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Back-To-School Basics

© Shirley Frazier

It's not hard convincing an anxious mother sending her child off to college that a well-packed, back-to-school basket will smooth the student's first days on campus and ease her maternal jitters.

The preferred vessels of choice include baskets that double as book and magazine holders, stationery storage containers or writing instrument carriers. Non-basket containers that students and parents adore for these special care packages include backpacks, laundry bags, foot lockers and treasure chests.

Mix what students need to settle into life away from home with a variety of snacks they love to eat. Some suggestions are:

Planner/Scheduler
Notepads
Photo frame (for family or Fido)
Slipper socks
Highlighters
Mini sewing kit
Dental floss
Popcorn
Assorted nuts
Cookies
Granola
Powdered fruit slices
Potato chips
Pretzels

Contacting parents about your college gift baskets takes planning and ingenuity. The main problem is getting in touch with parents, because school officials will not give you access to students' home addresses. One alternative is to contact the college admissions and financial aid departments. They are in constant contact with the incoming class.

Schools are a place where you can offer officials a barter arrangement before you settle for an ad that's surrounded by a sea of other ads that may get no attention. Barter, as defined by The American Heritage Dictionary, means "to trade without using money."

If you provide products or services that college administrators consider a commodity, a barter arrangement might work. Gift baskets are a commodity because it is the perfect gift to present to any employee to say happy birthday, get well, good luck and thank you.

As a barter example, if the college has a newsletter, perhaps an sizeable ad (half or whole page) can be traded for several birthday gift baskets for the college staff. Before deciding on how many baskets you will offer as a trade, find out the value of both ads.

What if college officials won't barter? Here's another idea that uses part of your sales as the incentive:

Offer each department a small portion of the sales as a donation to the student activities' fund in return for a free, stand-alone ad (coupon, flyer, etc.) placed in each new student packet mailed directly to parents.

Did you know that external family members will buy gift baskets faster than moms and dads? Parents spend so much money on tuition, books and room/board that gift baskets are a luxury they won't buy until after the first semester. Your ad should target aunts, uncles, siblings and grandparents.

It's not too late to advertise school gift baskets. In a few months, students will be cramming for exams, and that's when relatives start thinking about gift baskets that fuel higher student grades.

The copyright of the article Back-To-School Basics in Gift Baskets is owned by Shirley Frazier. Permission to republish Back-To-School Basics in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.