Hold the Bubbly

By Shirley Frazier
Sweet Survival^®/GiftBasketBusiness.com

Question: "My client wants me to include a bottle of champagne in the basket. Is that okay?"

Answer: You’re so happy to finally get the sale that you’ll do anything to please the customer -- even break the law.

Adding wines and alcohol to your gift baskets when you have not been issued a license by state officials to do so is a crime punishable by law.

Just when you think it’s okay to add a bottle of bubbly "just one time," you could be selling that gift basket to an undercover ATF (alcohol, tobacco and firearms) officer. The hassle isn’t worth the cost.

Suppose you receive an order that requests adding a bottle of red wine. You accept the order, drive to your local liquor store and purchase the product.

When the basket is complete, you drive to the recipient’s home to make the delivery.

You ring the bell, and the recipient’s 8-year-old daughter answers the door. "My mommy’s not home," she says. It’s 9:00 p.m., and you don’t feel like making a return trip, plus your client will be disappointed if the basket isn’t delivered this evening. It’s no big deal to leave the basket with the child, right? Wrong.

Children who accept packages can also open the gift and consume the contents. After the mother accompanies her inebriated child to the hospital, she’ll be ready to lash out at the responsible party. If she doesn’t call the police, the hospital certainly will.

The same night you profit from the sale will be a night you also incur a loss. You will be escorted to the police station where you could be held criminally liable for your ignorance.

So how do you walk the fine line between making your clients and the ATF happy? You have three choices:

1) Explain to your clients that you are not licensed to package wines and alcohol in your baskets.

Any client who does not understand this and either insists that you comply with his/her wishes or says that he/she will never again use your services is a person you don’t need as a client.

2) Offer the client a non-alcoholic substitute.

Manufacturers have created a myriad of products that rival wines and alcohol in packaging, appearance and taste.

Open-minded clients will understand that you cannot include alcoholic products and will either choose one of the alternatives you offer or drop the idea of adding the alcoholic item.

3) Tell the client that if he/she wants to include an alcoholic beverage, you will leave space in the basket for its inclusion.

In this case, you must be proficient enough in your basket-making style to keep an area to the left or right of the basket open and uncovered by cellophane or other closure material so that the bottle can be inserted. If you are not ready to do this, do not offer the client this alternative.

Click here for reprint information.