Tag: Thank You Cards

Thank You Cards for Inside and Outside of Work

When you’re having a party, no matter if it’s a birthday, special event or even just a barbecue, there’s the usual checklist of what you’ll need so your celebration is a great success. For example, you have your food menu, beverages, music, a guest list, and anything else you may need to set up your fun-filled day. What a lot of people do forget is something you’ll need once the party is over and all your guests have left. What is it you ask? Thank you cards!

Your friends and family took the time to give you a gift and made sure your party was special. You should thank them by writing thank you cards to show you appreciated them being there…even if no presents were involved! For the office, business thank you cards are a great way to show your vendors, clients, and employees how grateful you are for their business or for their outstanding work. Business thank you cards are also an indirect way of reminding your recipients that you worked with them and “please don’t forget about us in the future.” The moral of this story is let people know that them being there is important to you, and be sure to use those thank you cards inside and outside of work!

Thank You Cards – It’s Never too Late

It’s never too late to send a thank you card. I know you may be thinking this is just some sales-y pitch to buy thank you cards. It’s not, period. Here’s my quick feel-good thank you cards are important and make everyone thankful story…

Recently I was travelling. As I passed through Newark Airport’s gate area I came upon the Airport Wireless store and decided to browse. It seems like there is always something that I need. Sure enough I realized I had recently lost my stereo-hands-free cell phone mp3 player earbuds. These are very important to me as I am immensely more productive on the phone with them than without them. I purchased a very nice pair of Shure earbuds and said thank you to the store employee who helped me pick them out. I in turn acknowledged his “Thank You for your business” and I rushed off to catch my flight.

A few hours later when I reached my destination I headed over to the rental car counter. I set my things down, filled out the paperwork and exchanged another set of thank yous with the Avis employee. “Thanks very much,” I said “Yes sir, thank you for renting from Avis today” he said. “Which way to my car?” “Right out those doors and to the right, sir.” “Thank you, have a nice day.” “You’re welcome sir and Thank You again.” The exchange was as business-like and as pleasant as can be. This cordial, professional, friendly and just plain polite business exchange is something refreshing about travelling to the Midwest of the United States.

So, a couple of hours of driving later, thankfully I finally arrive at my hotel. I checked-in with a whole new round of “Thank you,” “Thank you sir,” “Thanks and have a nice day.” Settling into my room something seems to be missing, but I just can’t place what it is. Then I realize. Ugggh! It’s too easy to not miss something that you’ve barely owned. My new expensive earbuds, where are they!? I retrace my steps. When was I last sure that I had them? I quickly realize that they are now a two hour drive behind me last seen on the lower counter portion of the Avis rental car check-in desk. I curse a few times and pretty much write them off mentally. And then I realize…Wait a minute! I am in the land of the nicest “thank you, no, thank YOU” people I have ever come across outside of New York. I figure what the heck and I make a call to Avis and get through to the Avis counter at the airport that I flew through. A very nice fellow in maintenance says he’ll have to go take a look and he’ll call me back. I figure I am never getting a call back…but then as he is hanging up the phone he says “Thank you for renting from Avis!” Maybe there is a prayer. Maybe the “thank you, no, thank YOU” culture of just plain nice people will save me.

Well, you guessed it. Saved I was and very very thankful. And of course, thanked again by the loyal and friendly Avis employee. He UPSd a box to my hotel room. I couldn’t be more thankful. Or could I?

So, here I sit in my home office working remotely today, “cleaning up” things. This great Avis employee who UPSd me my earbuds that I frankly had no right to expect I would ever see again did the right thing by his company. He sent the item UPS collect. I didn’t even know you could do that! Anyhow, I need to pay the bill. $12.34 I couldn’t be more happy and thankful to pay. But, it’s not all about money is it? The bill reminds me that I had to rush through the airport and the car return to catch my flight. I never had the opportunity to track down the employee and thank him and the other employees.

It’s just another one of those stories in our busy lives. Too much to do, too little time –
too often too little time to even say “Thank you.” But alas, that is what greeting cards, note cards and letters have always been for. Greeting cards help us to pause for just a moment, to reflect, and to say something. It takes a little bit of effort and a little bit of thoughtfulness, but the rewards are dividends paid to both parties. The little bit of effort is what conveys the thought. The old expression “It is the thought that counts,” which used to be used for gift giving, really isn’t true any more. It is, in fact, the effort that counts. It is the effort, however small, that expresses the thoughtfulness. It is too easy in today’s society to click a button and send your closest 500 friends an email form letter. The “ease” dilutes and diminishes the thoughtfulness conveyed.

So, with this much longer than I thought blog post now finally coming to a conclusion I shall:

  1. Thankfully pay my UPS collect bill.
  2. Write a thank you card to the Avis employee at the airport.
  3. Write some more thank you cards today for others whom I am probably long overdue to send thank you cards.

P.S. – I suppose I could make an argument that the longer the length of time between the event someone is being thanked for and the arrival of the thank you cards actually is a measure of how truly thankful someone is. i.e. They remember it long after the event.  Hmmm. I have wanted to write my sixth grade teacher a thank you card before she passes to a better place. I better get on that! I can’t imagine how old she is now! I’m no spring chicken myself.

Business Thank You Cards Brighten Up My Day

The stars are not aligned today, because it was another one of those mornings. You know the kind I mean. My husband spilled the milk on the table and it dripped onto the floor. Do you think it would miss me? Nooo! Of course not. Then he says he’s in a hurry and asks if I can clean it up. Before I can answer, he says “I’ll send you a thank you card.” He thinks he’s very funny when he plays on my love of greeting cards. The family always teases me and for the most part I am amused, but not today.

Of all mornings, I’m running late, I have a wet spot on my blouse and I have a meeting concerning business thank you cards for the upcoming year (how ironic) first thing. There’s nothing worse than showing up to work disheveled, tired and annoyed. Anyway, I rushed to my desk and a colleague stops me to ask a favor. Can I please make some copies before the meeting because he had to finish a report? So much for sitting down first and enjoying a sip of tea.

From there it just gets worse. The copier needed the toner changed and can you guess what happened next? I somehow got ink smudges on my pants, the paper ran out, and it’s meeting time. Of course I am the last one there and everyone looks at me puffing, sweating, smudged and stained. That’s the kind of morning I had. I was so glad when it was lunch time.

When I came back from lunch there was an envelope on my desk. Inside was a thank you card from my colleague of the morning. He said he appreciated my helping him out. The art of sending thank you cards is not dead and there are still courteous people who express appreciation. The business thank you card was even more coveted than one coming from family or friends.

It just goes to show that, no matter how your day starts, a greeting card will brighten it up and put a smile on your face. Now you see why I have a profound love for greeting cards.

“These are nice cards!”

On the King Day of Service this past Monday, January 19, some of the 100,000 thank you cards that The Gallery Collection donated to Operation Gratitude made their way to Washington D.C.’s Calvin Coolidge High School, where students, military families, and local service groups were helping with various activities for the troops. The thank you cards were being used to write letters to service members deployed overseas.

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama made a special appearance at Coolidge High School during a service tour they were taking of Washington. While make their rounds to meet all the volunteers, then-President-Elect Obama stopped at one of the tables, picked up one of the thank you cards and exclaimed, “These are nice cards!” He then told one of the volunteers he was speaking to that he would only keep one of the cards, and handed it off to Michelle. The whole conversation was caught on video, and we have it for you to check out. He comments on our cards at one minute and 20 seconds into the video:

At another point during his visit to the high school, Mr. Obama said a few encouraging words about the volunteering and honoring the King Day of Service: “If we’re waiting for somebody else to do something, it never gets done,” he said. “We’re going to have to take responsibility, all of us. This is not just a one-day affair.”

How great it is to have such a significant man make a nice comment about the products we sell. Of course everyone who works at The Gallery Collection already knows how nice our cards are, but it never hurts to have the President of the United States of America reaffirm that for everyone to hear!

The King Day of Service was a Success Indeed!

This past Monday, January 19, was a very special day for The Gallery Collection. Not only was it the day before Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States, but it was also the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service. And in honoring Dr. King as well as our troops currently stationed overseas, we donated 100,000 thank you cards to be included in Operation Gratitude care packages. Operation Gratitude teamed up with Target and Serve DC to set up a care package assembly line at the RFK Memorial Stadium in Washington DC. In paying tribute to Dr. King and acting in the spirit of the National Day of Service, thousands of volunteers came to the stadium to help assemble the packages and personalize thank you cards to individual soldiers. Here is some footage from the stadium:


You’ll notice in the video that some special guests made an appearance, including Michelle Obama and Senator Chris Dodd of Connecticut. At the end of the day, over 75,000 care packages were assembled, thanks to the thousands of people who volunteered their time to help. We all worked together to make this past Monday a day ON instead of a day off.


MichelleObama

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Thank You Cards are a Gesture of Appreciation

I am the first to admit that it is not always easy finding the perfect greeting cards for the occasions you want to recognize. I find it particular difficult to find the perfect thank you cards. Sometimes saying “thank you” just isn’t enough so you need the perfect card and sentiment to show how much you truly appreciate someone’s kind words, a gesture, or a person’s thoughtfulness.

I am now in the habit of keeping an assortment of thank you cards on hand so I have the appropriate thank you card available when I need it. For the most part I am a very fortunate person who is surrounded by kind and generous people. I’ve gone through quite a few thank you cards over the course of just a few months. Speaking of which, I should check my supply at home! I think I might be running low and may need to order more.

I love that The Gallery Collection thank you assortment boxes have such a nice variety of thank you cards to choose from.  I can always find a card that suits both the gesture and the person I am thanking. When it comes to thank you cards, it is not a “one card fits all” kind of world. Since we change our selection of cards every year, I don’t have to worry about sending the same card to the same person year after year. I always have a unique thank you card available and this simple gesture is always appreciated by the recipients.  For the most part people don’t do kind deeds for the gesture to be reciprocated but I know they certainly feel appreciated when their thoughtfulness is acknowledged.

Greeting Cards Used to Pay It Forward

A greeting card can be used in many different ways – just take a look at all the different types of corporate greeting cards available on this website! The first use that comes to mind is an expression of goodwill towards the recipient, be it for a holiday, a birthday, or to congratulate or thank. That goodwill, however, can be “paid forward” with just a simple act.

Many customers order their corporate greeting cards with a special imprint. Some thank patrons or clients at Christmas time with mention of their end-of-year donation to a favorite charity inside of their greeting cards. Others celebrate the birthdays of their employees by donating to an organization in the employee’s name.

Using a greeting card to pay it forward doesn’t always have to include such a grand gesture. Small acts of kindness are just as meaningful. Think of a colleague who may be having a rough time, and send her a thinking of you card. Perhaps a client is having her first child. Send a congratulations card. Did colleagues in the office pilot a recycling program for the company? Why not send thank you cards? You can even choose a greeting card made with windpower in light of the situation.

In my greeting card Googling (yes, I do Google greeting cards – it comes with the job description), I discovered what, to me, may be the most interesting use of greeting cards in the “pay it forward” aspect. Amnesty International annually asks members to send greeting cards with messages of support to prisoners and human rights defenders worldwide. This small act of goodwill lets those receiving the greeting cards know someone remembers them, and the message to write in the greeting card is as simple as “We’re thinking of you.” I was disappointed to discover that the 2007 Holiday Card Action program had ended in January, but it’s a great cause to remember during the 2008 holiday season.

Business Thank You Cards Add a Personal Touch

According to research, 58% of moms say their children write thank you cards. It’s great to see that thank you cards are making a comeback across the nation, not just with personal thank you cards but also with business thank you cards. People don’t always realize that you do not have to write a lengthy novel. You can be brief…just a few lines at the very least.

When I was a teenager, my mother had to force me to write thank you cards to friends and relatives for birthday and Christmas presents. Years later, I appreciate whenever anyone takes the time to send me thank you cards and I’ve come to enjoy writing notes to others for all different types of situations.

Business thank you cards are perfect for acknowledging an employee’s extra efforts. It reinforces the connection between you and makes a strong impression. Thank you cards express that something you did was really special because another person took the time to write a note. I also like to send thank you cards to business associates, thanking them for anything special they may have done or for gifts they may have sent. The business world is dominated by the impersonal, quick message. Handwritten business thank you cards are an oddity so if you write thank you cards or any type of greeting cards for that matter, you stand out from the pack.

My favorite way of saying thank you is to place a greeting card in my granddaughter’s lunch box every once in a while to say “thank you for being you.” It’s so easy to say thanks in a special way!

Business Greeting Cards…A Golden Opportunity

Holidays and Special Occasions come and go…very much like an opportunity. Some opportunities are often very obvious while others may be somewhat obscure. As a business, whether small or large, the use of greeting cards can offer a golden opportunity to keep your company’s name and image in front of your customers throughout the year, strengthen relationships with business associates, and foster goodwill amongst employees. Here are some tidbits for a properly executed business greeting cards program:

Holiday Cards – extend your good wishes of the holiday season. But keep in mind that the card design and greeting should reflect the holiday that the individual celebrates.

Birthday Cards – can be sent to employees as a form of promoting goodwill and adding a personal aspect to these relationships. Birthday cards sent to business associates or customers can be a means of building relationships and offers the opportunity to express your gratitude for their valued business. In either case, be mindful of the type of card that is sent. For instance, a humorous card may not be appropriate for everyone. Birthday cards can be sent to the office or to the home depending on the type of relationship. If the relationship is one that is more casual and personal, then it is appropriate to send to the home. If the relationship is more formal, then it would be best to send to the office.

Thank You Cards – provides a way to thank a customer for an order or a business associate for a sales lead or referral. Thank you cards can also be a means of offering a promotion or discount to customers and clients as a special thank you for their continued business. Thank you cards may also be used to provide encouragement and thank an employee for a job well done. These greeting cards can be customized with your message and company name but should be hand signed and hand addressed. If the card is blank on the inside, at least three sentences should be written with the first sentence specifically mentioning the specific item or deed which you are thankful for. Remember to check for any spelling and grammatical errors.

Get Well, Sympathy, Thinking of You Cards – can be sent to an employee or business contact who is ill or has experienced a loss. Thinking of You cards can be used interchangeably with either of these occasions in which you may not want to specifically mention an illness or death. A hand written note should be included and the card should be sent to the home.

Keep the above in mind and your business greeting cards will surely turn into a golden marketing opportunity.