Gift basket by Friday?
July 18, 2017 2:15 PM Subscribe
Our long-time receptionist is leaving us this Friday. We're having an office party, but I thought it might also be nice to have something on her desk that day, so I'm investigating availabilities and costs to see whether it seems worthwhile on a somewhat limited budget. She's well-known for maintaining the office supply of random treats, which naturally suggests some kind of treat basket for her...
She definitely doesn't have what you would call high-falutin tastes, so something like tasty fruits would, I think, be more appreciated than really high-end chocolate or the like. Most of my gift-buying experience has tended towards the schmancy, so I'm not sure of the best place to look. I was looking at Edible Arrangements, but I suspect that, with a national chain like that, you're overpaying for mediocre fruit and chocolate. Does anyone have a better suggestion local to NYC? It has to be available by Friday morning, either with delivery to Manhattan or pickup in Manhattan or very close-by Brooklyn. Let's cap it at $65.
She definitely doesn't have what you would call high-falutin tastes, so something like tasty fruits would, I think, be more appreciated than really high-end chocolate or the like. Most of my gift-buying experience has tended towards the schmancy, so I'm not sure of the best place to look. I was looking at Edible Arrangements, but I suspect that, with a national chain like that, you're overpaying for mediocre fruit and chocolate. Does anyone have a better suggestion local to NYC? It has to be available by Friday morning, either with delivery to Manhattan or pickup in Manhattan or very close-by Brooklyn. Let's cap it at $65.
I have to agree with phunniemee. A goodbye cake or something would be nice for a sendaway gesture, but for a gift I bet she'd prefer a $65 gift card (for a more personalized touch pick a great restaurant, bakery, or nail salon that would be fun for her).
posted by LKWorking at 2:34 PM on July 18, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by LKWorking at 2:34 PM on July 18, 2017 [3 favorites]
I'm another Office Treats Person. Please don't assume your OTP also would love treats. I'm diabetic and can't eat them, I just love giving the folks who can eat them a constant supply. phunniemee nails it with an Amazon or Etsy card and written, heartfelt notes in a greeting card.
posted by angiep at 2:37 PM on July 18, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by angiep at 2:37 PM on July 18, 2017 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Just to clarify: I am not handling the major celebratory events. Please assume for the purposes of this question that we are a competent office and that there is going to be a nice little party, and a card, and such like for her. (She also totally does eat the candy herself, which I should've mentioned originally, sorry, that's a good point.) If you were looking for that kind of item, then, where would you look?
posted by praemunire at 2:46 PM on July 18, 2017
posted by praemunire at 2:46 PM on July 18, 2017
Best answer: Chelsea Market Baskets is local and it looks like a fun place to put something special together. Here are ones in your price range and they look great.
posted by LKWorking at 2:53 PM on July 18, 2017
posted by LKWorking at 2:53 PM on July 18, 2017
Best answer: I picked the brains of our longtime receptionists, who said that some nice flowers for her desk (don't need to be expensive) and maybe a balloon - if that fits her personality- is what they would suggest. If you wanted to get sweets, consider Jacques Torres, which has stores around Manhattan, and has fun stuff like chocolate covered blueberries for $13, and chocolate covered cheerios for $6.50. It's a bit high end but not intimidating.
posted by gudrun at 3:05 PM on July 18, 2017
posted by gudrun at 3:05 PM on July 18, 2017
Find a volunteer to assume the OTP mantle & have a passing the baton ceremony during the party. Always nice to see that your efforts have been appreciated.
posted by cfraenkel at 3:09 PM on July 18, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by cfraenkel at 3:09 PM on July 18, 2017 [4 favorites]
Best answer: I love Levain, it's sort of high end but the cookies are standard flavors. They deliver.
posted by ferret branca at 5:20 PM on July 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by ferret branca at 5:20 PM on July 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
Be careful here. She may have provided snacks, but may not want to hear an inadvertent message that treats are the reason she'll be missed, rather than something related to her professional skills. It's still a good idea, just be careful how you frame it.
posted by studioaudience at 9:37 PM on July 18, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by studioaudience at 9:37 PM on July 18, 2017 [4 favorites]
Response by poster: Thanks for the suggestions, guys! (I swear to God I am not actually lying about the huge card everyone is signing and the party and all the other stuff, you really can assume that we are actually functioning human beings here and have the basics down.)
posted by praemunire at 8:34 AM on July 19, 2017
posted by praemunire at 8:34 AM on July 19, 2017
This thread is closed to new comments.
Nope! This is me. Part of the magic of being the one who supplies the office with random treats is that I can randomly treat myself whenever I please. Trust me, I didn't get the smores poptarts because I thought the people might like smores poptarts. I got the smores poptarts because I wanted a smores poptart, but didn't want to personally commit to a full box. I can get any treats I want any time I want. I am overloaded on treats.
I think a gift card to someplace really versatile, like Amazon or Etsy, would be good, along with a CARD that everyone writes something nice in, like how they really appreciate how well she's taken care of them for all those years.
posted by phunniemee at 2:29 PM on July 18, 2017 [27 favorites]