For many small and large business owners, a corporate gift basket for everyone might be difficult to produce, especially with the economic strains we all have faced this year. Contrary to popular belief however, a corporate gift basket does not have to cost you a fortune, or put any extra stress on you for the holidays.
Corporate gift baskets are meant to show your employees you care about the time and hard work they’ve put in throughout the year. They are more personal than a simple bonus which could be cut out to anyone, and most times require a little thought. Employees appreciate it when they receive what feels like a more personal “thank you”, and it really doesn’t need to set you back more than about $20 or so if you are on a tight budget. Here are just seven of the many corporate gift options available.
Movie Lover’s Gift basket.
This holiday basket can be appreciated by almost everyone, actually. There’s no need to worry about sending a sausage basket to a vegetarian, or a chocolate basket to a diabetic here. If you run a small company, you may have the privilege of knowing your employees well enough to know what type of movies they like and can therefore customize the basket. Either way, these baskets can include movie posters, popcorn, candy, soda, and even movie tickets or gift cards.
Home Sap Basket
These baskets are normally geared toward your female employees, though I have seen a few with male products. They can include many products, but the most common are a loofahs, nail files, bath salts, lotions, bubble baths, body washes, and body sprays.
Italian Gift Basket
I normally dislike gift baskets that have anything to do with food unless I know the person well enough to know they’ll love it. But it’s very difficult to find anyone who does not enjoy a fine dinner in one basket! The best Italian food gift baskets include the pasta, sauce, fancy cheeses, spices, wine, and even the dessert and coffee for a fine dining experience at home.
Desk Supplies Gift Basket
This basket is difficult to find pre-made. One year a company I worked for gave us all goodie bags which were filled with small and large notebooks, pens, pencils, tape, post-it notes, calculators, and staplers. It sounds a bit hokey, but I loved it, and was very happy that nothing had the company logo on it. The stationary was four different brightly colored designs, with all the other accessories in colors to match. This means that our boss didn’t just root in the company products pool for free junk to give us -she (or her assistant) actually spent time shopping for these things.
Relaxing Moments Gift Basket
These gift baskets offer your employees the chance to sit back and relax. They can contain many different products, but normally contain gourmet teas, coffee, mugs, hot chocolate, honey, and jam. A basket with two mugs is good for your employees to sit and relax with a loved one.
Gourmet Hostess Basket
Still sticking by my statement that I try to stay away from food baskets, I believe this idea can please everyone. A Gourmet Host or Hostess basket contains many different types of exotic or gourmet food, and there are many options. Some of the best I have seen are cinnamon glazed almonds, cheese, wine, macadamias, fine chocolate, summer sausages, granola, and kettlecorn.
Remember that all it takes a little time and consideration to make a gift basket a heartfelt, and heart warming gift. Your employees will remember it fondly, and may just end up doing an even better job in the next year.
