Valentine's Day is quickly approaching and we're already seeing lots of questions come in about what's the most popular Valentine's Day Gifts. We sell a LOT of gifts for Valentine's Day, stuff we can't believe guys send their girlfriends and wives, but hey, whatever floats your boat! This year, we decided to look back at what everyone was sending in each state, and even sent out a survey to thousands of our customers to ask them what they sent.
And there's a lot to be surprised about. Chocolate surprised us as being a top gift in more states than we expected, especially in the Northeast. Lingerie? Is there a reason why it's the top gift in states with mostly Hot Weather? Or are they sending a different signal? Spa related gifts eeked out a #1 win, not by much, in Virgina and North Dakota. And Teddy Bears: Who knew so many guys had a soft spot in the middle of the country.
Finally, we were surprised at the clear difference between states that prefer Roses versus general flowers. Usually those two gifts ran a close 1st-2nd place followed by everything else, but in New Jersey, a full 65% of guys sent roses, the next highest item was chocolates which came in at 30%, the highest gap between 1st and 2nd place for any state in America. You sure love your chocolate New Jersey! Find your state and see if you're sending what everyone else is sending!
Top Gift send by Men to Women, by state.
Alabama - Roses
Alaska - Teddy Bears
Arizona -Flowers
Arkansas - Roses
California - Roses & Chocolates are a tie for First
Colorado - Chocolates
Connecticut - Chocolates
Delaware - Roses
Florida - Lingerie
Georgia - Roses
Hawaii - Chocolates
Idaho - Roses
Illinois - Flowers
Indiana - Flowers
Iowa - Teddy Bears
Kansas -Spa Experience
Kentucky - Chocolates
Louisiana - Roses
Maine - Chocolates
Maryland - Roses
Massachusetts - Roses
Michigan - Roses
Minnesota - Flowers
Mississippi - Roses
Missouri - Roses
Montana - Flowers
Nebraska - Spa Experience
Nevada - Roses
New Hampshire - Chocolates
New Jersey - Roses (by a LOT)
New Mexico - Teddy Bears
New York - Chocolates
North Carolina -Chocolates
North Dakota - Flowers
Ohio - Flowers
Oklahoma - Roses
Oregon - Jewelry
Pennsylvania - Teddy Bears
Rhode Island - Flowers
South Carolina - Chocolates
South Dakota - Flowers
Tennessee - Chocolates
Texas - Lingerie
Utah - Roses
Vermont - Chocolates
Virginia - Spa Experience
Washington - Chocolates
West Virginia - Flowers
Wisconsin - Flowers
Wyoming - Teddy Bears
Methodology: Sales data from All About Gifts & Baskets, augmented by 500 person survey in each state, post Valentine's Day. Margin of error +/- 4%
29 Reasons why Christmas Gift Baskets are terrific last minute Gifts.
(with clickable Pictures)
Everyone loves Food. Christmas Gift Baskets have lots of food. Fill their hearts and their bellies.
Gourmet Food, Nuts & Chocolate Snack Basket
You can make it look likeyou assembled it yourself. Take it apart at home and slip in a personal card!
Sweet Sunshine Citrus Basket
It's hard to make something look that good on your own - Don't take it apart, let it look glorious when they unwrap it.
The Chocolicious Sampler
"I don't want a basket full of chocolate", said nobody ever.
Godiva Connoisseur Gift Basket
You can make diabetics happy - All this talk of chocolate makes us realize not everyone should be eating all this chocolate. here's a handful of great Diabetic Gift Baskets
Sugar Free Mini-Basket
You can make Jewish people happy - Yes, Kosher gifts exist! And they are delicious
Kosher Hanukkah Basket
Men will always appreciate food over socks and ties -
Motorcycle Lovers Snack Basket
Grandparents love Christmas gift baskets - Because it looks like you packed it yourself
Fun 'n Games Gift Basket
It's perfect for a big family gathering. Or for a gift for a big family. - Feed up to 20 at once!
Loads o Snacks Basket
It's perfect for a family with a long drive back home
Kids think Candy baskets are like a second Halloween. And leave the sugar high for the parents to deal with.
M&M Extravaganza Bouquet
There are super healthy baskets
Fruit And Nut Tray
Organic food nuts go nuts for nuts
Organic Harvest Nut Basket
It's the perfect gift for people to take to work next week
West Coast Gourmet Snack Basket
It's a gift they can use in a couple of weeks and remember you
Redbox Movie Night Care Box
An easy way to give something useful to a new mom
Personalized It's a Boy (or Girl) Wagon Package
It's a great gift that goes with watching football later in the day
Football Time Pail
It's an easy gift to take on the plane...in their stomachs
Holiday Caramel Chocolate Munch Basket
It's an easy gift to take on the plane...and eat on the way home
Christmas Oreo Gift Box
It's an easy gift to give a boss without looking like a kiss-up
Nut and Deluxe Fruit Tray
Mom's love getting diapers for free. Diaper Cakes are gorgeous.
Giraffe Boy Diaper Cake
You can buy 5 of the same Christmas Gift Basket and pass them out to different friends, and they'll never know the difference.
Golden Gourmet Goodies Tower
Multiple treats in the basket means there's going to be something they like
Chocolate covered Fruit and Nuts Tray
The gift will look amazing, and not cost a fortune
$39 Christmas Chocolate Cravings
It's a great way to show you care, even though you can't be there for Christmas.
Holiday Tower for Families
Everyone will be talking about the amazing food you sent
Regal Brownie and Cookie Tower. 4 Boxes!
It's like sending a meal, without the refrigeration
Italian Bounty Gourmet Gift Basket
Fancy Wine Gifts at a low price
California Chardonnay Classic Basket
There are lots of ways to say Merry Christmas for under $40 or even $30
Nothing says holiday better than food! ‘Tis the season, no matter what time of year, to give the gift of delicious treats. When you have a lot of people to shop for, like an office group or family gathering , it makes sense to get the most out of your gift budget and find an affordable gift. Choosing gourmet popcorn tins will allow you to do this. Perfect for any office party or break room, a tin of gourmet popcorn is a wonderfully efficient way to say thank you, congratulations, good work, or happy holidays.
Popcorn tins abound during the holidays; we see them in every department, discount, and box store. They typically come in a cute tin with three standard flavors: caramel, white cheese, and orange cheese. While this is a good snack, you may want to boost the quality for your office gift. Choosing gourmet blends not only adds elegance and class to the gift, it also adds tremendously to the recipients’ enjoyment of it!
Expect to spend around $50 to $60 on a large popcorn tin. This may seem expensive for popcorn, but you will not be able to find another gourmet arrangement, whether a fruit basket or a chocolate sampler, that can feed an office full of people for less. Another option is to get a sampler pack. Still, this is by no means “cheap” popcorn, but it is a relatively cost-effective holiday treat for an office gathering.
Freshness. Ideally, the company will pop their corn fresh everyday so you get the best, most flavorful popcorn to send to your recipients.
Variety. What types of flavors are available? Are there old favorites as well as innovative blends? Are there sampler blends available so you can send a little bit of all different kinds?
Quantity. Are you going to be able to feed an entire office? Look at the serving recommendations to see how many people you can serve so you can effectively compare costs and volume size.
Price. Again, popcorn, even delicious gourmet popcorn, typically costs less than other gourmet treats, such as fruit, chocolate, or cheeses, but do stick to your budget. If you do a little searching, you can find a company that can suits all your needs for your holiday popcorn gift.
Gourmet popcorn is guaranteed to be a success at any office gathering. Show some holiday cheer and go with the good stuff!
Do you have a sick child in your family who lives far away from you? We know how frustrating it can be to not be close enough to take care of a loved one, especially a youngster. This is why we've found lots different get well gifts sure to put a smile on any kiddo's face. There is nothing more exciting than receiving mail if you are stuck at home, especially when it contains presents to help a sickly kid feel better.
Get Well Gifts With Games
Send a favorite childhood game, to keep little one's spirits up. It will help them get their mind off of being sick. If you are not sure what type of game they'll like, we offer an awesome Fun & Games Gift Basket that contains a variety of games and activities, as well as some sweet treats. As an added bonus, it contains a cowbell noise maker for the patient to summon for service in a fun way.
Get Well Gifts with Treats
Speaking of goodies, nothing quite helps a child feel better faster than special treats. Send a box of fresh brownies or your famous chocolate chip cookies in a colorful tin. If you have a limited amount of free time, we carry a fun red gift box in two sizes filled with all different kinds of treats to ensure everyone has a favorite included in the mix. Our medium gift box snacks include buttery microwave popcorn, Snyder's pretzels, 2 oz of Planters Peanuts, candy and more with some games. Our larger box includes everything in the medium-sized one, as well as two times as much buttery popcorn and Planters Peanuts, and two extra games of Yahtzee and Uno.
Get Well Gifts for Bored Kids
In addition to games, other care package additions for sick bored children include coloring books and crayons for younger patients or an artist sketchbook and watercolor markers for older kiddos. If you are unsure of what to send, We offer a Child Feel Better Bucket that includes age-appropriate and gender specific items. Along with a small tabletop game, it could include activity books, crayons or colored pencils, and a small teddy bear.
Get Well Gifts for Kids to Cheer Up
If you really want to cheer your small sick loved one up, create a silly video of you performing a feel better skit or speech. Send a DVD of a newly released kid movie, or a re-released classic children story. Include theater-style snacks. Another option is to send a gift card so they can pick out a movie. Order something like our Get Well Movie Gift Basket to arrive at the same time as the DVD or gift card. It is filled with theater favorites, and a choice of candy treats , depending on if the kid likes chocolate or fruity flavors.
How Much to Spend on Get Well Gifts for Children
You do not have to spend hundreds of dollars to help cheer up and ailing kiddo. Depending on the size and the content, we have get well gift baskets for kiddos aged 4-12 starting at only around 45 dollars. No matter what you choose to send on one of your favorite little people in the mail, rest assured that it will help them feel better.
Sometimes as executive assistants it can feel a bit like you are a lone wolf, especially if you are a Virtual Assistant. Often times not being part of a “team” in an office or having no coworkers can be lonely! Whether you’re virtual or not, there are great ways to meet others in similar roles. You’ll get advice, a great camaraderie feeling and be able to connect with others who really "get it." Here are some resources that are great for finding others in your field.
Executive Secretary magazine has a terrific list of networks and associations at the national, regional and local levels. Here’s where you can see this impressive list: Associations. One of our favorite groups on the list is Office Ninjas. They hold fun and well-organized "Admingling" networking events in various cities, which I recommend.
There are a variety of ways to find local groups, all it takes is a little searching. In Austin, for example, we have the Young Women's Alliance, Texas Young Professionals and Austin Young Chamber. There are also national groups like Network After Work that have meetings in most cities in America and a number of smaller ones as well. Try googling keywords, such as "networking [your city]" and see what pops up.
If you haven’t heard of MeetUp, you should check it out! There are often times local Meetups like the one we found in Austin called APNA. I recommend searching within MeetUp using keywords such as Administrative Assistant, Office Manager, Executive Assistant, etc. You’ll most likely find one in your area; if there isn’t one, maybe you’ll be inspired to start your own!
A lot of folks are active on LinkedIn, which is used for much more than just recruiting. Here are some LinkedIn groups I recommend: OfficeNinjas, Effective Executive Secretary Network, Executive Assistants to CEOs, Executive Personal Assistants Society, Executive/Personal Assistants, as well as the PAs, EAs, VAs and Senior Administrators group. You could also ask your fellow assistants if they’re connected to any other groups themselves.
Great websites can also foster a feeling of community. I’ve stumbled on some great ones here:
Also, don’t forget workshops and conferences both locally and nationally. One great workshop is Be the Ultimate Assistant. Don’t be afraid to ask your principal to cover the fees; you’d be surprised at how often principals are happy to support continuous professional development.
I hope these resources help to build your network of like-minded people. Please reach out to me if you know of any other resources that I can add to this list at christina@tipsforassistants.com.
Published January 26, 2017
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