Giftbaskets are soooo last year! Or is it last century? My fervent hope is that you’ll eventually come to the conclusion that both statements are wrong. You see, I make my living by selling gift baskets (among other food gifts). While I agree that it’s not quite the same as being a test pilot or a neurosurgeon, it’s an honest way to pay for tuition for my grandson. Or at least it would be a good way to do so if more of you bought my products.
I know what you’re thinking: “I’ll bet he never has a problem deciding what to give during the holidays; he just gives the same boring baskets year after year to everyone.” How dare you think about me in that way! In fact, I face the same dilemmas that you face during any gift giving, decision making crisis.
I do not give food filled bundles of joy to my entire gift list. (Well, maybe most it.) However, even if I did, the choice would still not be easy. At my store, we offer scores of fruit baskets, gourmet meals, wine gift baskets and far more than that, even. (I can hear you right now, begging me to tell you where this wonderful store is. Please be patient.)
Before you bribe me (or threaten me) to share my store location with you, I want to tell you about my own decision making approach.
My first step is to decide on the appropriate category of gift from the many choices. If Uncle Milton has his drinking problem under control for the first time in ten years, then the wine gift baskets are out of the running. Instead, I think I’ll send him an assortment of gourmet cheeses and a fresh fruit basket.
Aunt Millie, on the other hand, is a great wine sipper. Frankly, I don’t know if she really enjoys the wine, but she sure enjoys talking about it. She thrills to have a new member of her audience so that she can explain what makes a good vintage year, the varieties of grapes that are used in her favorite blends and, especially, how much she paid for each bottle (as well as how much she paid for the carpeting you just ruined by spilling your glass). She’ll get a simple wine gift basket, but I’m not going to spring for the champagne! (I’m also not going to pay for the carpet cleaning; not after what that cat of hers did to my new coat.)
My nephew, Alfred, recently married his long time girlfriend. To tell you the truth, even I agree that it’s about time. Alfred spent the last eight years trying to decide if she was worth the cost of a diamond ring. (I suspect that he eventually settled on crystal, which, considering Alfred, would be thought of as generous.) What he wants is a check. There’s no way that I’m satisfying that desire. His wife wouldn’t get a dime of it. Instead, they’re getting a meal of live lobsters and the trimmings from me. Actually two, of course. My thinking is that this is the only way to get his bride out of the kitchen. Alfred would never pay for a restaurant meal, so, in a sense, I’m sending the restaurant to them. (They honeymooned by visiting me!)
My second step, after choosing a category is to select a price range that I’m willing to spend on these people. Then my wife makes me double that amount.
My grandson is getting the latest video game system. Let’s face it; he is truly special.
