Discovering Harry and David -- Online and At the Mall
Written: Nov 10 '04 (Updated Sep 14 '05)
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There are two listings on Epinions for Harry and David. One is for the online store. Since my review is about both the online store and the Harry and David brick-and-mortar store, I am writing them under this review heading.
The Online Store
In case you would like to visit the Harry and David online store, their URL is www.harryanddavid.com. The website is easy to navigate with a menu along the left side of the page that offers the following links to explore: gift baskets, gift towers, gift boxes & tins, fresh fruit & vegetables, fruit-of-the-month club, chocolates & bakery, gourmet foods, healthful gifts, floral gifts, home decor, sale. You can also shop by choosing one of these links: by holiday, by occasion, or by price.
I also found the search box very helpful when looking for organic products to purchase. That's where I discovered the Tamari nut mix as well as some organic fruit.
Each online item page shows a beautiful color photo of the item as well as the item number, price and a brief description of the product. I wish the descriptions were more detailed. On many of the gift baskets, I wondered how many pieces of fruit were included.
If you wish to purchase an item, click the box marked "My Address Book". You can select "Me" to have the item shipped to your home address, or you can type in a "key word" to identify a gift recipient and will later be prompted for their shipping address.
Once the identity of the person the gift is for is chosen, click "Add to Cart". Click on "View Cart" to adjust the quantity of the product if you wish more than one, or you can do this at "Check Out" time.
In case you are wondering, the Harry and David online store ships to separate addresses at no extra cost; just pay one shipping and handling fee based on the dollar amount of the order. The order process prompts the buyer through each step of placing the order. You can also set the date for delivery for each item to each address. If you wish to include a gift card, they cost an additional $3.95 for each card.
Shipping and handling costs are as follows:
Up to $20.00 -- $5.95
$20.01 - $30.00 -- $7.95
$30.01 - $40.00 -- $9.95
$40.01 - $50.00 -- $11.95
$50.01 - $60.00 -- $14.95
$60.01 - $75.00 -- $17.95
$75.01 -- $100.00 -- $21.95
$100.01 -- $125.00 -- $25.95
$125.01 -- $150.00 -- $29.95
$150.01 and over -- $29.95
The online store accepts these credit cards: Visa, American Express, MasterCard, Discover, Diners Club, JCB as well as their Harry and David card.
I phoned Harry and David’s toll free number (800-547-3033) to ask about their fruit, wondering whether the fruit was organically grown. The customer service person was extremely helpful. Not all of Harry and David’s fruit is organically grown. They do organically grow some pears and apples, but those are only available during certain times of the year and cannot be delivered at a specific date like the rest of their fruit.
One of the contributing factors to my wanting to purchase gifts from Harry and David is that I have received two Harry and David gift towers from friends. The food was fantastic! The pears and apples were perfect, the chocolate and baklava divine, and the smoked salmon tasty. The gift towers arrived at my home in perfect condition, too. It was a delight to unwrap and explore the bounty in their beautifully designed and decorated boxes.
My Reason for Visiting Harry and David in the Mall
I did not set out to shop at the Mall, but that is where the Harry and David store is located. Originally I had planned to place an internet order via the Harry and David online store, but I ran into a problem. The gift recipient is on a special diet and can only eat organic items. One of the nut mixes listed online said it was organic and mixed with Tamari, but what did it taste like? A phone call to a Harry and David brick-and-mortar store solved my problem. The friendly sales person invited me to visit and offered to open a bag of the nut mix for me to taste. I was sold!
The Store
I visited the Harry and David store in Natick, Massachusetts. It is located in the Natick Mall on Route 9. If you live in that area, park by the Filene’s or Macy’s side of the mall and take the escalator to the second floor.
I had no idea what to expect when visiting the Harry and David store. The internet offerings for Harry and David led me to believe that I would find gift baskets or “towers” of boxed items wrapped together with a decorative ribbon. This brick-and-mortar store provides that and so much more.
This particular Harry and David store is huge. It is organized in a way that not only provides plenty of room for walking and browsing, but also offers shelved-walls, tables and counters of delicious Harry and David items to browse. The cash registers are located in a large center island with plenty of counter space, and the store is also well lit so that everything is easy to see.
The Staff
Friendly and helpful! I immediately recognized the woman I had spoken with the day before since she had taken the time to give me her name and had described herself. She greeted me with a smile and outstretched hand. “You’re here to taste the Tamari mixed nuts!” she exclaimed. “Let me open a bag for you.”
They were delicious. The sales person then pointed out that if I purchased three bags of nuts, I would receive the fourth bag for free. It didn’t take me long to figure who else would enjoy these nuts as presents.
The sales person encouraged me to leave the bags of nuts on the counter since I wanted to look around the store. A fellow shopper stopped by the counter to checkout and asked if the sales person could tie a bow around the tin of goodies she had purchased. In no time a beautiful ribbon was being tied around the container.
While I strolled the store, another sales person roamed the floor offering samples of Harry and David products to customers for taste testing. A delicious experience.
Browsing the Store
I still cannot believe the amount of merchandise stocked in this store. It did not take me long to decide that I would assemble two customized gift baskets instead of ordering from the Harry and David online store. The brick-and-mortar store offered an amazing array of merchandise ... items that I did not find online. Here is a list of items that grabbed my attention:
Breakfast
pancake and muffin mixes, preserves, fruit spreads
Lunch and Dinner
soup mixes, smoked salmon, smoked & fresh turkey, spiral sliced ham, ham & turkey sampler, pepper & onion relish
Dessert
a variety of cakes, pies, cheesecakes, fruitcakes, baklava, petits fours, cookie assortments
Snacks
popcorn, nuts, Moose munch, dried fruit, shortbread, pretzels, assorted snack mixes
Candy
fruit chocolates, truffles, Moose munch candy bars, jelly beans, saltwater taffy
Fresh Fruit
pears in 2 1/2 and 5 pound packaging
Gift Baskets & Tins
An assortment of every day as well as holiday gift baskets, “towers”, or tins filled with treats.
Making A Selection
This Harry and David store sells nice baskets and even some unusual tin buckets. So it is easy to customize a basket right in the store.
With the deal of “buy four bags of nuts and get the fourth one free” ... and the same deal for their bagged snack mixes, I chose some food items to prepare gift baskets.
My selections included an assortment of the following:
Rice and Cracker Trail Mix (12 ounce bag) – $4.95 a bag
Honey Roasted Sesame Sticks (12 ounce bag) – $4.95 a bag
Salsa Corn Sticks (12 ounce bag) – $4.95 a bag
Hoot-N-Holler Mix (12 ounce bag) – $4.95 a bag
Tamari Nut Assortment (12 ounce bag) – $9.95 a bag
Gourmet Popcorn (15 ounce plastic bottle) – $2.95 a bottle
The bags are clear plastic so that the colorful contents are visible, and each bag has a nice cardboard header that proclaims this as a Harry and David product. Nutritional information is printed in large print on the back of each package.
I was intrigued by the bottles of popcorn. Harry and David’s popcorn has no hulls, so no sharp hulls become caught between teeth. Once popped, it’s soft popcorn to eat, and the label says “no butter required”. The popcorn also contains no dyes, artificial ingredients or genetically modified organisms. I purchased two types of the popcorn, “Crimson Crunch” and “Old Glory”. The sales person told me the two varieties of popcorn taste the same yet the unpopped kernels are quite different. The Crimson Crunch kernels are red. The Old Glory kernels are a mix of patriotic color.
Making Your Own Basket
The store personnel are very helpful in making suggestions for customizing gift baskets. You pay for the items selected, plus the basket (or container). There is a $5.00 charge for shrink wrapping the basket. A bow and Harry and David gift card is included in the $5.00 cost. Baskets are made to take out of the store – the store does not ship customized baskets.
Checking Out
My purchase was easy. This Harry and David store accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover credit cards as well as cash and checks. Care was taken with each item. The paper shopping bags are sturdy, too, with wide bottoms and fiber handles. The sales person was even worried the bag might be too heavy and double-bagged the items for me.
Frequent Shopper Card
The sales person asked if I would like a Frequent Shopper card. This is a free card that is hole-punched as purchases are made. When the card is punched for $150 of purchases, the card-holder will receive a free 8-ounce boxes of truffles. When purchases total $300, the card-holder will receive 20 percent off the next purchase. This card is only valid at Harry and David brick-and-mortar stores (not the online store) – and the card has no expiration date.
Gift Cards
If you know someone would love a Harry and David gift but don’t know what to choose, buy a Gift Card in any denomination. The Gift Card is good at any Harry and David brick-and-mortar store (even Harry and David outlet stores) as well as their catalog.
Summary
I will definitely be visiting this Harry and David brick-and-mortar store in the future. I love that store! If I have a choice, I would prefer visiting this Harry and David store rather than ordering from Harry and David via the internet. It was that positive an experience. The store offered more merchandise variety than the internet, too. If you haven’t gone to your local Harry and David store, try a visit. Sample some Harry and David food while there, and discover a new treat to enjoy!
However, if you are shipping Harry and David food items to people who are not local, you may want to consider using the Harry and David website. I was very impressed with the Harry and David gifts I received!
I hope you have found this review useful.
Enjoy your day,
Dawn
http://dlstewart.com
Additional Information
Harry and David has been in business since 1934.
Update September 14, 2005 -- Sad News ... the Harry & David store listed below vacated the Natick Mall. It is no longer there.
Harry and David
Natick Mall
1245 Worcester Road
Natick, MA 01760
Store Hours:
Monday to Saturday 10:00 am - 10:00 pm
Sunday 11:00 am - 6:00 pm
Please read my other reviews:
The Republic of Tea Online Store
Buy.com Online Store
Hogwild Online Store
Sewing and Quilting Expo
Keepsake Quilting Online Store
Joann.com Online Store
Betty Crocker Online Catalog
Cooking.com Online Store
The Cook’s Garden Online Store
Johnny’s Selected Seeds Online Store
Park’s Seed Online Store
Dutch Gardens Online Store
Copyright 2004 Dawn L. Stewart
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? gift items
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