Gift Wrap News

Below are past hints, tips and requests made to club members and other helpers regarding our annual gift wrap. If you are lead person in coordinating other wrappers, you are welcome to share this page with them so they also are aware of these issues. Thanks!Dave Maloney
301-228-2279

  1. WEB SITE: Our gift wrap sign-up site is http://www.suburbanfrederickkiwanis.org/giftwrap.htm

  2. #1 POSITION: The #1 position in each needs to be a Kiwanian or a club-approved substitute adult.

  3. SHOW UP: Just a quick reminder to those of you who signed up to please show up. We are really counting on you to show up. If you do not, we are in trouble as we may have the table unmanned. If you cannot make it when scheduled, please EMAIL me! I know we all forget things from time to time, but please try not forgetting your commitment to our gift wrap, OK? You can always go to the our web site to check on your commitments.

  4. OPENERS ARRIVE EARLY: If you are signed up to open, be sure to arrive at least half an hour early to go through the setup routine. We are contracted with the mall to begin wrapping at the times noted on the gift wrap schedule -- not begin setting up, but begin wrapping. So, please arrange to arrive early to allow time to set up.

  5. LOST AND FOUND: There is a Lost-and-Found box under one of the tables. If a customer leaves a gift behind, we are to put it into that box in the hopes that the customer will return and claim it. On Christmas eve, I will take the items to the Mall security office and let them handle it from then on.

  6. DON'T LET CHILDREN WRAP: When bringing young helpers, please let them assist you by handing you pieces of tape, picking up trash that falls onto the green carpet or constructing those little white boxes if we are low on them. It is important that they be exposed to volunteerism at an early age, but they really do not need to be doing the actual wrapping. I am aware of some well-intended little ones wrapping and doing what, to them, seemed to be a perfect job, but, which, in fact, to the customer must have seemed, ah, pretty sloppy <g>. It's tough to redo the wrapping on the spot without offending the little helper, so I think it best if we confine the actual wrapping to middle schoolers and above. We are offering a service, and we need that service to be top quality to ensure our valued customers come back year after year. Some have been coming every year since we began almost 20 years ago, but one poorly wrapped package can turn a customer off so that we loose their future patronage.

  7. STUDENT VOLUNTEER HOURS: High schoolers who wrap for credit toward their required volunteer hours might bring a paper for an adult to sign acknowledging their attendance. If they do, great. Go ahead and sign it in the name of the Kiwanis Club Suburban Frederick. If they do not bring it, they are welcome to email me or fax the form to me at 301-695-6491 and I will take care of it.

  8. DON'T WRAP LEATHER/SUEDE COATS: Mick Hickman reported today that the leather professionals at Bon Ton suggest against wrapping leather or suede coats in boxes too far before Christmas. The extended stay in the folded position causes wrinkles and creases to remain permanent! Instead, they suggest, wrap it on the day before Christmas. Then the wrinkles will come out. So, should a gift wrap customer come to you with a leather or suede coat - do not wrap it. Instead, offer the above advice and suggest they buy a coat box for a few (or several!) dollars and wrap the gift at home the day before Christmas.

  9. RAFFLE: We have a raffle going on at the gift wrap site. A plastic sign at each corner explains the raffle. Tickets are $5 each. Tickets are in the cash box. Put ticket stub (include only buyer's name and phone on the stub) and raffle money in the cash box. Suggestion: When through with a wrap and collecting the donation, tell customer, "We are conducting a raffle for a flat screen TV and a touch screen IPOD. Would you care to purchase a ticket? The cost is $5."

  10. TAX FREE DONATION: If customers would like to make a tax-free donation to our club they can do so by making their check out the KIWANIS CLUB OF SUBURBAN FREDERICK FUND. Our FUND is maintained at the Community Foundation of Frederick County.
  11. KIDS & MONEY: Better safe than sorry: adults should be handling the money and not the children who come to help. Keep an eye on the cash box - it can be quite tempting to youngsters. So, frequently dump money from the top tray into the bottom. There is no need to keep a lot of cash in the top tray visible to all.
  12. $2 PER PACKAGE IF OVER 10 PACKAGES. We experienced some Value City shoppers this evening and several reports have bombarded me during the day, too, of shoppers coming loaded with items for us to wrap (and I am talking 20 to 50 items) for which they take up our time and effort and give us $5 to $10 - about one quarter the cost of materials alone. We are now adding a minimum of $2 per package for those with over 10 items to solve the problem. Either we get the donation or they go elsewhere. If they give the donation we make only a few bucks but at least we do not loose money. If they go away, we do not loose money the way we would if they stayed. Remember, this applies to those who come to the table loaded with presents. Now we have a way to point to a sign and tell them it is our policy to ask a minimum per package of $2.