August 14, 2020

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Pemberton Farms vs Gift Basket

Item: Pemberton Farms vs Gift Basket
Rating: 5
Author: Top Consumer Reviews

To help you find the Best Gift Baskets, TopConsumerReviews.com provides you with an in-depth comparison of Pemberton Farms and Gift Basket.

To see ALL of our reviews for the Best Gift Baskets, please Click Here

Where can you find the best Gift Baskets? Gift-giving can be a challenge - what do you give your neighbor who just had a baby? What arrangement sends the right message to a colleague, striking the perfect balance of "wow" and "professional"? And, everyone knows that gift cards are just plain boring, right?

Gift baskets hit all the right notes no matter the occasion: expertly packaged, beautifully arranged, and full of an assortment of the perfect snacks, toys, or other items designed to match the moment. The sky is truly the limit, with budget-friendly gift baskets that might have a small toy and a candy bar for a child's birthday, all the way up to the most decadent, luxurious array of fine wine and gourmet cheese to commemorate a long-anticipated promotion.

Continue reading below reviews

2020

Gift Basket Reviews

PEMBERTON FARMS
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Cost:

From $30 to $295

Pemberton Farms Marketplace started in 1930 as a fruit and vegetable shop in Massachusetts. Still run as a family-owned business, the company is a combination of specialty grocery store, garden center, and premium gift supplier.

Hit or miss

Shopping the Pemberton Farms website was hit-or-miss. We found a promotional discount order for a holiday that was months away (in either direction on the calendar), and there were a few broken links at the bottom of the site (Our History under the About Us section).

Hunting for gift baskets

There also was no dedicated page specifically for Gift Baskets. You'll have to look for your options under each of these product categories:

Fruit & Gourmet Baskets
Gourmet Food Gifts
Chocolate & Candy
Cakes & Desserts
Bath, Home & Pet
Holidays
Business Gifts
Gifts on Sale
Ruma Fruit Gifts

You can also shop by occasion, but you'll still have to search for Gift Basket options in each of those categories.

New England gift baskets

Our favorite gift baskets sold by Pemberton Farms are the New England Baskets. You'll find these under the Fruit & Gourmet Baskets section of the store. Here are some of the delicious varieties you can send to a lucky recipient:

The Farmhouse Breakfast: for $79.95, this basket includes Pemberton's buttermilk and buckwheat pancake mixes, 2 jars of homemade jam, Vermont maple syrup, 1 lb. each of smoked bacon and sausage, La Colombe coffee, Boston Harbor teas, and a 1-lb. loaf cake.
The New England Variety Pack: "a deliciously compact taste of New England", this gift comes with 1.5 lbs. of creamed honey, a jar of raspberry/peach preserves, a jar of hot sweet mustard, one pint of Vermont maple syrup, 1 lb. of Vermont cheddar cheese, and 3 lbs. of Black Forest Ham. Although it's delivered in a box and not a basket, this selection is still a tasty choice for $99.95.
The New England Executive Pack: delivered in a wood-woven picnic basket, this arrangement includes a 14-16lb. smoked ham, 2 lbs. of smoked bacon, 2 lbs. of Vermont sharp cheddar cheese and a quart of maple syrup. This is priced at $269.95.

Traditional gifts

You'll also find plenty of traditional options as you browse the site. From wine to fruit, chocolate to baby gifts, Pemberton has it - though their selection isn't the most robust we've seen when comparing gift basket companies.

Upfront shipping fees

Shipping costs at Pemberton are determined by weight. You'll pay $14.95 for gifts under 11 lbs., $29.95 for orders weighing up to 20 lbs., and so on. While that's more expensive than many of the gift basket companies we reviewed, we appreciate that this retailer is upfront with those fees instead of letting it be a surprise during the checkout process.

Perfect Delivery guarantee

Pemberton Farms offers a "Perfect Delivery Guarantee": if you're unhappy with your gift basket for any reason, you're eligible for a full refund or an appropriate replacement. As with most companies, this assumes that you gave the correct delivery address; they're not responsible for gifts that arrive in poor condition due to being sent to the wrong place if you put in an incorrect address.

Worth consideration

We like shopping with family-owned businesses, and Pemberton Farms gives every indicator that they provide a good customer service experience when ordering through their online store. While their site and selection aren't as impressive as some of the highest-ranked gift basket companies we evaluated, Pemberton Farms is still worth considering for your gift basket purchase - especially if you'd like to send a gift that is traditionally New England.

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GIFT BASKET
Visit Site

Cost:

From $30 to $600+

Gift Basket offers premade and build-your-own gift baskets in a number of varieties. You can choose options for many occasions like birthdays and baby showers, as well as a range of assortments that include food, spa products and more. Also, on your first visit to the site, you'll probably get a pop-up with a 10% discount if you provide your email address.

Frustrating shopping experience

Using this site was frustrating. Every time we tried to sort through our options by price, it took us to the "build it yourself" page. Once we picked an individual gift basket we liked, we didn't have a problem adding it to the cart, though. And, unlike some gift basket stores we evaluated, this store makes it very clear what exactly is included with your purchase. You can also select add-ons like balloons, wine, and more.

Aggravation

Unfortunately, the ordering process was also aggravating. We couldn't even see how much we'd pay for shipping unless we actually placed our order. And, when we tried to edit the shipping - thinking that maybe UPS Ground was the default and included for free - we got no other choices, and still no price listed for delivery.

Disappointing return policy

Gift Basket has a disappointing return policy. Their 100% satisfaction guarantee only applies when a gift basket is returned in an unopened condition - and you'll still have to pay a $25 restocking fee. So, even if you're completely unhappy with the quality of the gift basket you ordered, one of the items is damaged, or a food product is spoiled, too bad: no refund for you.

Buyer beware

And, when a company has an "F" rating from the Better Business Bureau, you know it's buyer beware. No response from customer service when expensive deliveries never arrive, gift baskets that don't look anything like what was advertised, and nasty customer representatives are just some of the complaints leading to this poor reputation. And yet, Gift Basket proudly displays the BBB "Accredited Business" logo at the bottom of their site.

Better luck elsewhere

We can't think of one good reason to order a gift basket from this company. This is the lowest-ranked gift basket store in our review.

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Continued from above

But, as you'll quickly notice as you begin to shop for a gift basket, some companies consistently deliver high-quality selections while others provide just the bare minimum and don't put much thought or effort into the presentation or the included items.

To make sure that your gift basket is a delivery that impresses, here are several criteria to keep in mind as you consider the gift basket companies on the market today:

Variety. How many options does the service offer? Within a single category (e.g. baby shower, wedding, get well soon), do you have a number of choices?
Quality. Are the products gourmet, high-end, and/or well-constructed, or are you getting cheap things you could buy at a supermarket or dollar store?
Price. What will you spend on the gift basket of your choice? Do you get a good value for what you spend, especially compared with other stores? Does the company offer any customer-friendly perks like free shipping?
Customer Service. How easy does the gift basket company make it to find what you want? Do they offer a satisfaction guarantee if the basket is late or just doesn't meet expectations? What do previous customers have to say about their experience with the company?

TopConsumerReviews.com has reviewed and ranked the best gift baskets available today. We hope this information helps you find the perfect basket for your next gift-giving occasion!

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