Making it Personal

One of the things we pride ourselves on here at Baskets by Bonnie is our ability to personalize our products. We like to think of ourselves in the message business, and each basket tells a story. A well-focused gift, where each product is carefully selected, let’s the recipient know how much you care.A well-tailored message can help save and strengthen relationships. We have helped several corporations in recruiting, welcoming, and even retaining valued associates. On the personal side, we have also aided budding relationships and in maintaining friendships. Thank you for letting us assist you in your gift-giving needs.

Buy The Book One of the ways to make a gift unique and memorable is with a book. We have a wide and diverse selection to fit just about any preference. An example of this is with our Doctor’s Orders basket. This basket can be ordered as shown or by clicking and adding one or more books of your choice. We just received a new shipment of bestsellers from Random House publishing that includes books such as: Dog Shaming, for the dog person with a sense of humor, The Racketeer, for the suspense enthusiast, or for the more serious person, Quiet.

The Perfect End to a Crazy Day

No matter how hectic your day is, good customer service is important. The person at the other end of the phone doesn't want to hear how busy your shop is, they want to know if you can deliver their order on time.

Today was shaping up to be a crazy day with a higher than usual number of orders that needed to be shipped out this afternoon. While we had enough time to accomplish this, there was not much time to spare.On days like these, is when there seems to be a never ending stream of emails and phone calls.

In the midst of the chaos, a frantic father phoned in with an urgent basket order that needed to be delivered today for his daughter's birthday. I paused for a brief moment, looked at the clock, took a deep breath and said " Sure. We can squeeze this in."

Fortunately the basket he chose was a relatively easy gift to assemble. After completing the order and arranging for delivery, we went back to our original job. After making all of our deadlines with time to spare, I was able to email the receipt. A short time later, I received this response:

Bonnie:

I’m sure glad I bumped into your website today.  In a time where customer service sometimes gives way to fast pace I can certainly say that your business “gets it”. I have to admit that I was a bit late in trying to get an order in for a birthday (today) delivery to my daughter but you had the “can do…will do” attitude.  You even called me back to check if she drank coffee, and hearing she did not, substituted something sweet in its place!  To make a great experience better, I have to tell you that I called you at 12:09pm to place the order and my daughter called me at 1:39pm in  tears to thank me for the birthday surprise.

You guys are just great….have a wonderful day and thanks for making it a wonderful day for my daughter.

Scott ...


The best reward for good customer service is a happy client with a well-written endorsement! This is the Holy Grail of  Customer Service and what I live for!

After a quick celebration, it is now time to clean up and go home. Thanks, Scott for making my day!

The.Best.Wine.Glass.EVER!

We are so excited about these new glasses, we could not help wanting to give you a sneak-preview of this wine-bottle sized glass. Due in later this month (unfortunately not in time for the February 14th holiday), we predict this bottle-glass will be a highly in-demand gift.

This goblet is for the true wine lover. Part wine glass, part bottle that proclaims, "Finally! A wine glass that fits my needs!"

For the true wine lover:

 

"Love is never having an empty glass "

Becoming Sensitive to Gluten

 by Shannon Schilling

Sitting down for a gluten-free break

gluten-free staff member

When I was diagnosed with gluten hypersensitivity a year ago, at first I thought that I would never be able to eat anything good again. Thankfully, I was wrong.

People with gluten hypersensitivity, gluten intolerance, or celiac disease are unable to properly digest the gluten protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. As a college student, I ate a lot of gluten prior to my diagnosis so cutting it out of my diet completely felt a little like the end of the world. All the things I loved - pasta, bread, baked goods - gone!

Although my school's dining services did their best to serve me, I sometimes still felt like I was not eating enough because I did not have enough options. In addition, I would see all my friends eating gluten-filled foods, making me feel like an outsider, something no one wants to feel like when they are miles from home! It took a lot of willpower for me to stick to my diet and not give in to the gluten peer pressure.

Eventually, I discovered (and am still discovering) many great products that are gluten free. However, most of the items can be expensive for a college student's budget. So even though it's been a year, I still find myself stressing about food and health as well as schoolwork and a busy schedule.

When I started working for Bonnie a few months ago, she mentioned that we would do taste tests for new products before putting them into a basket, and I had to break the news about my diet. As we discussed the rising amount of gluten-free products in the marketplace, we realized we had an exciting opportunity: make gluten-free baskets.

Gluten-Free Dips from Rothschild Farm

As luck would have it, we discovered that some of our products were already gluten free, such as many dips from Robert Rothschild Farm. But we went searching for more products and not just gluten-free items, but good gluten-free items. I think there is a common misconception that something labeled gluten free does not taste good, but I try every day to find products that disprove this.

We found a number of great-tasting gluten-free products and I was very excited to be able to use some of my expertise at work and I think Bonnie was excited to once again have a taste-test partner.

Gluten-Free Care Package

We decided to make two gluten free baskets: the Gluten-Free Care Package, designed for the GF college student with plenty of nutritional and energy-boosting snacks, and the Gluten-Free Goodie Tray, a slightly healthier version perfect for any occasion.

I wish that I could say our baskets would be safe for those with celiac disease, but due to how some of the products were processed and packaged, we've decided to only recommend our baskets for people who are just gluten intolerant. 

Gluten-Free Goodie Tray

What I have learned from a number of other gluten-free people is that not everyone has the same level of sensitivity and not everyone reacts to gluten in the same way. Therefore, if you are interested in purchasing a gluten-free basket, I encourage you to speak to the recipient about their allergy and to call in and speak with me. I will not claim myself an expert, but I do have some experience in this area and I would love to work with you to make sure that you are getting exactly what you need.

I definitely enjoyed putting these baskets together with Bonnie and I am excited to get to send them to people who struggle with the same thing that I do.

Gluten-Free Guinea Pig

We'd like to send a special shout out to human guinea pig Rebecca Shaw at Affordable Care Health Clinic in Gahanna for taste-testing some of our new gluten-free products today!

Rebecca Shaw outside the Affordable Care Clinic

The more we learn about the gluten-free life, the more we realize how important it is to read every label, even the fine print. Therefore, we've been doing our homework to determine which products are suitable for individuals with gluten intolerance versus those with celiac disease.

Stay tuned for more information on our new gluten-free baskets!

And don't forget to check out the Affordable Care Clinic, opening Aug. 20!

Honoring Maeve Binchy

Maeve Binchy

This morning we were saddened to hear about the recent death of Irish author Maeve Binchy, whose books we have been ordering and enjoying for years. Binchy passed away July 30, 2012 at the age of 72 after a brief illness, but the stories that she created are sure to live on as over 40 million copies of her novels, short stories, plays, and works of nonfiction have been sold around the world.


Not long after we learned the news, a shipment of new books arrived, including Binchy's latest novel Minding Frankie. This book is about Noel, a young man who reluctantly agrees to take care of a baby girl, Frankie, (with the help of some family and friends) after her mother and his former flame passes away.It is a book full of heartwarming characters in the cozy and charming world that Binchy often created in her novels.

Receiving the new book was a bittersweet moment as we look forward to reading it, but also acknowledge that this is the last new novel we can order from such a talented author.

Fun and easy recipe for summer entertaining

Products from one of our most popular vendors, Robert Rothschild Farm, are often used as ingredients for appetizers or desserts, and we've selected an easy and delicious recipe just for you.

Chocolate Pear Tarts
from Robert Rothschild Farm

Description

Cinnamon is the perfect complement to pears and chocolate in this elegant appetizer or dessert.

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Ingredients

Robert Rothschild Farm Mini Fillo Shells
Robert Rothschild Farm Dark Chocolate Sauce
Cream Cheese or Mascarpone Cheese
Pears, diced

Cinnamon

Cayenne (optional)

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Instructions

Blend together the diced pears and cream cheese with the Dark Chocolate Sauce. Spoon into mini fillo shells. Top with cinnamon and cayenne, if desired.

Other recipes can be found at robertrothschild.com.