrible. The accommodating teamwork turned to competitive survival as employees thought who would be cut next and missed those small birthday and holiday perks. Jason himself found that he missed the positive vibes he got at work which were now replaced with uncomfortable silences. The third major problem was that his main competitor had taken the total opposite strategy and as he and others cut costs and services the competitor decided to maintain and even raise the bar. That Denver based company hired a few additional workers and took a vigorous approach to steal customers away from the competitors who were cutting everything. It even hired away one of Jason's strongest employees. It chose to take a gamble and go into debt to keep workers and keep giving gifts for birthdays and Christmas. Take the holiday gifts for example. The Denver company ordered their regular thank you and appreciation holiday baskets from Baskets By Rita and maintained their regular customers. Why? Because the customers had few other gifts, so when the holiday gift basket arrived it endured alone. The customers responded with calls of gratitude and acceptance of using that company for the next year, since they seemed to be the strong one that would be there for them. The Denver company even put out more by ordering the Grand Gourmet basket to send to their competitors' strongest clients. For Jason it was a devastation because he lost two of his strongest. When he contacted them they said they were wondering if he still was in business and they knew the competitor seemed to be doing well. Jason decided it would be cheap to make phone calls to his clients to keep contact. That worked for some, but he had lost some clients who would didn't come back. The next year he called Baskets by Rita in November to set up an order for baskets. He ordered a less expensive basket but had them sent in mid-December. It did help. He also ordered a huge basket filled with candy bars and individual treats for the staff workroom. It arrived with a big bow and he was astonished at the results of his $200 expenditure on morale. The next year he did the same thing but also called Baskets by Rita and ordered small baskets to give his employees at their annual pot-luck lunch before the holidays. They were moved and he felt he got so much more appreciation than just giving them cash or a gift card. It was a noticable Wow and a festive gift instead of a card. Also they didn't find out how much he had spent where they used to know their worth by the value of the gift card. This year Jason called Baskets by Rita the first of November and mentioned he needed a few grand baskets and gourmet baskets sent to competitors' clients. Jason jumped at the next option they gave. They suggested he send them out to be delivered right after Thanksgiving. Their motto is to be the 1st holiday gift received. The first gift creates more bang for the buck because they take time to read the card and it's around for a while. Some even hang the cards and the top one is yours for folks to read over and over again. Jason did recall there were clients before who had seemed to forget which company sent which gift because they all arrived at once. Baskets by Rita said to let yours be the first and rock star gift for a lasting impression. Jason is happy because his christmas beer gift baskets will arrive early not a few days before December 25.

Get ahead of the game, get your holiday gifts.

Best 2 strategies for corporate wise gift giving at holiday seasonal time: send out a gift with wow and not gift cards and make yours the very first gift your patron or perspective clients or customers will receive. Leading two mistakes for business gift giving at holiday time are: Not obtaining the gift soon enough and giving gift cards or gift certificates. Let's start with mistakes.... Not preparing/tardiness. By sending it behind time your gift gets mixed up with all the others in a mound or in the break room and individuals tend to overlook what they got from who. The cards get shuffled and in the flurry and hustle and bustle in the days before Dec. 25 your gift is lost and you have lost money by now. Administrative assistants are commonly in the position of sending the holiday corporate gifts and bosses, you need to listen up! Don't come to your administrative assistant at the last second and expect her or him to work wonders...lateness on your part should not be an crisis on their part. You are placing them in a really tough place to scavenge and find last minute products or gifts and to get them mailed. Many times gift companies, especially holiday basket companies like Baskets by Rita in Aurora are swamped with last minute frantic demands. This year looks like a excellent one so don't be surprised if local and national basket and food companies run out of stock. Your secretary will be squandering time and spending way too much time on your tardy gift giving task and it not only will worry them out but take away from their usual duties. The remedy to last minute gift giving difficulties is to plan early. Give them a opportunity to make an order and get the gift at the price point you want to spend. Did you know that most people and companies who procrastinate end up spending a lot more than they had planned? The items they wanted are sold out and they have to take what is left even if it costs more. So the two downfalls or errors with mailing it late or the hassle itself and the cost of overspending and more importantly the less optimistic impact for your money. So what do you do? First of all in timeliness, give your administrative assistant a budget and time to make the order. Be sure it appears as soon after Thanksgiving as possible to have that highly positive effect at your clients and customers businesses. Secondly, fore go the gift card and gift certificate plan. Those have been famous in the past but in past years everyone gets and gives gift cards and they have lost their appeal and affect. It also is the easiest way to go..it shows they weren't really worth the time or energy or they were a last minute gift thought. Gift certificates to restaurants have worked in the past too except someone is now in charge to order the food and go get it. Choose a gift that comes with a cheerful wow isn't that great or how nice or isn't that pretty. These days people buy just about what they want, so send a gift that comes with bling and a bow and the gift basket is probably your best. Check out local places where you can probably just go and pick them up to save shipping costs. In Denver or Colorado Baskets by Rita in Aurora is a good start.

Get ahead start and make the holiday season less stressful.

This holiday season I will plan to give corporate holiday gifts ahead of time. Horror story. Last holiday season I thought there was no hurry and that I would get true deals by waiting until mid December to get gifts for my clients. Client gifts of thankfulness for their business is very important and if you falter to send a holiday gift you have botched the customary gift that has come to be expected yearly. Don't forget how important and necessary these thankfulness tokens are. Three years ago I decided to skip the gifts because of a budget crunch. Thinking it made very little or no difference I felt quite dapper about the amount of money and time and hassle I would save for this extra meaningless expenditure. Was I ever wrong. In fact many of us were wrong. The other firm people I meet with weekly all talked it over and were in agreement that one year couldn't make that much difference and we were quite smug about our money saving tactics. In my business my principal competitor is someone who has tried to get my clients but I've always earned their trust. Unfortunately for me he made a decision to take the risk and send out gifts early. The next year I found I was losing some of my clients because they had decided to take a look at other businesses that could deliver the same or equal service. As we approached new clientele many of them had already signed up with the major competitor and my laid back and trusted style that I would easily keep clients was slipping away. I had to work really hard to keep the clients I had and put in a lot of time and effort for the next few years to get some of my original companies loyalties back. Maybe it wasn't just the holiday present, but the next year I took note. Listening and asking questions of friends and relatives about what made them devoted and things that made a change I noted that follow up letters of thanks,phone calls, and gifts aren't just tokens they are are reminders and stamps of self confidence for the clients. So two years ago I made sure I had money for gifts at holiday time budgeted. I started looking for gift ideas and sent them out the first of December. What I found out was that I immediately got cards and calls from clients. They loved them plus mine were the first gifts to arrive at their office. My secretary and I were talking and she pointed out the gift we got at Thanksgiving one year with the note that here's your first holiday gift to enjoy. Since it was the first and only gift at that time it did make a big difference. Most gifts of food, gifts baskets, and cards come that last week before December 25 and although we appreciate them they sometimes get tossed in and mixed up and we can't remember exactly who gave what. Besides personnel are bringing in treats and food for each other all week. So my secretary and I started talking and analyzing that the first gifts that come in are the most noted and appreciated and you generally remember them. That brings me to our approach for this year. We have already contacted a basket business to send out holiday gift baskets to be delivered no later than December l. Why? Because last year we thought we'd purchase them later and they were sold out of the one we really wanted. Since we have clients in 10 states we had failed to note that many would not arrive on time because of shipping days needed. We gave up after checking about sending flower arrangements or poinsettias which seemed useless for a few days in the office. As a last resort we scrambled to get gift cards for area restaurants or bakeries near each client. It took way too much time. We were able to find some gift cards in food market, but they were not the right denomination. We also felt uneasy that the exact amount we were spending was totally obvious, putting a dollar value on the client. But we got the cards sent out. It was fine and at least we sent a gift. However one of the more vocal and boldly honest secretaries called to thank us and did say she preferred the gift baskets because she was the one who had to order and go to the eatery to bring back what was ordered with the gift card. She also made it clear that to feed everyone they had to add more money. Yikes, not a good strategy. This year I called Baskets by Rita the first of October and placed my order for Holiday Wine Gift Baskets and Colorado gift baskets to be mailed just before Thanksgiving so they will arrive that first week of December. They explained to me that they have to order all holiday products in August and September to have enough stock to not run out plus suppliers run out early. We're feeling really smug. Our clients will know these are gifts of appreciation, there are food items to be shared by all, they come packaged fantastically giving that WOW factor and our card and gift will be the first one they get and will be hanging around the break room all holiday season. It won't get lost with all the other gifts. Since there is not a dollar amount attached you are not blatantly telling them what money amount they are worth. Plus my secretary is so happy because this is a slower time for us and she was able to make all arrangements in a more relaxed way. We came across another money-saving hint for giving holiday gifts. We will have baskets shipped to 9 other states, but the majority are in the Denver area. My secretary has arranged to save some of the shipping and delivery costs by going to pick up most of the baskets and deliver many herself. We've added a wine and cheese FAC the first Saturday in December in our office for clients and we'll give most of them out then. If not, it would be good for me to take them and give them myself and make the personal call. The morale of the story is do not underestimate the power of the holiday appreciation gift and order early.

Good Impression

Making a excellent first impression is at the heart of management and career skill musts. Whether you are applying for employment or managing a project it is a strategy tool that ranks among the most critical. You want to get off to a perfect start. One article suggests that within 3 seconds someone judges you by your appearance, your body language, you mannerisms, and the way you present yourself. We make impressions by our behavior, what we say and by what others say about us. To make a excellent impression you must know what was said about you or how you are perceived. If it is positive you come with a good track record. If it was not you have a opportunity to change that impression. How you present yourself IS the impression. That first impression must be solid enough to show confidence to establish trust. However over-confidence can destroy trust. It is a fine line. Polite, attentive, on-time, positive, appropriateness and sincerity go a long ways. Fortunately you do not have to sign up for a seminar or class, but simply google making a good impression to find numerous sites with free and beneficial information. The difficulty lies in finding out what others have said about you and what information they already know. That means researching. So that takes care of the first impression. The key is keeping a great impression. Once that you have landed that deal or sold that house or secured that client your impression skills are not locked in. You must expand that impression that they made the perfect choice and that you truly understand them. You do that in your text with a letter or note or a phone call. You do it in your behavior with making face to face timely visits when possible. And you are sure to spend a few bucks to maintain that impression. It might be with food or gifts, and not just holiday expected gifts. When you first land the sale follow up with something. My neighbor is a real estate agent and used to send a restaurant gift card to her clients after the closing. He now walks into the closing with an impressive and Corporate Snack Basket from Baskets by Rita. He already knows the client, so whether it's a beer tub, wine gift basket, gourmet gift basket he pays the money for it to be a wow factor and make the great impression as he walks through the door. He said the day he came into the room with a baby gift basket for the couple about to become parents they were so excited. Lasting impressions have perks and he says that the wow factor and the oohs and aahhhs he gets from them carry through. As they thank him as they are leaving, he mentions he would appreciate any referrals they would send his way. When they refer, he has another gift basket sent to their house. He claims this impression has definitely increased his client list. So good impressions are crucial.

Improving Office Staff Morale

A head of a company in the Colorado area provided an interview to a friend's son, a graduate business student, planning his thesis. The young man asked questions about marketing, budgeting, and the best market techniques. The discussion and questions also including business hurdles and challenges, protecting assets and the problems and practices in increasing sales. The CEO admitted that managing a firm's long-term reserves had always been at the heart of his energy and determining stakeholders was necessary. Weighing choices in every aspect was his solution to the question about best decision-making practice. The 60 minute interview was almost over when the graduate asked his last question about what was the greatest liability and what was the greatest asset in the company. After blundering through a list of financial jargon, the CEO stopped abruptly and thought carefully before saying that all of that was secondary because the employees could be the greatest asset or they could be the greatest liability. The men and women working for you can make or break the company. Simple as that. The CEO then took our friend's son out to lunch and they continued to dialogue. The conversation included examples from the CEO's working experience when he worked at a restaurant through college and when he managed various establishments. He had many examples of how good workers actually made the company money and the managers and owners did not always know it or recognize it. At the same time, a impolite or incompetent or an employee with a bad attitude could ruin not only the sale at the time, but later. They talked about the television show Undercover Bosses where CEOs make as if to be new employees on the ground level for a week to actually get some in field experience and insight. The CEO confessed that he had thought of doing that. The two of them throughout lunch talked about different episodes and came to the summation that employees do make or break a company. And usually what they want most even more than money or raises is to be treated respectfully and to have their efforts acknowledged. They want a thank you of some kind whether it be just a sincere thanks, a gift card, money, a promotion of a gift. The graduate revealed that his mom who had been an administrative assistant had just resign her job the week before saying she had just had enough. Her boss not only did not see what she had done but did not seem to care about rewarding anyone. When she suggested he give gift cards he said that was fine but she would have to give them and write the note and he put her on a small budget. After a year she suggested they give time off to employees but he refused saying. She observed morale was really low and he did agree and she was to come up with something. She told him to come into the next morning meeting, which employees hated, with food. He told her to get some cheap donuts from the bakery. She started just standing up to him and said no, he needed to spend some bucks and get quality pastries or food and quality coffee boxes from the Panera Bread down the street. He assigned her to do it and to be sure it was there on time. It did the trick and employees liked it. She needed a different idea for the mid afternoon meetings. So when she saw the huge basket delivered next door with all kinds of treats for employees she was impressed and contacted the basket company, Baskets by Rita. For the same money they put together a Thank You Gift Basket for Office Staff with goodies to put in the break room for everyone to enjoy. It was big and they delivered it to her that day. The boss walked in with the huge basket and there were cheers from the once tired employees. The student made an appointment the next day with his adviser to change his thesis topic to center on the importance of gratitude and acknowledgment for employees contending that they are the most valuable long term investment.

Football Beer Gift Tub for my husband!

So how is your favorite team doing this season? It is football time again and for those of us who love football we live for this time of year. Not only is it beautiful weather to go to games but we begrudge the fact it has been a long dry season in the sporting world since Superbowl time last year. Hopefully each of us is looking at the teams, playing fantasy football and making predictions. For guys it supplies a piece of interaction for any place we find ourselves. There is also the unknown and best hopes for our favored football team to do well this season. Everybody seems to be talking about the replacement refs and how soon will regular football refs be back on the fields. It is way too convenient to get so mad about it that you find yourself ranting and raving. That is what has been happening at my house. I whine and moan and groan and am short tempered with my wife and she does not warrant that. She is such a wise football wife that to get mad is not the way she handles things. She amazingly uses good will and humor. I am so blessed. After this weekend and my awful mood I did not rightfully deserve to get anything for my birthday yesterday. I was in Denver and she had a beer gift basket from Baskets by Rita delivered to my hotel. Since one of my favorite teams was the Denver Broncos the tub she ordered was a Bronco one and she wrote a excellent message using her awesome humor to help get me level-headed. It was amazing. I called her and decided to have flowers sent the next day. I always do that. So since I'm gone for a week, I called the lady at baskets by Rita and she's sending a gourmet wine basket to my wife. Good move on my part cuz my wife will not expect it. Us guys are not very creative or good about gifts but I am pretty darn proud and pleased with myself. My dad is a diehard Green Bay Packers fan so I sent him a sympathy basket. He will love it and really get a kick out of it. My mom was raised and is loyal to the Giants, have been raised in NYC, so I'm having a Congratulations basket sent to her arriving the same day. Can hardly wait to chat to my parents. They are always coming up with gifts and ways to help my wife and me so this would be great. This ref strike has certainly got everyone talking. The good news is that it gives individuals something else to talk about besides politics. Our secretary really gets on all of us though and she says we should be feeling sorry for those poor replacement refs. Without them we couldn't watch any football at all.

For the Doctor to be Gift Basket

All those who are aware of students who are either applying to medical school or preparing to take medical licensing exams realize of how stressful they are. Just because everyone is cheering on a student does not take off the extremely intense pressure they sense. Whether it is the medical students entrance exam or one of licensing exams they have a lot at stake and feel their whole future is resting on that particular test. Financially each test not passed brings on more financial issues to them and they probably have already built up high loans. So whether a person is taking the MCAT the Medical College Admission Test as a med school entrance exam or the the USMLE the United States Medical Licensing Exam or FSMB Federation of State Medical Boards they all mean huge stress. No one can take the exam or go through it for them so all others can do is encourage them to continue the degree programs, whether it be for a Bachelor/Doctor of Medicine or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine or Doctor of Podiatric Medicine or even a masters of physician assistant program. Since so much is riding on the licensing in getting the medical degree phone calls of reassurance are encouraging but phone texts are even better since they can read them at their ease. A med students program is heavy and free time and relaxation are short. It is always beneficial to let them know you are thinking of them and you know how hard these times are and that they have your help. You can send a card. You can order a stress relief gift to be delivered to help them through those long study hours. University of Colorado med students have enjoyed the Med Student Care Package and Board Exam Gift from Baskets by Rita of Aurora. Located just down the street Baskets by Rita does ship across the United States so care packages are not limited to the Denver area or just Colorado. They are quite adorable and come in a doctor RX box. They have also been used for doctors to send to particular patients or students they have mentored or as a thank you from a med student to thank a professor/doctor. Set up as the med student care package and board exam gift for support might have been the intent but they will customize it for a patient to send to thank a doctor or even for someone to send as a get well gift with a card saying just what the doctor ordered for you to get well. Reducing pressure and showing emotional support are a definite positive impact on good mental health. Treats and good wishes are always welcome and relieve stress and show thanks, concern, care, best wishes.

The Ideal Baby Gift

Superb recommendation for mailing a unique, cute, adorable and unusual baby gift is to order a baby girl or baby boy welcome wagon. The cute little red wagons hold lots of baby gift products that are functional for newborns. Knowing that it is always exciting to send something different for the new baby is a difficult task. Usually individuals call the medical center gift shop for the same, mundane gifts they have. They have the usual blue and pink flower arrangements which are fine but do not last and are tricky to transport home. That sort of baby gift is soon forgotten. They also have baby gift baskets but you may find that the parents have already received at least one or more from the hospital gift shop. Asking the gift shop worker does not ensure you that visitors have popped into the gift shop and bought the same gift. I was embarrassed to stop in and order a cute basket and went up to her room to see two identical baskets from other people. That meant I had to go back down and exchange it for something really ordinary in the gift shop. The worst part was that it definitely took the pleasure of my gift giving away. They were apologetic as was I apologetic and embarrassed. When the the gift shop individual just rolled her eyes about wanting to exchange it, I had just had it and instructed her I wanted a refund. In the parking lot of the Denver hospital I met a guy and lady carrying in these adorable pink baby girl and blue baby boy gift red wagons. That is exactly what I had wanted to walk in with something that caused the couple to ooh and aah about. I just flat out halted them and asked where they got them. They had ordered them from a basket store near the Denver hospital called Baskets by Rita. Cute little welcome baby wagon that were the best birth gift. They were definitely special baby gifts and practical and enjoyable. They told me Baskets by Rita also has a big brother/sister line of baskets that they gave one time. I got on my iphone and immediately called Baskets by Rita and ordered one of the little red wagon as a baby welcome gift for the newly born. It was simple to arrange to have it delivered to their house when they got home from the hospital. When they got home with the new baby and got the baby welcome wagon, they immediately called me and said I just had to come over to see the new baby and the adorable wagon. So from now on the hospital gift shop will not be my first choice for sending gifts or flowers.

Are you hosting a Conference in Denver?

Corporate seminars are not inexpensive. They can make a huge impression and comprehensive planning is essential. Not only are theevents expensive for the promoters, but also for the participants. Participants and companies are not easily parted with their money and they want to be guaranteed and reassured that they have invested their time and funds well. Post examinations show that modest details make a big difference. Throwing a conference or convention together without consideration to the smallest details can spell failure. So the steps to take as a promoter and host for the conference/convention are to find a great spot. Knowing your would-be attendees is important whether you choose a location that is a limited distance for them to drive or choosing a great getaway for companies to see and experience a new city. Check out the cost of the building and ask for details. Do not pick busy times of the year for holidays, family vacations or a busy time for the businesses focused. For example, as retailers do their buying for summer sports equipment, late spring and early summer or not the time to entice them. They are very busy and they have already ordered their items for the year. Next you must look at the schedule to be sure the timing is good. If you overbook they may not have spare time to enjoy themselves. If you do not offer sufficient workshops or variable schedules of interest, they will not feel they gained anything from the conference or convention. Try to get a key speaker or two to draw a crowd. Publicize early to get them to lock into your event first on their calendars. It even works to offer a discount inducement for early signup. Do assign an professional to offer all information the convention goer will need from airport transportation to hotel registration and maps. Of course your important concern will be the conference content itself. So plan to keep it moving, keep it efficient, keep it exciting. It is better to have more short sessions with question/answer free time to chat and interact than to have participants leaving lengthy sessions because they are tired or feel they are hearing repetitive information and facts. The first impact will make a significant difference. Efficiency and getting information to help airport/hotel/conference center logistics run effectively will set off the tone of the convention. It is also important that when they arrive there are plenty of welcome folks available to set that upbeat favorable tone and answer questions. The sign-up table should include all the information they will need. And you always must be willing to put out the money for freebies. Our company attended a conference in a small city in a mid-western town. It was obvious they were trying to save money and got the conference center and food cheap. We paid a alot for a rental car to drive the 2 hours to the locations and stay in a small 2 star hotel/motel conference center. The pretzels and vats of bad coffee set the tone for a long two days ahead. The next year we chose to go to the Denver Convention Center and what a difference. Flying into DIA was so impressive with those attractive mountains as a backdrop. Our hotel was attached to center and there were all kinds of restaurants, night life, shopping nearby. We found a cool Ultimate Gourmet Gift Basket from a local basket company in Aurora. It was a box with all sorts of Colorado snacks. That convention rocked and we will go again next year.

Advice for Businesses to help improve their employee's performance

 Today's blog features tips garnered from various corporations about how to boost morale and not destroy good employees. Striving to keep the office positive should be of major concern to CEOs and bosses. Losing revenue and time is a great concern. If workers are happy and like to come to work production rises. If they feel that they are integral team member and that they are valued they become invested to the company. Factory formed thank yous and predictable pats on the back even increases and the exact same bonuses or gifts or treats lose their impact after awhile. In fact employees begin to bank on expected gratitudes and gifts and treats. If you furnish donuts every Friday it becomes the tradition and just a natural part of the work schedule. If you supply a gift card for every 10 sales it becomes predictable and if you miss one you will get frustration instead of thanks for the gift cards you gave. Remember the movie with Chevy Chase in the Christmas movie where he banks on the yearly bonus from work and when it is not given one year the manager becomes the bad guy in everyone's eyes. In the movie and in real life people just expect the bonus, money gift, turkey, whatever is the norm every year. Often they order items or spend the money before it even comes in. For that reason corporations need to be cautious not to do the same thing week after week or month after month or year after year. Food treats should not be the same because they become anticipated and actually become rather tiresome. Some would say that money is always the best way to go because everyone can spend it however they want. True, but it also can get repetitive. If you throw out a dollar at the weekly meeting one week for something, the next week you get a gourmet coffee cart. If you provide a grocery card for Christmas one year you need to deliver a gourmet gift basket the next year. If you provide lunch a day one month you need to do something unique the next month. Most executives feel that this type of creativity is not a part of their jobs and it is not vital. Morale boosters are very critical. business appreciation are the best way to say thanks for a job well done and to encourage hard work in the future. Most of the time corporations use administrative assistants to find ideas and put together the thank you. For women flowers and spa packages and gift cards work. For men beer tubs, hardware/home improvement gift cards are great. Restaurant gift certificates are good too. You just have to get innovative. Corporate Gifts or Company gifts can be frustrating when you are including a lot of people in one office--it could be a gesture of encouragement or a thank you gift to a whole office or company. You either have food delivered or if you are worried about food spoilage send a large corporate gift basket with various items. My company has put the burden on me, the administrative assistant, to come up with two new ideas each month to spend only $300 on the 20 employees. They said I need to find gifts of appreciation to include everyone. I am looking for new ideas for next month but this month we have seen a huge difference in favorable attitude around the office after my two appreciation gifts were done. The first was for each employee to find one dollar bills in various places during a week. This last week to thank them for their efforts, we had a Chocolate Gift Basket arrive to overpower the snack table. After hearing workers talking about the Aurora movie theatre shooting victims, we chose an Aurora gift basket company, Baskets by Rita and we were not disappointed. So remember to thank your employees and show appreciation for a job well done and to encourage really hard work.

A cool birthday gift

  All my buddies know that they will get either beer, a bottle of wine or flowers I found on the way to see them. It worked for a while, but now it seems to be just too anticipated. Looking for a completely different birthday gifts can take a lot of time. Today I went looking for my best close friend which should be easy. I know exactly what he will like so it should have been very easy. I ended up just running to a big box store and buying a gift card. They used to have small cool wooden crate type things to put the gift card in but not anymore. So that was alright but really tiresome. Last weekend my wife was out of town and asked me to go out and get stuff to put in a basket for her cousin who was bringing her daughter to Colorado to start college. My wife emailed me a list of all the products to buy for the basket so I went to find it. She puts in mostly Colorado products like candies, potato chips, salsa, tortilla chips, peanuts, Colorado water, tea drink, espresso, beef jerky, cheeses, crackers, and honey sticks. First I could not find a basket in the grocery store and only a few of the products. I finally threw in the towel because it was taking forever to look and be sure I had Colorado made foods. My neighbor was also shopping and I shared my irritation when she suggested just going to our downtown and going into the large home specialty store and having them help me. I did that and it was helpful but I was shocked at how much it cost, including the basket. They offered to help me put it all together in the basket and put on a nice big bow. It looked great and my wife was not surprised at the cost of buying the items there. She goes to 7 or 8 different places to buy all the items and helps save about twenty dollars. Now that is just way too much effort. An better way is just to go online and find a gift basket shop that will do it and deliver it. My wife and I argued over the cost, so to prove my point I found a number of baskets at Baskets by Rita which is a Colorado based company. They have a Colorado wooden crate that is cooler than typical baskets. Even after the delivery cost, it turned out it was less expensive than us doing it ourselves. So getting back to the birthday gift idea I saw the crate and decided to order one and have it delivered to my house so I could see how it looked. It came and was terrific. My wife and I agreed that they do a much more professional job of putting it together and it looks amazing. Plus it turned out to be cheaper than doing it ourselves. They have a great selection so that is my plan from now on when buying Happy Birthday Balloons. http://www.basketsbyrita.com

Off to College

 Tough to believe that school is almost beginning since August has already arrived. Summer goes quick. Youngsters are back in school and for me it is hardest to say goodbye to the kids who are my family who are going back to college. It was so enjoyable to see them all summer and now some are packing up getting ready to go to school. Most of the kids I know go to Colorado State University in Fort Collins or Colorado University in Boulder. Two are going to Colorado College in Colorado Springs. Actually there are two of my cousins kids who are coming to schools in Colorado. My neighbor is making up little gift bags for each kid with cookies and goodies from the grocery store to help get them stocked up for dorm life. She has bought chips, dip, candy, nuts, and snacks and put them into a bucket. They turned out pretty cute. When I asked her how much it cost she said she had no idea. I had a tough time finding a bucket and filling it with stuff to look good. It just did not seem like enough. Then I started adding up the cost because I knew I needed to go buy more stuff to make it look good. I just that wow factor for college students when they get to school. I know they may be a little homesick and this is the nicest thing I can do for them and probably more for their parents. Shoving the products in the bucket is alright and it gets the work done. After making two of the buckets best friend suggested I look at Colorado Gift Baskets. She shared with me this after she was shocked at how much I had spent on each gift. Her firm uses Baskets by Rita for all the gift baskets they send to visiting clients. There are neat wooden crates with mountains and the word Colorado on them packed with products from Colorado. After checking out the website of Baskets by Rita I do not dare tell my husband that I actually might have sent a Colorado crate for the same price or even less expensive than I spent on my own. http://www.basketsbyrita.com

Off to College

 Tough to believe that school is almost beginning since August has already arrived. Summer goes quick. Youngsters are back in school and for me it is hardest to say goodbye to the kids who are my family who are going back to college. It was so enjoyable to see them all summer and now some are packing up getting ready to go to school. Most of the kids I know go to Colorado State University in Fort Collins or Colorado University in Boulder. Two are going to Colorado College in Colorado Springs. Actually there are two of my cousins kids who are coming to schools in Colorado. My neighbor is making up little gift bags for each kid with cookies and goodies from the grocery store to help get them stocked up for dorm life. She has bought chips, dip, candy, nuts, and snacks and put them into a bucket. They turned out pretty cute. When I asked her how much it cost she said she had no idea. I had a tough time finding a bucket and filling it with stuff to look good. It just did not seem like enough. Then I started adding up the cost because I knew I needed to go buy more stuff to make it look good. I just that wow factor for college students when they get to school. I know they may be a little homesick and this is the nicest thing I can do for them and probably more for their parents. Shoving the products in the bucket is alright and it gets the work done. After making two of the buckets best friend suggested I look at Colorado Gift Baskets. She shared with me this after she was shocked at how much I had spent on each gift. Her firm uses Baskets by Rita for all the gift baskets they send to visiting clients. There are neat wooden crates with mountains and the word Colorado on them packed with products from Colorado. After checking out the website of Baskets by Rita I do not dare tell my husband that I actually might have sent a Colorado crate for the same price or even less expensive than I spent on my own. http://www.basketsbyrita.com

Baskets By Rita, a Colorado Gift Basket Company, Celebrates its 20th Anniversary

Ten years after being laid off from Agilent Technologies, Marge Van Woerkom and her business, Baskets By Rita, are still going strong. As a previous Reporter Herald article outlined, Van Woerkom was one of many Loveland residents who found themselves unemployed in 2002 when HP and Agilent downsized. After 19 years of working for HP and Agilent, Van Woerkom refused to be a victim of her situation. She pulled herself together after the lay off and bought an existing business in Aurora, Colorado. She chose not to change the company's existing name, Baskets By Rita, which already had a strong reputation in the Denver metro area and this choice has served her well. "We've built our business on the philosophy that the customer come first" says Van Woerkom.
Since Van Woerkom took ownership of the company, she has managed to grow sales despite the economic recession of the past few years. In addition, she has grown the company's clientele and web presence year over year with the help of her staff and dedicated members of her family. As a sign of its ongoing growth, Baskets By Rita began plans several months ago to create a sister company, Gift Agent. Gift Agent will offer customers a slightly more specialized product line packaged in specialty boxes which will allow the company to be more eco-friendly and create more of a recognized brand identity. The hope is that receiving a gift from Gift Agent will be comparable in recipients' minds to receiving a box of Godiva chocolates. While Gift Agent gives cause for much excitement at Baskets By Rita, that is not the only exciting news for the company.
This year, Baskets By Rita is celebrating it's 20th year of business. While many other gift basket companies have gone out of business, Van Woerkom and her staff have managed to maintain steady growth despite the public's growing need to economize. To show their gratitude for the continued support of their customers and celebrate their 20 years of success, Baskets By Rita has planned a series of sales promotions for each month of the year. These promotions include deals such as 15% off when you spend $50 or more and a gift of a free basket for the winner of a video commercial contest. For every dollar saved by their customers through these ongoing promotions, Baskets By Rita will donate a dollar to a local charity. Each month, the company will choose two local charities to support and they will match the savings of their customers to determine the donation amount. The best part of this campaign is that customers are encouraged to vote for their favorite charities so that everyone can be involved. As a local business, Baskets By Rita does its best to support local programs and Van Woerkom is excited to have an excuse to give back even more than her usual holiday charitable donations. Like us on Facebook and vote for your local charity. When doing so we will send you a coupon code for 20% off your next purchase.

Easter Gift Filled and Ready To Ship

The Origin of the Easter Bunny Have you ever questioned where the myth of the Easter Bunny came from? I mean really, do the Easter Bunny and colored eggs really have anything to do with Jesus’ resurrection? The conclusion is no. The legend of the Easter Bunny dates back to the 13th century and came from pre-Christian Germany. The pagan people of the period worshipped numerous gods and goddesses. The goddess of spring and fertility was named Eostra, which is where the word Easter came from. In most cultures, spring is the season of new birth. On account of this, Eostra’s mark was the rabbit. The rabbit signified regeneration since rabbits are well recognized for their excessive rate of reproduction. Eventually, this symbol of Eostra result in other legends and in the 1500s, the first story of the Easter Bunny was recorded. Now that you understand where the Easter Bunny comes from you are possibly thinking to know about the eggs. Eggs have been a symbolic representation of fertility for generations and were likely included in early pagan festivals of spring. As Christianity became more widespread in Europe and in Germany, previous pagan ceremonies began to mesh with fresh Christian celebrations. Currently, we know that Easter eggs represent Jesus’ resurrection. Over the years the Easter Bunny legend developed yet further and became what we know it as today. Similar to the legend of Santa Clause, German parents would tell their children that if they were good the Easter Bunny would arrive and bring eggs that that could be traded for sweets and other treats. People began the tradition of making nests for the eggs and these nests ultimately transformed into the bright colorful Easter baskets that we have today. The fable of the Easter Bunny first reached the United States in the 1700s when German immigrants settled in Pennsylvania. Currently, this Easter myth is a common piece of our traditions as are dozens of other traditions which come from the countries of origin of our immigrant ancestors. If you would like to take the role of the Bunny this year, order a gift basket such as our Family Easter Basket for people you love. Baskets By Rita has quite a few Easter baskets to choose between and is offering 10% off all Easter gift baskets for the whole month of March. Here's the perfect way to say Happy Easter to your family and friends on Easter Sunday. This filled Easter basket has something for everyone in the family. We've included a cuddly plush bunny, cheddar cheese, crackers, butterfly cookies, popcorn, deluxe mixed nuts, gourmet Jelly Belly jelly beans, solid chocolate Easter bunny, three cheese snack mix, Scone mix, Strawberry Jam, Starbuck's Coffee, and an assortment of individually wrapped Easter candy eggs. http://www.basketsbyrita.com/assets/images/family-easter-basket.jpg http://www.basketsbyrita.com

Something worth living for

Love... quite possibly the most potent word in any language. This tiny one syllable word has caused combat, disloyalty, and madness, but it can also cause serenity, unforeseen journeys, and unmatched inspiration. How does it come to be that a thing that is often so good can push us to such bad? The French, well-known for romance, have many fascinating love stories to share. For example, the story of the sculptor Rodin and his mistress Camille Claudel. Claudel worked under Rodin when they began their affair. His unwillingness to leave his wife for her drove Claudel insane and she demolished quite a lot of her pieces of art during episodes of paranoia which was a symptom of her schizophrenia. Claudel spent the last 30 years of her life in a home for the insane. How might a force that can force a person to such intense levels of grief be the one thing that we all search for in this world? Conversely, let us consider another french couple. Voltaire and Emilie du Chatelet carried on a 15 year long romance which was frowned upon by the public, but permitted by Chatelet's husband, the Marquis Florent-Claude du Chatelet. Chatelet and Voltaire shared a strong academic link and spent time philosophizing together, collecting books for their library, and providing recommendations on each other's work in mathematics and science. Their shared values and dedication to each other fueled their love even after her death. After her death, Voltaire wrote of Chatelet, "It is not a mistress I have lost but half of myself, a soul for which my soul seems to have been made." Regardless of her arranged marriage to the Marquis, the passion between Chatelet and Voltaire was endured and not envied. They were the subject of ridicule but were allowed to live their lives together in shared admiration. Their story demonstrates love in its greatest form. In my mind, love is the one and only thing worth living for. Whether it's love of kin, love of something, or love for a spouse, without love life is empty. Perhaps this is why love can force us to such extreme limits. For some people, love is worth dying for. For other people, it is worth living for. As Valentine's Day approaches love is on all our minds. I wish each and every one of you a beautiful love story packed with all the best love presents and none of the worst. This Valentine's Day, show your love with a Valentine Wine Gift Basket from Baskets By Rita.Send a Valentine's day wine gift basket with a bottle of white wine, two wine glasses and a compliment of assorted munchies. Chardonnay Havarti Cheese spread, Beef Summer Sausage, Gourmet Crackers, Smoked Gouda Cheese, Trail Mix, Caramel corn, Cookies, Chocolove dark chocolate bar with a love poem on the label, snack mix, and milk chocolate truffles. Everyone needs a little reminder sometimes of exactly how much we are loved.

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Stress Relief Gift Baskets

Stress Relief Gift Baskets

Love... You can't live with it, you can't live without it

Love... likely the most potent word in any language. This simple one syllable word has been the reason for warfare, betrayal, and insanity, but it can also cause peace, unpredicted journeys, and unmatched ingenuity. How is it possible that a thing that should be so great can steer us to so much bad? The French, recognized for l'amour, have many intriguing love stories to tell. For example, the story of the sculptor Rodin and his lover Camille Claudel. Claudel worked under Rodin when they fell for each other. His unwillingness to leave behind his wife for her drove Claudel insane and she destroyed A good deal of her sculptures during periods of paranoia a result of her schizophrenia. Claudel spent the last 30 years of her life in an insane asylum. How can a force that can bring someone to such intense levels of anguish be the one thing that we all look for in our lives? http://www.basketsbyrita.com/assets/images/i love you balloon bouquet.jpg
However, let us look at another french couple. Voltaire and Emilie du Chatelet shared a 15 year long romance which was looked down upon by the public, but permitted by Chatelet's husband, the Marquis Florent-Claude du Chatelet. Chatelet and Voltaire shared a healthy intellectual link and spent time philosophizing together, accumulating books for their library, and providing input on each other's findings in mathematics and science. Their shared values and devotion to each other fueled their love even after she passed away. Upon her death, Voltaire wrote of Chatelet, "It is not a mistress I have lost but half of myself, a soul for which my soul seems to have been made." Regardless of her arranged marriage to the Marquis, the affection between Chatelet and Voltaire was permitted and not envied. They were the subject of disdain but were permitted to live their lives together in shared affection. Their story illustrates love in its ideal form. In my point of view, love is the one thing worth living for. Whether it's love of kin, love of one particular thing, or love for a spouse, with no love life is insignificant. Maybe that is why love can force us to such extremes. For many, love is worth dying for. For other people, it is worth living for. As Valentine's Day approaches love is on everyone's minds. I wish everyone a happy love story complete with all the best love may bring and none of the worst. This Valentine's Day, reveal your love with a I Love You Balloon Bouquet from Baskets By Rita.I Love You Balloons are a great way to send you message of love on Valentine's day. Our I love you balloon bouquet comes in several different options. Send just the bouquet or add balloons to one of our Romantic Gifts or our Valentine's Day Gifts. Hand delivered in the Metro Denver area only. Everyone needs a small reminder sometimes of simply how much we are loved. If you like this blog, be sure to forward it on via Twitter or Facebook. Thanks a bunch! http://www.basketsbyrita.com/I-Love-You-Balloon-Bouquet_p_270.html

Valentines for The Boyfriends

Valentines for The Men Everyone knows that Valentine's Day is the time to proclaim your love to your husband. The problem is that it can be in reality quite hard for you ladies to figure out what to get for your guy. You could always get something naughty for yourself and use this as your present to him, but for many couples this just won't fly. diamonds are the time-honored gifts, but candidly, ladies like these presents more than your guy does. You could buy him an a new TV, but then you most likely won't hear a word from him for the next two weeks. So, what's a girl to do? Let beer be the answer! Here's a pretty safe bet that he'll love it. Now, don't just go buy a six-pack of Bud and drop it on his lap; only other guys can be so insensitive. Be creative,Go to your computer and wander over to basketsbyrita.com and order a Valentine beer tub to be delivered to his work. This will cost a little more than a six pack, definitely it will be SO worth it. Think about his shock when the courier come in (or FedEx package) with a beer tub full of well known microbrews and appropriate food items. Have the enclosure card says something like "I thought you'd love this almost as much as me. See you tonight! Love." The office staff will be flipping over this gift. The women will all be saying "oh, how wonderful" and the guys will be wondering what lame thing their spouse/girl friend got them. You can be sure the guys will be saying "Oh man, how amazing!" We can even put a few extra chocolates in the tub that he can share with you. If he's really a cool guy, he'll share the beer with you. You won't give him a guilt trip if he doesn't will you? http://www.basketsbyrita.com