Hello - a friend just suggested I join here to get opinions on a venture I am thinking of starting up. What a treasure trove of info I have been missing!! So much to read on these forums to help my current high school senior!
Now for my question - I live by a small CA State University and have been kicking around the idea of offering a care package/snack basket delivery service. Parents would order and I would deliver themed gift baskets to students in the on-campus dorms/apartments. What would you be willing to pay for this type of care package delivery? I would have a different theme every month and it would include around 20 small snacks and a few other fun items. I would make it cute in a coordinated basket with a personalized gift card.
Have you used a service like this where your kids go to school? My son is starting his 4th year in college and I would love to have a service like this where he is at.
I don’t want to embark on this venture and not be able to charge enough to be compensated for my time but I don’t want it to cost too much either. Would you be willing to pay more if it was shipped rather than hand delivered?
I would really appreciate everyone’s opinion and sorry for the long post!!
There were already services that did this for my kids’ colleges. Plus, you could order from a couple of local bakeries who delivered. And of course Amazon. No shipping costs with Prime or those local deliveries.
I’ve never ordered from here (daughter is a freshman), but the reviews I’ve seen by parents are very positive and it appears they are popular. https://www.tigerbaskets.com/
There was a moms group that did that for my D’s university but they did it to raise funds for local charities. Pricing varied widely depending on what was ordered.
There is a bakery/candy shop where D goes to college and they deliver to the campus mailroom on weekdays for $5 or arrange to meet the student in person on weekends for $10.
My question is about “baskets” because dorm rooms are small and I don’t know what students would do with a handful of baskets. If you mean cardboard cartons or paper bags, it should be something easily recycled.
I was also going to say recyclable will be better, but why not go with reusable tins and jars and almost zero packaging? Fun items shouldn’t be things that would just add to the burden of the trash heap.
I have no idea about prices.
I like the idea of reusable tins, too, but my D lives in a room that is about 6’x8’ and moves her belongings in 2 totes and 2 blue IKEA bags. She has no room for storing or transporting things she didn’t bring
I never bought pre-made gift bags or baskets. I’d send my kids things when I felt moved to do so (and it helped when postage was included).
I’d often choose whether to purchase based on a sale of merchandise and free postage (like Harry & David pears when they had 2 for 1 sale plus free/included postage.
Postage to/from HI is pretty high so I’m always pleased when I can get free postage from vendor to my loved ones. When I ship myself, I use uses flat rate boxes (they hold a surprising amount). I guess it would depend on what’s in the box as to how much I’d be willing to pay—a monthly subscription sounds like a lot. Maybe a box at the beginning, mid term & around finals. I would probably be ok with $20-30 per box if it was stuff I thought would be enjoyed.
One problem we encountered when D lived off campus was someone involved with USPS would steal her parcels so she never received them. This happened twice when she lived at that address and never any of the many other places she lived. The post office nearest her dwelling was uninterested when we reported the problem.
Also chocolates can melt and become one solid hunk, so be mindful of temps when they’re part of the package.
@Mjkacmom thank you! that website is very helpful! We don’t have anything like this around here so hard to know where to look for comparisons (that aren’t shipped)
@helpingmom40 I assume the $5-$10 you are referencing is just the delivery fee, correct? I am wondering what people are paying/would pay including the snacks and delivery.
@HImom Thank you - I would be hand delivering them so the shady USPS people wouldn’t be a problem and they wouldn’t be out in the weather but that is important to think about!
I’d guess it’s important to strike a balance between healthy and what the students want. Lots of snack food is loaded with carbs, salt, sugar and additives. I wouldn’t want to buy that and try to make the things I send healthier.
The $5 and $10 are just for delivery. Prices on candy or chocolate gift packs are $20-50, depending on the items. They have 12” chocolate chip cookies that they decorate for a birthday and they are $20. They do a brownie & ice cream bundle for $20. We sent a box of their truffles for Valentines Day and they were $16. Plus delivery on all of these prices. They make all of their own stuff so there aren’t granola bars, chips or anything like that.
Please keep in mind that if you plan to personally prepare any edibles, you need to follow your state Dept of Health’s rules and regs, which may include using a certified commercial kitchen, etc.
I don’t know how this would work where the OP is located, but my D goes to a LAC in a very small town… There is a bakery that delivers care packages (baked goods, fruits, etc) to the dorms. When I placed an order, they took my D’s number and contacted her to arrange a delivery time since the kid must meet them outside the dorm. ETA: The student is given the option to pickup at the bakery. It is located just off campus.
