Have Another Cookie My Dear

Often times, a holiday gift basket is foraged through for one element, the cookies. And for those cookie aficionados, there may as well not be any other part to the entire basket. Celebrate today, National Cookie Day, by selecting a holiday gift that cuts through the fluff and delivers the most important part, the cookies. From individually wrapped, chocolate covered cookies to a gift box of assorted cookies and brownies, all the way up to a cookie tower, these distilled, cookie centric holiday gift ideas will satisfy the most intense cookie lover. Corporate gift givers can even find higher end, gourmet cookie gift ideas such as chocolate dipped biscotti or a grand cookie cake gift. Without the need to fish through the rest of the gift basket or worse, the lack of a cookie element, these corporate gifts will impress and satisfy.

Declare Independance

The true independent retailer, the mom and pop shop, the locally owned store have all become dinosaurs. Slowly but surely, major corporations are taking over Main Street, buying out struggling establishments and replacing them with satellites. While not necessarily all bad, it is is important to support the remaining locally owned businesses. This week is Independent Retailers Week, an annual call to consumers to look to their local shops first, funneling much needed revenue to small businesses. Traditionally, the decision to shop in big box stores was based upon price and value, a result of purchasing power. With the cost of logistics and operation costs catching up to the larger companies, the divide between the big and small retailers is becoming less of an issue, pushing the differentiation to service. This is where smaller retailers hold an edge. Local businesses are more likely to know the needs and even the names of their customers, tipping the scales into their favor.

During Independent Retailers Week, community leaders can help foster a spirit of "shop local" for the long term by setting up networking meetings that connect small retailers with local marketing offices. A sharing of ideas can result in collaborative relationships that can benefit all. Tips on how to best use promotional products and advertise can be exchanged for knowledge of how to reach small business owners and what the independent retailer market needs. These networking groups can last beyond the week long event, resulting in improved performance throughout the year.

Trade Show Ideas

Trade shows are busy events. Attendees are on the run, moving from the office to the airport, hotel, then ultimately the trade show floor. Eating while attending these events usually consists of quick fast food bites throughout the day of hustling and bustling. This regimen can spell some pretty bad breath, a circumstance that is not preferred during a major networking initiative. The volume and activity of a trade show can require that two conversing parties be in close proximity, elevating the potential negative impact of bad breath.

Visiting a booth that offers mints to trade show attendees is a relief for those who have quickly downed a hot dog as their sole nourishment. Covering their breath with a strong mint flavor is almost the only way to continue through the day with confidence. When a trade show attendee happens by a booth that displays a promotional mint offering, they will quickly take advantage of the situation, taking note of the understanding vendor. From individually wrapped mints to full tins of "curiously" strong mints, the custom print will shine as the mints do their work on the offending odor.