A Surprise for My Mom

My mother was in for a big surprise.  My father, David Bottles and I had been planning a surprise party for her 50th birthday.  It was held at Café Marie in Perrysburg, OH.  With the help of Mary Corbett and Bev Wagner, we decorated the restaurant with balloons, rearranged some tables to accommodate everyone and placed a Carson personalized wrapped bar at each seat.  Then friends and family started piling in.  At one point an older couple who I did not know walked in the door asking if they could get a table.  I had to break the news to them and tell them that the room was closed for a private party and they sent their best wishes on to my Mom. 

My Mom had no idea that there was a party being held on her behalf.  She thought she was stopping by the restaurant to congratulate a newly ordained Deacon from our parish.  Once she walked through the door, she thought the party was for the couple my parents had driven with.  This couple, Victor and Theresa Defilippis, had helped in the whole scheme of things.  My Mom was shocked by the party and we definitely received the reaction we were looking for.  Once she finally made her way around to everyone I showed her the invitation and the Caution bars we had made for her.  Both of these were another surprise for her, and she sure loved them.  The favors and party were a great success.

“My surprise 50th birthday party was very surprising.   I had no idea Pamela and David were throwing me a party.  In fact, it took several minutes after being surprised that I "got" it.  The standard size BRIGHT YELLOW Hershey’s bars announcing I was a half-century old were a hit with everyone.  I sure couldn't try to hide the fact that I turned 50 with those bars!!  I even sent some to my family out of town who also enjoyed them immensely!!”

New Trends for the New Year

You have probably noticed that times are changing. In virtually every venue, from technology to family dynamics, alterations are seen—sometimes subtle and sometimes profound—but life is always on the move.
These changes show up in countless ways, but for Carson the focus is on how people arrange and recognize life’s important moments. Like other successful businesses, Carson understands it must keep up with the demands of the ever changing times and the ways special occasions are celebrated. With these changes in mind, the designers at Carson have recently undergone a major project to update wrapper designs in three special occasion categories: BabyShower, First Communion and Graduation.    
Sharon Frederick, President of Marketing & Sales at Carson states, “It’s a curious group of three, but here is how they got together. The Baby Shower category accounts for a large portion of our Special Occasion sales. The product development team created new designs for this category about 3 years ago. So, it was time for an update. As for First Communion and Graduation, these are two of our largest categories each spring. Working on new designs now ensures that they will be available online before the rush.”

BABY SHOWER
Let’s start from the beginning of life, before one makes the initial appearance. Most people are first welcomed by friends and family at a baby shower. With today’s technology, many parents choose to discover the gender ofthe baby ahead of time. Carson offers baby shower wrappers in pink or blue for such parents, and in other colors for those who have opted to keep it a surprise. 
Carson gives new parents the opportunity to share ultrasound images with baby shower  wrappers designed specifically for this purpose. Graphic designer Sylvia Thornburg created such a  wrapper for her friend Laurie’s baby shower. Laurie later said, “The candy bars were a huge, huge success! Everybody loved them. They were great. I'm going to put one in the baby’s scrapbook.”
The modern couple frequently falls along non-traditional lines. Fathers are included at baby showers more than ever before. At Carson, you can find an assortment of shower wrappers that include both parents. In trendy colors and patterns, the latest designs show that Carson understands who the modern mother is.

FIRST COMMUNION
Life goes on and religious events often follow. Carson remains on the cutting edge for changes in this arena as well. Of particular note are the new First Communion wrappers, geared toward celebrating this important step in a child’s faith. Included in this group are designs that feature stylized symbols, a  class photo and a elegant monogram design in many color options.
Sunrise, sunset …

GRADUATION
We’re now at graduation time and Carson has kept its finger on the pulse of the nation. A resurgence of patriotism is the driving force behind the beautiful new Patriotic Grad design. Angelic assistance is hailed on some designs, while others are more formal, in silver and gold and appropriate for the most upscale events. For the younger grads, Carson has added new designs featuring colorful shapes and classroom supplies geared toward children. Whatever you are looking for, Carson has the perfect favor to complement your school colors or graduation party theme.
Check out Carson’s website and you will be amazed at the innovative designs. In the way of personalized chocolate party favors, you will find the newest updates to the oldest traditions.

Carson Candy Jars

This is me, and this is my candy jar.  I fill it with about $15 worth of candy every month.  I try to consider the candy preferences of others and consequently I have lots of visitors.  This is Matt, one of my best customers.  Matt can empty a jar full of Twix bars and Kit Kats in the blink of an eye…

Dee buys 100 Grand bars for me, which I really appreciate.  She keeps her candy dish full with respectable flavors, chocolate candy that everyone loves.  Dee is diabetic and can’t even eat this candy.  How’s that for love?

I have no idea why these girls are smiling.  Kim’s candy jar has a couple of candy canes and some sugar free candy in it (probably that she took from Dee).  The same candy for about 2 months now.  I doubt she gets many visitors. 

Laura’s candy jar has just a couple of old Hershey’s Kisses in it.  Pitiful.

Gail keeps Carson going with a steady supply of peanut M&M’s.  Here is Bob, caught in the act.  Bob really makes the rounds on candy jars and can give Matt a run for his money…

Sylvia bought this Jelly Belly machine at a company garage sale for $1.00.  She used to provide the pennies needed to purchase Jelly Belly beans, which I thought was very generous.  Of late it seems that she is trying to make profit.

Headsets & Innovation

Recently in the call center we were given the privilege of testing out a Plantronics  wireless headset…personally I was eager to give them a whirl.

At first some of the girls in the office were a little hesitant; but upon hearing my rave reviews after an hour of having the stylish modern looking, futuristic headset on my ear, their hesitation turned to envy as they were wired to their phones and I could stroll around the office accomplishing several tasks at once with ease looking fresh from the set of Star Trek.

Over the next few days of course we all got to try the freedom of wireless opposed to wired headsets. And although at first some people were unsure of the feeling of the speaker being in their ear, I broke the happy news I had discovered the same headset that sits outside the ear….the Euphoria in the office raised another level.

It has been around 2 months now since we all got our wireless headsets and as my prediction has been realized that the level of inner ear pain would diminish after several days of use, we wonder how we coped before the new headsets and being tethered to our phone not being able to multi task with such supreme efficiency!

With the company being given a fresh new renovation inside the building, which looks fantastically modern, it was only fitting we made the leap to wireless. Now not a day goes by without Lyn Mason being overjoyed at the fact she can stroll to the filing cabinet and get a customers invoice whilst also telling them our shipping and processing time without having to put the customer on hold; it is truly a sight to behold.

Here at Carson we strive daily to make sure our customers get the most accurate, effective service possible. The Plantronics wireless headsets have helped us help the customers in more ways than one… and I am sure all the customer service agents are as grateful as I am that having these headsets is making our jobs serving our customers easier and more effective.

Human innovation, meets Candy wrapper creation, the outcome equals our customer’s complete celebration!!!!!

Matt Riley
Customer Service Associate