According to a recent survey, 63% of Americans feel that sending a greeting via Facebook or Twitter is inappropriate with 19% believing it is downright tacky! There is simply nothing like a traditional greeting card to surprise someone on their birthday or anniversary or other special occasion. I remember when ecards first came on the scene. It was nice to be remembered but when receiving greeting cards I take into account the effort behind the thoughtfulness and an ecard just doesn’t take all that much effort.

Greeting cards are often kept as treasured memories and I have yet to knowingly keep an ecard or Facebook “wall” wish. 37% of Americans think that sending a thank you note through a social network is inappropriate. Given that a thank you is meant to send appreciation, isn’t it worth the effort to hand write a short note on lovely Thank You Cards and put a stamp on them or hand deliver them?

The next time you want to reach out to someone, do it with style. Some may call greeting cards printed on paper, signed and delivered old-fashioned, but I call it personal. The effort you take is sure to be warmly received and returned in kind. Which do you prefer, paper or virtual?

{Source: Kelton Research}

This just in– another Valentine’s Day survey that differs somewhat from the results found in my last blog posting. These results were shared by the independent marketing research firm IBISWorld and suggest that having the holiday fall on a Sunday this year plays a major role in how love is expressed.

According to the survey, Valentine spending will be up 3.3% this year. The holiday will be celebrated from Friday through the entire weekend with many choosing to celebrate by dining out or leaving town for a romantic getaway. Men buy candy, flowers and jewelry during the work week but may not go to that effort for a Sunday celebration, preferring a dinner out instead.

Florists will suffer most. The Society of American Florists shows Sunday as the worst day for Valentine flowers. Here are the projected changes in spending from last year to this:

Dining Out +8.2%
Romantic Getaway +2.3%
Greeting Cards +1.8%
Clothing & Intimate Apparel +1.8%
Candy -1.3%
Jewelry -4.6%
Flowers -4.9%
(Source: IBISWorld- 2.1.10)

Which leads me to wonder… are flowers meant to impress the recipient or the office buddies as well?! How will your Sunday Valentine celebration differ?

According to a recent National Retail Federation survey, Valentine’s Day spending will be down 6% from last year. No big surprise there but some of the survey results are interesting.

For example, men spend nearly twice the amount on Valentine’s Day as women with an average of $135.35 compared to $72.28 spent by women. This year practical gifts win out over jewelry and a fancy dinner out. Gifts will include sweaters, clothing and winter accessories. The traditional candy, flowers and Valentine greeting cards will remain popular choices.

The trend this year is towards personal and unique gifts that come from the heart rather than the wallet. Couples will spend less on each other and more on family, friends and even pets.

You can save an additional 10% now through 12/14/10 on Valentine’s and all Greeting Cards at CardsDirect.com! How will you be sharing the love this year?

It’s budget time and although we should be working to control costs throughout the year, it seems cost cutting measures are focused on when we crunch our annual numbers. How is your company working to control costs? One simple change can certainly make a profound difference as the following story indicates.

An observant Walmart store manager in North Carolina sent an e-mail to upper management asking why all the lights in the vending machines in the break rooms needed to be on. Walmart unplugged the lights and is saving $1.4 million. This is just one example of a company employee coming up with a significant but simple cost saving suggestion.

Walmart encourages their employees to sniff out this sort of thing, believing there are three criteria all companies must develop to have a successful sustainability program: buy in at senior level management; set goals—one overly aspirational/one attainable; and get started.

Does your company encourage such actions? Please share your simple but cost savings solutions. I bet we could all use them!

Congratulations to the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints! Super Bowl XLIV is Sunday, February 7 in Miami, although the tv keeps saying it’s in South Florida. I know Miami is in South Florida but have to wonder why they don’t just say Miami?

Anyway, kick off is 6:28 PM est on CBS. Gathering a group to watch the game or maybe just the commercials? Ask them in style with these football themed party invitations. You can turn this design into the perfect invite for your super party quickly and easily online at CardsDirect.com.

Enjoy the snacks, friends, fun, and, of course, the game! May the best team win!