Treat yourself, or someone you love, to a exclusive gift you can enjoy for years!
Written: Jan 15 '03 (Updated Jan 19 '03)
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Self-described as “The Sweetest Site on the Web”, who can argue with them? Certainly not me! They sell chocolate cards, tins and towers, souvenirs and apparel, collectibles, gifts and more! Each is centered around the classic Hershey’s Chocolate Bar. The site is inviting and decorated for the seasons. Currently they’ve added Valentine specials and include a free offer of a fabulous Boyd’s Bear with every $40 order.
Ok, I admit it. I bought Valentine gifts for my nieces & nephews so I could have the bear—it’s adorable and since I collect Boyd’s Bear’s it just had to be mine. Hershey made it easy. I selected the gifts I needed, used the online address book, clicked on check out, and was immediately sent an e-mail confirming my order.
I've never had to contact customer service as every item has been perfect-arrived on time, was recieved in excellent condition, and billing was done correctly. I love when e-commerce is done well--and Hershey's has done it!
What did I send? Personalized 3-pound chocolate greeting “cards”. They offer several styles for the current holiday as well as the standards—birthday, anniversary, get well, etc. They will hand write your message on the bar (averages 36 letters) with colored chocolate. They come in an appropriately printed gift box. At $25.95 each, they’re pricey, but who doesn’t have friends they can share it with?
The site offers gifts starting at about $19.99 for a chocolate filled coffee cup and go quite higher for the towers and larger tins—there’s a 15 pound personal tin that’s cool ($69.95)! The average gift is around $35. They’ve also branched out to cookies with Hershey’s Chocolate Chips (of course) in great nostalgic tins as well.
Every shopping experience I’ve had with them has been great, but it was because I knew the rules. First, I registered, secondly I knew the limitations on delivery, and third, I know what Hershey’s chocolate tastes like because I’ve been eating them for years!
They’re pricey for sure if you just consider the chocolates and if you buy your Hershey’s Chocolates at Target on sale. The difference is the unique containers here—the tins are exclusive, most can be personalized, and the gift is the tin or glass jar. Refills can then be sent from the discount chain!
Here’s more detailed information should you wish, but the bottom line is send a unique gift of something everyone knows and trusts!
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WHY I REGISTER AND YOU SHOULD TOO! It will enhance your experience by retaining your billing information so you won’t have to enter it on every visit; give you access to a personalized online gift address book where you can store your friends and family’s information; and you’ll have access to your purchase history.
A nice feature I’ve not seen on another web site yet, but hopefully one that will catch on, is a “Delete My Membership” feature. Wouldn’t it be nice to clean up some of the many registrations floating around out there!
The address book allows you to manage multiple delivery addresses—great for me as I have 4 nieces and nephews in college this year—with in a year that number will jump to 8.
MELTING AWAY? SHIPPING NEWS
If you order from April to September, there are surcharges for “Warm Weather Delivery”. They don’t really explain what they do (I assume some kind of ice pack or special packing to keep it safe), but the do provide you with the rates. They are considerably higher, but you’ll know before you order by checking the very detailed shipping chart. January through March have the most reasonable shipping rates—nearly tripled for the warmer months.
They do deliver to all 50 states as well as Puerto Rico—there is a surcharge for Hawaii & Alaska & Puerto Rico. They offer some Canadian shipping as well.
CATALOG QUICK SHOP If you have a HERSHEY'S Gift Catalog and already know your item number, take advantage of our Catalog Quick Shop link. Don’t have a catalog? You can request one online.
ORDERING
You can order by , fax, mail or online! They also offer 24/7 customer service and telephone ordering at 1-800-454-7737 Tax is collected for some states—see the detailed information on their site.
VOLUME DISCOUNT
Ordering a huge amount? They do offer volume discounts. The minimum amount is $1000 and there are limitations.
WHAT THEY DO
Most items are Kosher, the few that aren’t are listed in the FAQ. They offer some customization in the way of personalization, but they do not allow modifications to the gifts themselves. They can personalize a bar of chocolate or the tin that holds them. Some of the containers are quite unique on their own and when filled with delicious chocolate treats they make a welcomed gift!
Looking for other sweet treat online? Here's another favorite:
Cookies By Design http://www.epinions.com/content_86595047044
Information was correct when posted on 1/15/03
Recommended:
Yes
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About the Author
Member: Mom
Location: USA
Reviews written: 253
Trusted by: 189 members
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