Mail order gift basket ideas/companies

[Southernmiss]

Needing a gift idea to send to a couple in their 50s.

What are your great ideas?

 

[eandt]

Sending some food items from Goldbelly this year … a bit pricey but we are out of ideas for our adult kids that need or want for nothing …hopefully it turns out to be an appreciated gift in lieu of the usual

 

[tinkerbellandpeterpan]

We do Harry & David fruit of the month for my in-laws every year and they really enjoy it. Wolferman's has some nice breakfast baskets that have been well received.

 

[_19disnA]

I find most of those pre-made baskets are overpriced for what you get. If they live in another state, it might be less expensive (and more fun) to makeup your own basket with locally made products they might not otherwise get to try.

 

[leebee]

They are all overpriced. Having said that, we were delighted when we received a gift from Cheryl's Cookies. Soft, frosted cookies are a special treat for me, so this was a SUPER gift!

 

[QueenIsabella]

We were disappointed with both Wolferman's (English muffins were doughy inside) and Cheryl's cookies (bland and undercooked).

I tend to make my own baskets with local goods. My oldest lives in Boston, her heart never moved to North Carolina, so I get her (and my sister's husband) local products. I just got her local sea salt, various flavors, for Christmas. For my BIL, there are many local barbecue sauces, rubs, etc., that are right up his alley. I throw in a local wine and a sweet treat.

Everywhere I've lived, there's been a local "in state" store, if you will, where they only sold stuff made in-state--okay, it's possible that the New Hampshire store also sold Vermont stuff (small states, and we lived near the border). You could possibly even find a basket to put things in, maybe line it with a handmade scarf or table runner, then add local products.

 

[SandyinMonterey]

Wolferman's is my go to. I usually choose the pick 4 or pick 6 option. Omaha Steaks is good. I only buy when there is a sale/promotion. Right now they have The Perfect Gift for $89.99 My sister sent it to me and had some of the steaks last night. They were very good. Had the ribeyes before and they were excellent! QVC sells a lot of food. Bakery items, meats, candy, etc.

 

[_19disnA]

Mail order perishable food products always seem pricey. You have to pay for expedited shipping and some sort of refrigerated container so the food doesn't spoil while in transit. Even if they advertise 'free shipping', they have probably already added those costs into the price of the product. Maybe a nice gift idea for someone else, but doesn't make a lot of sense to order for yourself unless you live in the middle of nowhere without any grocery stores nearby !!!

 

[LoveDaisy]

We were disappointed with both Wolferman's (English muffins were doughy inside) and Cheryl's cookies (bland and undercooked).

I tend to make my own baskets with local goods. My oldest lives in Boston, her heart never moved to North Carolina, so I get her (and my sister's husband) local products. I just got her local sea salt, various flavors, for Christmas. For my BIL, there are many local barbecue sauces, rubs, etc., that are right up his alley. I throw in a local wine and a sweet treat.

Everywhere I've lived, there's been a local "in state" store, if you will, where they only sold stuff made in-state--okay, it's possible that the New Hampshire store also sold Vermont stuff (small states, and we lived near the border). You could possibly even find a basket to put things in, maybe line it with a handmade scarf or table runner, then add local products.

Can I ask how you found this store in each state? I’ve never been in a store that only sells things made in that state but would love to do that when I travel (or even where I live).

 

[LoveDaisy]

Couple of ideas in addition to the ones mentioned. My parents love gold belly and being able to get that item they saw on food network or on the internet a gift card there was very popular in addition I have done fruit from Miami fruit (tropical) and hale grove (citrus). We are in New England so they were very excited for the fruit in the winter.

 

[barkley]

Needing a gift idea to send to a couple in their 50s.

What are your great ideas?

i'm not big into the mail order stuff b/c I think they overcharge so much for the stuff that they sell. that said-i agree with others that if you have anything local to you that you could grab and wrap to mail it might be very appreciated. I never had exposure to anything with huckleberries until I moved to the state of Washington so my out of state family enjoy it when I send jams and syrups. I also personally love flavored olive oils and some shops sell small bottles so a variety of flavors new to me would be a cool gift.

as far as food products in general-i like to find stuff I know people will like but maybe a bit different than they might think to seek it out for themselves-dh loves the blood orange marmalade he found in his stocking last Christmas (Amazon) and one year my mom initially got a good laugh out of but came to realy find the value in the smucker's gift pack of individual jams (think restaurant size) I sent her.

if you are sending it yourself-bubble wrap anything glass and also put it individually in ziplock bags so if one breaks it does'nt make a mess of the others.

Can I ask how you found this store in each state? I’ve never been in a store that only sells things made in that state but would love to do that when I travel (or even where I live).

we have them at local malls (usually if there's a nicer one in a touristy prone area).

 

[Pooh2]

We send from local companies:
Polly's Pancakes in Sugar Hill, NH (has gluten free for the gf family member)
Ben's Sugar Shack, Mason, NH
Fuller's Maple Syrup, NH
Stonewall Kitchen, Maine

 

[QueenIsabella]

Can I ask how you found this store in each state? I’ve never been in a store that only sells things made in that state but would love to do that when I travel (or even where I live).

When we lived in upstate NY, there was a local store that sold apples and apples cider that we stopped in, and found local cheeses, maple syrup, and so forth. In fact, (I've mentioned this before) our electrician had a maple syrup farm--great guy, don't call him when the sap's running.

In New Hampshire, I lived in Keene--there was a store downtown (about 3 blocks!) that sold local goods--homemade goatmilk soap was one of my favorites. My husband also worked with a guy with a maple syrup farm, so we'd buy from him when we needed syrup.

Here in North Carolina, there's a store called "Blue Moon Gifts"--all local to the state. I went yesterday--they did have a small table of "fair trade" goods from other countries (India, Nicaragua, etc.). They aren't the cheapest, but I figured it was quicker and probably better than hitting World Market. Since we're coastal, they have a lot of beachy themed items.

Speaking of which, World Market has a fun selection of goods, and you could easily make a basket focused on a country/region that interests the recipient. Japanese noodles with chopsticks and fancy bowls, alongside a tea set, for example. Or British biscuits with tea, or Italian sauce and pasta and wine.

 

[Southernmiss]

Thanks for the suggestions! Wolferman's looks perfect!

 

[easyas123]

I've ordered from Wolfermans, Juniors Cheesecakes and Wine Country Gift baskets a lot for corporate gifts. Plus we've received items from these places - always well received by those we've sent them to and welcomed when we get them.
I've also ordered from Goldbelly for myself and others with good results.

 

[Dan Murphy]

I always use Tastes of Chicago. Many of the iconic foods of Chicago.

Probably though, not too good unless a person were a little familiar with these food icons.

https://www.tastesofchicago.com/

Most often I send this one.

https://www.tastesofchicago.com/product/ultimate-tastes-of-chicago-combo/

 

[evilmommie]

I’ve had good luck with food gifts from:

Harry & David
Williams Sonoma
Olive & Cocoa
Spoonful of Comfort

 

[soccerdad72]

My wife has done a lot of mail order Christmas gifts over the years, as her team has been scattered around the country.

Her favorites are Harry & David, Wolferman's and Wine Country. One year, she was able to get a one-year pass that bought her unlimited shipping, so she made sure to do the gifts a week earlier the next year so she could get "free" shipping that season.

This year, she tried to tailor the gift to each of her manager's tastes. She even ended up finding that you could ship Haagen Dazs ice cream via Amazon Prime.

 

[mjkacmom]

They are all overpriced. Having said that, we were delighted when we received a gift from Cheryl's Cookies. Soft, frosted cookies are a special treat for me, so this was a SUPER gift!

My SIL used to work for them, love those cookies.

 

[mjkacmom]

I’ve had good luck with food gifts from:

Harry & David
Williams Sonoma
Olive & Cocoa
Spoonful of Comfort

I wanted to send some gluten free soup to my daughter at college when she was sick, filled out all of the information, just to find out delivery would be in 2 weeks. Kind of defeated the purpose for $100 soup.