Prudent Publishing is announcing a new website and charitable program to assist those who wish to honor our veterans by sending cards of appreciation and caring. The website, www.Cards4Veterans.org, will be coordinating shipments of free greeting cards to schools, charities, churches, and other organizations that wish to send cards to veterans and veterans’ organizations.
Cards4Veterans.org is in the process of being designed and should be up and running soon. Please check back in a few days.
There is a book out by John McCain along with Mark Salter entitled “Hard Call: Great Decisions and the Extraordinary People Who Made Them,” which relates inspirational stories about people in different walks of life who made tough decisions in order to achieve success. One of the more interesting chapters is about businessman Marshall Field who developed innovative ideas and, through hard work as well, established his own department store, which to this day is still in business.
Working for a long-established and most successful greeting cards company, The Gallery Collection, I found quite a few similarities between Field’s business practices and the one’s used by our longtime owner, Arnold S. For instance, the book talks about how Field gave wide responsibilities to his customer service employees to make decisions normally made by supervisors or top executives. In our company, our employees also have the freedom to decide on account credits or whether a customer deserves a new order of greeting cards free of charge.
Field also felt that practicing conservative techniques – taking the time before deciding if an idea will be successful before discounting it – was sound for business. The Gallery Collection, having already established a successful line of all occasion cards decades before, spent quite a few years deciding whether to enter the business Christmas cards arena. Ultimately, the Christmas cards sales have exceeded all expectations and have become a major part of the company’s success story.
To promote employee loyalty, Field made it his credo to treat his employees with courtesy and respect at all times. Our owner and CEO, Mr. S, has done the same, which is one reason why so many employees are still with the company after 20 and 30 years of employment.
This particular chapter in McCain’s book illustrates only some of the attributes Marshall Field used to become the successful owner of the “largest department store in the world,” and which other businesspeople can subscribe to in order to become successful as well.
Some years ago, there was this guy on the radio on one of those all-talk programs who gave out advice to listeners on personal finance, as well as on how to handle oneself under certain situations one may encounter during a particular day. One thing that he always told his listeners was: “You can’t go wrong doing the right thing”.
Following that adage on a daily basis will not only keep you out of trouble but will also give a deep feeling of joy for being an overall good person. One way of being nice to someone is to acknowledge when an individual has done a good turn for you. And a great way to show appreciation is to reciprocate by sending a thank you card to that great someone, or corporate thank you cards if business related.
When is it a good time to send out a thank you card? Well, I would think the answer is anytime. Certainly, to acknowledge the receipt of a gift of any kind, whether for a birthday, anniversary, graduation or any other kind of special event, is a must. However, to send out a thank you card to show sincere gratitude when someone has done “the right thing” can make the sentiment expressed even more special. A good deed, a favor, anything that is done unexpectedly – it can be a terrific opportunity to say “thank you” with a thank you card.
One such occasion that happened to me was when my family was moving into our new home. After a long day of not only lifting boxes to and from the old house but also supervising the movers to make sure they didn’t break anything, we were pretty tired. While taking a break, finally, as afternoon turned into evening, our doorbell rang. We were new to the neighborhood, so who the heck could it be? It turned out to be our friend Kathy, her arms filled with bags of food that she had picked up at the local fast food establishment. She handed the bags to us, turned back to her car and shouted out, “Enjoy!” And she was gone. Naturally, we were flabbergasted and overwhelmed.
Our friend certainly did “the right thing” by showing her generosity. And the thank you card she deserved was sent out as soon as we found the greeting cards buried amongst all the boxes piled up in the new house. Not to mention how good the chicken tasted!
Today I received a few anniversary cards. Getting greeting cards always cheers me up. Oh, the greeting cards weren’t for my wedding anniversary though; they were corporate anniversary cards recognizing my first day of work for the best greeting cards company ever! I know I sound like a cheerleader, but I think it’s important to cheer for the good things in life. One of the best things is greeting cards!
I think I mentioned I love sending greeting cards, but that means I also love receiving them. When we get anniversary cards at work, they are signed by the company chairman/owner, president and department manager. I think giving corporate anniversary cards is one of the greatest morale boosters. The gesture tells people that they are recognized for their importance as valued members of the company. The anniversary cards are followed by a personal visit and congratulations on the anniversary. How fabulous to work for a company where you can feel appreciated.
I was surprised when I first started working here. During the first week, everyone greeted me by name and encouraged me to join in with different activities. I thought it must be a front – everyone can’t possibly be this friendly or this nice. All these years later, I still am amazed to feel that every day when I come to work. Consequently, I am happy to go to work every day. How many companies can say that their employees are eager to come to work? Not enough! Maybe we can give lessons. Giving employees greeting cards is a start!
Anyway, Happy Anniversary to me and I hope to celebrate many more.
I had never considered myself a creative, crafty person. But years ago, I was planning a party for my daughter’s 2nd birthday. I wanted to have party decorations and favors. With entertainment funds low, I went through my collection of “rainy day stuck in the house when we’re really bored this stuff will have a use” box. In there I found material scraps not big enough to make anything with…feather boas, lace, ribbons, and about 12 small stuffed teddy bears that I bought for ten cents each at a clearance sale, plus many jars of various shapes and sizes. That box also contained numerous personalized greeting cards that I had saved because the pictures were so pretty.
The box held birthday cards, thank you cards, holiday cards, and a few note cards that a charity had sent me in the mail. (Yes, I did send a donation!) I set everything out on the kitchen table and thought, “There has to be a party here somewhere!” I left out all of the pieces for a while, wondering what I would do. I’d look and walk away, look and walk away…hoping to have an epiphany. This went on for a couple of hours and finally the light bulb went off!
Girls love teddy bears, boas, ribbons and lace. I took a bear and gingerly pulled off its head, arms, and legs (It was more painful for me than him, I assure you). I took out my hot glue gun and attached the head to the lid of a jar. Then I placed the arms on the sides of the jar. And lastly, I glued the legs to the sides near the bottom of the jar. I shaped pieces of material into a party hat trimmed with ribbon and lace and wrapped a boa around the bear’s neck. My creation was really starting to look great!
Next, I took some of the birthday cards and thank you cards and cut out the words “thank you” and “happy birthday.” I glued the text to toothpicks and placed the signs in the bear’s hands.
I filled the jars with wrapped candies, and each girl who came to the party left with a teddy bear jar. These made the most memorable party favors. After the party, I got so many compliments on the favors that I started making clown jars and giving them as gifts.
I no longer need a “rainy day box” but I do still save my greeting cards in another crafty creation. Using a cardboard shoe box, I cut and pasted the fronts of birthday cards and thank you cards onto the box. The greeting cards turned a plain old box into a beautiful storage container. I even store my photos in these homemade greeting cards boxes, too.
Anyone need a jar?
I recently ran a search on the internet for greeting cards and came across an interesting result. I found a company that makes windpower cards. All of a sudden it hit me: if a greeting card company could produce greeting cards using windpower technology, why can’t I do more for the environment?
After having this thought, I made it my mission to do something that would help the environment. I originally thought I was going to make a big splash by getting a hybrid or an electric car. Unfortunately, this didn’t make much sense since I just purchased a fuel efficient car less than two years ago. Still looking to do something big, I tinkered with the idea of possibly using solar energy in my home. But I had to dismiss this idea quickly as I am hoping to move within the next year, and not to mention that solar panels can cost up to $15,000!
I started to come to the realization that I probably wasn’t going to make this big splash after all. So I decided to make some smaller lifestyle decisions that I feel will help make a difference. For starters, I installed compact fluorescent light bulbs all throughout my house and am now saving energy because of it. And I am now very conscious about recycling. In fact, I am at the point where I bother my house guests if they throw a can in the trash instead of recycling bin. Finally, I thought it would be fitting if I were to place an order for birthday cards from the very same windpower greeting cards that got me started on this kick.
While I didn’t make any of the big moves I originally intended on, I am still proud of my decisions and hope others follow suit.
This is a tale of one woman’s date with destiny and how simple greeting cards, a get well card, actually changed her whole outlook on life.
It all began on a late summer day three years ago. I received the dreaded call that my 84-year-old mother had fallen and broken her hip. We had no choice but to sell her home and move her into an assisted living facility since she could no longer manage on her own. My kids thought I was the devil incarnate for sending Grandma to “that awful place.” And truth be told, Grandma wasn’t a happy camper during those first few weeks. But then everything changed!
My cousin Carly, bless her soul, decided to pay Grandma a visit. She was bombarded with a litany of complaints ranging from the bland food to the poor housekeeping. Carly tried to comfort Grandma by telling her that things would get better, that everything in life has a purpose and she would soon realize that she was sent to the assisted living facility for a good reason. Grandma didn’t believe any of it and thought that Carly was just trying to cheer her up. But one day she saw the truth in her niece’s words.
As it happened, Joan, one of Grandma’s fellow residents, came down with a nasty cold. She had to take her meals in her room until she felt better. Grandma missed her terribly since they shared the same dining table. So Grandma decided to slip a GalleryCollection.com get well card under Joan’s door. Well, by the time Grandma got back to her room, her phone was ringing. It was Joan thanking Grandma for the beautiful and thoughtful get well card. Grandma later told me, “You would have thought I gave her a million dollars!”
And the rest, as they say, is history. From that day forward, Grandma felt that her reason for being there was to spread some cheer and to make her neighbors feel the joy of knowing that someone was thinking about them and wishing them well. She found that the best way to do this was to send beautiful greeting cards. Not only does she send a get well card to those who fall ill, but she gives out birthday cards and other types of greeting cards too. I guess Grandma will always complain about the bland food (“I’d like to introduce the cook to a spice rack!” she’s been known to say). But three years later, Grandma is a much happier camper and still sending those greeting cards to every one of her neighbors who can use a little bit of sunshine in their day!
Personal notecards can mean so much more than greeting cards with preprinted sentiments. Notecards enable those sending the greeting cards to truly get personal when expressing messages to recipients.
I had been ill for several months and received many greeting cards from well wishers. I was and am grateful for each and every one of the greeting cards. I wouldn’t want anyone to think that because they were not notecards I didn’t value them. But there’s just something about getting notecards with personally composed sentiments. Some people just have a knack for being able to express their feelings in notecards. They can use their sense of humor or reminisce about a shared memory. My cousin is a person like this.
My cousin and I spent many vacations with our family. During my illness, she would keep me cheered up by sending me notecards and other fun greeting cards, and enclosing pictures of us on the vacations and other family events. The notecards never failed to make me laugh myself out of the blues.
The crowning glory of her notecard sending was when I was declared fit to resume my life. She sent me a notecard with a picture of a naked baby on a bearskin rug. Inside the greeting card she wrote, “I can barely contain my happiness over your full recovery!” Her P.S. was the kicker: “P.S. I have sent this photo & note to everyone in the family.”
Maybe I should reconsider my support of personal notecards!
I love that little green triangle of arrows I see when I’m shopping for greeting cards. Sometimes it’s printed on the back of greeting cards, sometimes tucked discreetly inside. The symbol makes the birthday cards, thank you cards or holiday cards I just fell in love with even more of a prized purchase.
The rate at which the U.S. and many other nations produce manufacturing waste has fueled such stress on our environment; knowing that I can reduce (or even eliminate) some of this by actively seeking recycled paper cards makes my final choices a snap. Waste is waste, whether it’s directly from the factory floor or paper fiber that has lived several lives before its usefulness has ended. I want to be sure that throwaways in any condition get second (and third, and fourth) chances to do the same jobs that sparkling new natural resources do, so that our natural resources stay abundant and sparkling. Recycling, and its continued support by an ever-growing world population, gives me hope.
Doing my part at home means that each newspaper, magazine, and piece of mail that has served its purpose goes straight to my paper-saving bin for once-a-week recycling pickup. As a regular purchaser of manufactured products, it means looking high and low, online and in stores, for the companies that have made the extra effort to offer high quality papers or greeting cards using either pre- or post-consumer discards.
Whenever I choose greeting cards for various occasions, I try to illustrate my commitment to “beautiful and recycled.” Not only can good resource management and beauty go hand-in-hand, but truly that they should. The little green triangle of arrows printed on the back of my greeting cards speaks volumes.
I was on my way to CVS the other day to pick up a few things when I got a phone call about, believe it or not, a thank you card or more specifically company thank you cards. Now normally when I’m driving I don’t even answer my cell phone, good driver and law-abiding citizen that I am. But the caller ID told me that it was my lovely daughter on the other end. I knew that if I didn’t answer she would keep on calling until I did. If anything, she’s persistent. So I reluctantly answered my phone.
She wanted to know if I could do her “a little favor.” After quietly muffling a groan, I told her that I only had about 20 minutes to spare since I had to meet my sister for lunch. “No problem” she says. “This will only take a few minutes.” How many times have I heard that one before? Nothing ever takes a few minutes. When you live in Northern Jersey it could take you 45 minutes to go 2 miles on Route 80 when one of those tractor trailers overturns like they do a gazillion times a month. Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, the daughter…like the time she asked me for a ride to pick up her car at the body shop. “It will only take a few minutes.” One hour and 17 minutes later we pulled into the body shop. But I digress.
Back to the phone call: “OK” I said, trying not to sound too annoyed. “What do you want?” She says. “Remember my client, the guy with the bad toupee and the breath to match?” “How could I forget him?” I say. “Well,” she says, “He just sent an awesome gift basket to my boss to thank us for all the help we’ve been to him. I want to send him a really nice thank you card and it would be great to have a supply of greeting cards on hand for all our clients. So I was thinking, could you pick me up a few thank you cards at CVS or better yet, could you order a box of company thank you cards from your company for my boss? Your greeting cards are really terrific and I know that my boss will be impressed when he sees them.” (Boy, can she lay it on heavy when she wants something!) “Sure!” I said “That’s a great idea, very thoughtful, not to mention the brownie points for you. Is that all?” I asked, finding it hard to believe I got off that easy. “Well,” she says, “Now that you mention it, could you pick up my dry cleaning? It will only take you a few minutes.” Arghh!!!
