Thanks to everyone who purchased an Easter gift basket from us, we think it was our busiest Easter yet and hope everyone enjoyed tucking into chocolate eggs & sweeties. We actually thought the toy bunnies were breeding at one point, as we had so many sitting waiting to be sent to their new owners!
We have also just announced the winner of our Easter Facebook competition. We run a competition every month and make it as fun as possible with different stages & funny ways of selecting the winner(s). So be sure to check our page out & get involved in the next one!
During Spring/Summer we are also running several promotions, details of which can be seen on our homepage. From the end of March until the 9th April, the majority of baskets were getting a free creamy fudge included as an added extra. To celebrate the anniversary of 'The Titanic' all jams & marmalades are being upgraded to the boxed, promotional Titanic version throughout April. We are also celebrating Granny & Granddad's by including complimentary shortbread in baskets purchased for them. You may also notice certain chocolate gift hampers advertised with 15% off the normal price, so grab these while you can!
We hope you enjoy these extra little treats.
Have a lovely weekend everyone!
Friday, 13 April 2012
Friday, 30 March 2012
How To Create An Easter Gift Basket - Top 5 Tips
Easter time is an example of an occasion perfect for gift baskets. You might like to create an Easter Gift for your kids & family or perhaps to sell, but how would you go about this? Read on for our top 5 tips for creating Easter Gifts Baskets.
There are a number of factors to keep in mind when deciding to create an Easter Gift.
1) The Recipient(s) - Always keep in mind who the gift basket is for & this will help with all your other choices. Is it for an individual person or a group of people? If it is for a group of people then you will probably need to include more items. More items can obviously lead to more cost, but not necessarily if you pick easy to share items such cake, cupcakes, chocolates & sweeties. Also what age is/are the recipient(s)? If it is for a young child then there will be certain sweets not suitable for them. Older recipients are unlikely to appreciate lots of candy or toys, unless of course they are young at heart!
2) The Contents - The first thing that springs to mind when thinking of Easter gifts is of course Easter Eggs! A basket of eggs may be exactly what you wish to send, but we like to try & be a bit more imaginative to cater for more people. As well as Easter Eggs, you will find little chocolate animals & mini chocolate eggs dotted throughout our BasketsGalore Easter baskets. Sweeties such as chews, jellies, pastilles, lollipops & themed marshmallows are great for sharing & brightening up your gift too. For the older recipient we find baked goods such as cupcakes, cakes, buns & flapjacks are popular inclusions.
Your Easter gift baskets don't have to consist of all food either. Cuddly toys like bunnies & chicks are cute additions and help to theme the gift basket. Or perhaps books, puzzles or DVD's to help keep the kids entertained on their Easter Holidays off school.
3) The Container - when you know how many people the gift is for & what items you want to include then you will be able to select a suitable container. Woven baskets are very Easter-like and come in all shapes & sizes. Baskets will a tall handle look great, but aren't very practical when it comes to posting/delivering them as they are bulky. Lidded hampers are easier to assemble as they don't require as much gift wrap. Basket trays are shallow so are good if you are including lots of smallish items. Medium rectangular baskets give a bit more height, are linen lined and can be cellophane wrapped for maximum visual impact. You may already have the basket chosen & if so you can work the contents around it!
4) The Presentation - We have already touched upon gift wrap for your gift basket in the form of cellophane wrapping. Presentation has 2 aspects to it - the look of the gift, but also the practicalities for when it is being transported. Is your basket linen lined or will you need to insert some kind of cloth lining? To pad the basket out & provided protection to the gift you might like to add shredded paper, tissue paper or bubble wrap for glass items. There is also the option to shrink wrap the basket to stop the items within moving around too much & becoming damaged. Colourful ribbons & organza bows help to finish the gift basket look & give it that wow factor.
5) The Delivery - Are you going to be hand delivering the gift, posting it or sending it by courier company. As mentioned the type of product on offer and choice of container will need to be taken into consideration depending on your delivery method. Bulky or heavy baskets can be difficult to box & expensive to ship. Perishable items such as fruit or meat may not travel well either unless you have special "keep cool" packaging. Hand delivery is great for local gifts, but you may get requests for further afield & so driving to them all is not a viable option.
Our Easter Gift Baskets
At BasketsGalore we have been creating Easter Gift Baskets for the past 10 years, so you might like to look at our range for inspiration. Also if you live overseas postage to the UK & Ireland can be expensive, so why not order a gift for your loved ones from us & we can ship it from only £6.99. Ordering an Easter gift also takes the hassle out of sourcing, packaging, presenting & posting your gift as we take care of all that for you! However, we hope these tips are helpful for anyone wanting & able to create their very own Easter Gift Basket.
P.S - You could also cheat by designing your own Easter Gift, but letting us put it together & deliver if for you! How do you do this? Simply visit our "Create Your Own" website & pick from all the items listed individually! There is even a dedicated holiday section, so it is currently full of Easter themed items.
Thanks for reading & 'Happy Easter' to you all!!
The BG Team
There are a number of factors to keep in mind when deciding to create an Easter Gift.
1) The Recipient(s) - Always keep in mind who the gift basket is for & this will help with all your other choices. Is it for an individual person or a group of people? If it is for a group of people then you will probably need to include more items. More items can obviously lead to more cost, but not necessarily if you pick easy to share items such cake, cupcakes, chocolates & sweeties. Also what age is/are the recipient(s)? If it is for a young child then there will be certain sweets not suitable for them. Older recipients are unlikely to appreciate lots of candy or toys, unless of course they are young at heart!
2) The Contents - The first thing that springs to mind when thinking of Easter gifts is of course Easter Eggs! A basket of eggs may be exactly what you wish to send, but we like to try & be a bit more imaginative to cater for more people. As well as Easter Eggs, you will find little chocolate animals & mini chocolate eggs dotted throughout our BasketsGalore Easter baskets. Sweeties such as chews, jellies, pastilles, lollipops & themed marshmallows are great for sharing & brightening up your gift too. For the older recipient we find baked goods such as cupcakes, cakes, buns & flapjacks are popular inclusions.
Your Easter gift baskets don't have to consist of all food either. Cuddly toys like bunnies & chicks are cute additions and help to theme the gift basket. Or perhaps books, puzzles or DVD's to help keep the kids entertained on their Easter Holidays off school.
3) The Container - when you know how many people the gift is for & what items you want to include then you will be able to select a suitable container. Woven baskets are very Easter-like and come in all shapes & sizes. Baskets will a tall handle look great, but aren't very practical when it comes to posting/delivering them as they are bulky. Lidded hampers are easier to assemble as they don't require as much gift wrap. Basket trays are shallow so are good if you are including lots of smallish items. Medium rectangular baskets give a bit more height, are linen lined and can be cellophane wrapped for maximum visual impact. You may already have the basket chosen & if so you can work the contents around it!
4) The Presentation - We have already touched upon gift wrap for your gift basket in the form of cellophane wrapping. Presentation has 2 aspects to it - the look of the gift, but also the practicalities for when it is being transported. Is your basket linen lined or will you need to insert some kind of cloth lining? To pad the basket out & provided protection to the gift you might like to add shredded paper, tissue paper or bubble wrap for glass items. There is also the option to shrink wrap the basket to stop the items within moving around too much & becoming damaged. Colourful ribbons & organza bows help to finish the gift basket look & give it that wow factor.
5) The Delivery - Are you going to be hand delivering the gift, posting it or sending it by courier company. As mentioned the type of product on offer and choice of container will need to be taken into consideration depending on your delivery method. Bulky or heavy baskets can be difficult to box & expensive to ship. Perishable items such as fruit or meat may not travel well either unless you have special "keep cool" packaging. Hand delivery is great for local gifts, but you may get requests for further afield & so driving to them all is not a viable option.
Our Easter Gift Baskets
At BasketsGalore we have been creating Easter Gift Baskets for the past 10 years, so you might like to look at our range for inspiration. Also if you live overseas postage to the UK & Ireland can be expensive, so why not order a gift for your loved ones from us & we can ship it from only £6.99. Ordering an Easter gift also takes the hassle out of sourcing, packaging, presenting & posting your gift as we take care of all that for you! However, we hope these tips are helpful for anyone wanting & able to create their very own Easter Gift Basket.
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| Easter Eggstravagance Family Basket £59.99 |
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| Easter Bunny Basket £34.99 |
P.S - You could also cheat by designing your own Easter Gift, but letting us put it together & deliver if for you! How do you do this? Simply visit our "Create Your Own" website & pick from all the items listed individually! There is even a dedicated holiday section, so it is currently full of Easter themed items.
Thanks for reading & 'Happy Easter' to you all!!
The BG Team
Friday, 16 March 2012
Mother's Day & St Patrick's Day Weekend!
Mother's Day & St Patrick's Day Weekend
Wow, what a busy few days we have had with orders for Mother's Day & St. Patrick's Day!
We dispatched hundreds of orders on Wednesday & yesterday, for delivery today and the orders are still coming in now.
We dispatched hundreds of orders on Wednesday & yesterday, for delivery today and the orders are still coming in now.
We have lots going for delivery on Monday & also on the special Saturday service.
Unfortunately the courier companies do not offer a Saturday delivery option in Ireland & it is also a Public Holiday on Monday 19th for St Patrick's Day, as it falls on a Saturday this year.
This means any orders dispatched today for Ireland will hopefully arrive on Tuesday 20th March, when the couriers re-open.
If you ordered a perishable basket containing salmon, fruit etc today we advised these are not dispatched until next week so as they arrive freshly overnight. If we sent them today they would be in transit for quite a few days due to the extended weekend and we want your friends & family to receive their gift basket in top condition.
There are also no collections on Monday 19th of parcels destined for Ireland, due to the Public Holiday, so any orders to Ireland placed on Friday evening (post 3pm) & over the weekend will be dispatched on Tuesday 20th March & therefore delivered on Wednesday 21st.
We can't turn the dates off in the calendar as deliveries to the UK are still available on Monday & Tuesday, so apologies for any inconvenience caused. We do endeavour to email anyone who places an order ASAP to explain the delivery options when a holiday occurs or to offer an alternative gift.
We can also include a note of apology with your gift basket to explain the delay was due to the Public Holiday, so as not to get you in trouble!
Thanks for your understanding with this matter and if your gift is destined for England, Wales, Scotland or Europe don't worry - they remain unaffected!
Many thanks for your orders & we wish you all a fantastic Mothering Sunday & St. Patrick's weekend! Enjoy the rugby too everyone!
The Team at BG
Monday, 5 March 2012
Mother's Day Gift Baskets
Mothering Sunday - 18th March 2012
We all love our mummies and what better way to show her you care on Mother's Day than by sending her a gorgeous Mother's Day gift basket full of treats she'll love?
At BasketsGalore we always have lots of gifts baskets perfect for mums, but we've also designed some special Mother's Day gifts containing mum themed mugs, balloons and gift tags.
Did you know our own mum, nicknamed Krafty, oversees the design & creation of all our gift baskets? Her knowing eye has great attention to detail & she knows exactly what mums want in a gift!
There is also a specific Mothers Day section on the 'Create Your Own' site. As previously mentioned, special mothers day items include cute ceramic, gift boxed mugs with various verses like "Special,kind and caring, too, you put love in all you do!". You can choose from 'Special Mum or Mummy' and 'Special Grandma or Nanna'. There are also decorative money pots to help your mum or nan save for something special. Choose from 'Mum's Pamper Pot' or 'Glamorous Gran's Fund Pot'. You may also like to include her favourite magazine, DVD or book.
Our 'Special Mum' wooden gift tag and cute 9 inch "Happy Mother's Day" balloons help to decorate, theme & finish your gift basket. Remember all orders receive a complimentary gift card with your message printed onto it.
All Mother's Day orders will be delivered on Thursday 15th or Friday 16th March, as the courier companies do not operate on Sundays. We also offer a special Saturday delivery service with Parcel Force, so you could opt to have your gift delivered on Saturday 17th March (UK addresses only).
Please note, we only have a limited number of mugs and money pots so please order ASAP to reserve yours!
Many thanks,
The BG Team
We all love our mummies and what better way to show her you care on Mother's Day than by sending her a gorgeous Mother's Day gift basket full of treats she'll love?
At BasketsGalore we always have lots of gifts baskets perfect for mums, but we've also designed some special Mother's Day gifts containing mum themed mugs, balloons and gift tags.
Did you know our own mum, nicknamed Krafty, oversees the design & creation of all our gift baskets? Her knowing eye has great attention to detail & she knows exactly what mums want in a gift!
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| Some of the team winning at local Business Awards
However, if you don't see a basket that is quite right then you can always 'Create Your Own' Mother's Day gift basket. On our dedicated 'Create Your Own' site you can pick from all the food & pamper items we offer. Popular food items for mum include tea & coffee as well as yummy chocolates, fudge & biscuits. If your mum doesn't have a sweet tooth then our range of cheese, crackers & chutneys might be an option. Pamper items include luxurious body creams, bubble baths & hand lotions.
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| Butlers Chocolate Ballotin |
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| Fior Hand Lotion |
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| Causeway Ballybradden Garlic & Herb Cheese |
There is also a specific Mothers Day section on the 'Create Your Own' site. As previously mentioned, special mothers day items include cute ceramic, gift boxed mugs with various verses like "Special,kind and caring, too, you put love in all you do!". You can choose from 'Special Mum or Mummy' and 'Special Grandma or Nanna'. There are also decorative money pots to help your mum or nan save for something special. Choose from 'Mum's Pamper Pot' or 'Glamorous Gran's Fund Pot'. You may also like to include her favourite magazine, DVD or book.
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| Special Mum/Grandma Mug |
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| Mums Pamper Pot |
All Mother's Day orders will be delivered on Thursday 15th or Friday 16th March, as the courier companies do not operate on Sundays. We also offer a special Saturday delivery service with Parcel Force, so you could opt to have your gift delivered on Saturday 17th March (UK addresses only).
Please note, we only have a limited number of mugs and money pots so please order ASAP to reserve yours!
Many thanks,
The BG Team
Friday, 24 February 2012
Gifts baskets delivered to Europe
TGI Friday Folks!
Europe Zone 2 - Portugal, Spain, Italy, Austria, Greece, Cyprus, Malta, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Bulgaria, Czech Rep, Estonia, Hungary, Malta, Monaco, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia.
I just wanted to write a quick update regarding our delivery rates to Europe, as I think it's pretty good news for those of you wishing to send gifts internationally.
As you may know BasketsGalore has always offered a European delivery service, and we have even delivered further afield to the likes of the US, Canada, Australia & Russia in the past. Currently we are concentrating on a great, cost effective delivery service to countries based in the EU, as then there are no worries about customs hold ups & charges.
When exporting/importing to non-EU countries Customs can hold a parcel for inspection & can also add duties/charges on, so when delivery is attempted they ask the recipient to pay this additional charge. These customs charges are separate & on top of the delivery price that is paid to the delivery company, so we have no control over the charges.
So for this reason we specialise in sending to the most popular EU countries our customers ship to. These include Belgium, France, Germany & the Netherlands in Zone 1 and Spain, Portugal, Italy, Poland & Sweden in Zone 2. For the full list of delivery countries please see the table below:
Europe Zone 1 -Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Germany
Europe Zone 2 - Portugal, Spain, Italy, Austria, Greece, Cyprus, Malta, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Bulgaria, Czech Rep, Estonia, Hungary, Malta, Monaco, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia.
In past years we have only offered an Economy Service to European destinations, as these are available at lower rates. However, delivery can take 3-6 working days (depending on the destination country/zone) so you need to order a week or so in advance if it is a birthday gift for example.
For Christmas 2011 we introduced an Express European delivery service, as many Christmas hampers contain perishable items & so it isn't advisable for them to be in transit for too long. (Perishable items are packed with ice packs which last 48-72 hours) The express service proved popular & many hampers arrived at their destination the next working day, or if not within 48 hours.
However, we understand throughout the year customers may wish to send a new baby basket or a smaller tea & biscuits hamper to friends, family or colleagues and don't need it to arrive ASAP.
So for 2012 we have introduced 2 European delivery rates at once, so customers can now choose between Express (1-2 days) or Economy (3-6 days).
Current Pricing - Feb 12 (subject to change if our rates with courier company increase of decrease)
Economy Service Zone 1 - £22.99 - 3-6 working days (no perishables)
Economy Service Zone 2 - £26.99 - 3-6 working days (no perishables)
Express Service Zone 1 - £44.99 - 1-2 working days
Express Service Zone 2 - £49.99 - 1-2 working days
Please see our delivery page for the most up-to-date pricing & country zones etc.
The only thing we ask is that if you pick a gift basket that contains perishable food then it must be shipped on the express service, so that is arrives in top condition. By perishables we mean smoked salmon or other meats like ham, chicken, duck& salami. Also soft cheeses and fresh fruit count as perishables.
Any food gift baskets containing ambient products only, such as biscuits, cake, lemonade, preserves, chutney & chocolates etc can be sent on the economy service. Also any baby gift baskets, pamper baskets or children's toy baskets are also fine to travel on the economy service.
Obviously if you need the basket to arrive by a certain date we advise picking the express service option. If the birthday/occasion is in 3 days time, for example, it would be better to pick the express service. Although the economy service estimates 3-6 days this is a rough guide & so it is not guaranteed to arrive in 3 days. Whereas with the express option it is a timed service & therefore it is more than likely to arrive within 48 hours. (Unless of course there is a hold up due to bad weather conditions or the address is difficult to locate)
Please remember it is a couriered signed delivery service rather than the postal service, so someone needs to be at the address to sign for the delivery. Many customers find delivery to a work address can be very convenient. We do provide you with tracking details when your basket is dispatched, so you can advise the recipient what day it is scheduled for delivery. Also please include a local telephone number for the recipient, should the driver need to speak with them to gain access to a property or for directions. The local driver will not be able to dial internationally to a UK, US or Irish telephone number.
I think that's it (sorry longer than I thought!), but I hope you find this blog useful should you wish to ship gifts to Europe with us.
Have a great weekend!
The BG Team
Monday, 20 February 2012
Spring Is In The Air...Upcoming Occasions
Spring is a busy time in Basket land as we get a little run of occasions in a short time. The romantic Valentine's Day, followed by St Patrick's Day, Mother's Day and shortly afterwards Easter! All of which are best celebrated with a gorgeous gift basket of course!
For 2012 we have created a new range of holiday gift baskets for you to enjoy. I have included a selection of them below, but please do see our website for lots more ideas.
Delivery is available all over the UK & Ireland and we have some great shipping rates to Europe too.
The BG Team
For 2012 we have created a new range of holiday gift baskets for you to enjoy. I have included a selection of them below, but please do see our website for lots more ideas.
And as ever if you don't see the perfect gift basket you can create your own!
Delivery is available all over the UK & Ireland and we have some great shipping rates to Europe too.
The BG Team
Wednesday, 15 February 2012
Christmas Review
Hi Folks,
We would like to say a big thank you to everyone who shopped with us during November & December for Christmas hampers & gift baskets. We hope your friends & family members enjoyed receiving & eating the contents! We know many of you shop with us every year & we really appreciate your continued custom. We have been steadily growing for the past 10 years and make improvements to the systems every year. One thing remains constant though, we only offer great quality gift baskets that we would love to receive ourselves!
We were so pleased the snow stayed away this December, although we know many of you have been hindered by it in the past couple of weeks instead. It meant we were able to keep dispatching Christmas hampers right up until the 22nd December, for delivery on 23rd December. Some of the couriers even worked the Saturday, Christmas Eve, to get those last few parcels delivered.
We even dispatched baskets on Friday 23rd December & these were delivered as soon as the courier companies reopened again on 28th December. We were busy bees on 28th & 29th December too, dispatching New Year gift baskets & helping resolve any problems.
With so many gift baskets being dispatched there are inevitably a few delivery problems, such as the recipient not being home when delivery was first attempted & they need help re-arranging delivery. As a good will gesture we also dispatched some fresh cheese packs to recipients who couldn't get a 2nd delivery attempt rescheduled until after Christmas. We also did very well in terms of few breakages too this year. We bubble wrap individual jars and our boxes are padded inside with air pockets, but occasionally a jar still might arrive broken (if a courier might have been particularly heavy handed with a box for example). When this happens we send out a fresh gift basket or a complimentary hamper to replace any damaged goods. We want the recipients to be delighted with their basket & so work hard to help on those rare occasions something might go wrong. Of course you get the odd chancer who refuses to take any responsibility when incorrect address or telephone numbers have been supplied. Even then we do our best to come up with a suitable resolution, but we do ask for costs to be covered for return to sender, redelivery & restocking fees - never mind the administration time & costs involved.
So all in all a successful Christmas & New Year was had! January has been busy with VAT receipts & returns (the fun!), but also with updating our gift basket offering. We'll be back in touch soon with all the latest news.
The BG Team
We would like to say a big thank you to everyone who shopped with us during November & December for Christmas hampers & gift baskets. We hope your friends & family members enjoyed receiving & eating the contents! We know many of you shop with us every year & we really appreciate your continued custom. We have been steadily growing for the past 10 years and make improvements to the systems every year. One thing remains constant though, we only offer great quality gift baskets that we would love to receive ourselves!
We were so pleased the snow stayed away this December, although we know many of you have been hindered by it in the past couple of weeks instead. It meant we were able to keep dispatching Christmas hampers right up until the 22nd December, for delivery on 23rd December. Some of the couriers even worked the Saturday, Christmas Eve, to get those last few parcels delivered.
We even dispatched baskets on Friday 23rd December & these were delivered as soon as the courier companies reopened again on 28th December. We were busy bees on 28th & 29th December too, dispatching New Year gift baskets & helping resolve any problems.
With so many gift baskets being dispatched there are inevitably a few delivery problems, such as the recipient not being home when delivery was first attempted & they need help re-arranging delivery. As a good will gesture we also dispatched some fresh cheese packs to recipients who couldn't get a 2nd delivery attempt rescheduled until after Christmas. We also did very well in terms of few breakages too this year. We bubble wrap individual jars and our boxes are padded inside with air pockets, but occasionally a jar still might arrive broken (if a courier might have been particularly heavy handed with a box for example). When this happens we send out a fresh gift basket or a complimentary hamper to replace any damaged goods. We want the recipients to be delighted with their basket & so work hard to help on those rare occasions something might go wrong. Of course you get the odd chancer who refuses to take any responsibility when incorrect address or telephone numbers have been supplied. Even then we do our best to come up with a suitable resolution, but we do ask for costs to be covered for return to sender, redelivery & restocking fees - never mind the administration time & costs involved.
So all in all a successful Christmas & New Year was had! January has been busy with VAT receipts & returns (the fun!), but also with updating our gift basket offering. We'll be back in touch soon with all the latest news.
The BG Team
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