Our Thanksgiving Thank You

Another wild week! Our usual early-order customers did order early, and their Thanksgiving thank-you gifts are made, wrapped, and out the door. Over the years we've encouraged corporate customers to consider client thank-you gifts for Thanksgiving, and several have made it a tradition. This is a win-win for our customers and for us. Their beautiful fall-trimmed gifts are usually the first holiday gifts to arrive, making a bigger impression (we think). On our end, the plus is our holiday workload and cashflow are spread out over a little more time.


Beyond that, we've been amazed at how many of the "Usual Suspects" are checking in early this year. "Usual Suspects" is an absolute term of endearment I use for the wonderful clients we hear from each and every holiday season. It seems that this years' early Thanksgiving has spurred customers into thinking about client gifts about a week earlier than usual. This is all to our advantage in so many ways...extra time for production and the availability of stock allows us to increase our volume, and hopefully accommodate everyone who wants holiday gifts from The Syracuse Gift Basket Company. There is nothing worse that having to turn down orders because of time and stock constraints...it's something we absolutely hate to do. But integrity is integrity, and we won't ever promise anything that we can't deliver.


We had an unexpected surprise yesterday when Shelby Stafford of Channel 9 called, wanting to include our business in a piece she's working on about "Cyber Monday". I guess we're a little out of the loop(?) because we had no idea what that even meant. Apparently, after "Black Friday", there is a comparable shopping day in cyberspace, occurring on the following Monday. She talked to us about many aspects of our business and the impact of the internet, with some shots of Julie making a basket, and of our shop. Some of the Thanksgiving baskets were still waiting to be picked up, so we got to show off some of our larger gifts. As usual, I backed off when the camera started rolling...Julie is so comfortable with that whole scene, and I am so not! Shelby said the piece would air on Monday, early a.m. (5-6:00) and may possibly pop up elsewhere. No matter what, it's nice to have the exposure on TV without the expense. Thanks Shelby!


All in all we have so much to be thankful for. We're off to a phenomenal start to the holiday season, in spite of the ecomony, in spite of the late start, in spite of the fact that alot of people (including us) thought we wouldn't be around this season. In no small part, this is due to our very loyal customers, who come through for us every year with holiday orders and referrals (our best advertising!) It's always so very gratifying to know that our customers appreciate what we do.


Tomorrow Julie will be cooking Thanksgiving dinner for our family, and I will be thankful for our precious time together, probably the last until Christmas. This weekend we'll begin a month of long days and heavy holiday production. Piles of baskets and piles of stock, miles of ribbon and trim are waiting. I'm definitely not complaining, but exactly where are all the elves???

Wishing all a warm and Happy Thanksgiving!