Broadway Basketeers is a popular site for those looking to buy the best gift baskets for their money. It provides gift baskets for most, if not all occasions, and products are Kosher-certified. Broadway Basketeers has been providing its services for over 20 years, making it one of the most trusted providers on the internet.
In order to review Broadway Basketeers, we browsed Broadway Basketeer's website and chose a gift basket we believed was a good representation of the range of offerings, average price, and overall quality. Additionally, we picked a gift basket that we believe can be offered as a gift in almost any situation. We were sent the Grand Gourmet Gift Basket without the price of delivery or taxes.
Broadway Basketeers review: Website
- Very easy to navigate
- Many offerings are simply different configurations
Overall, we found that navigating the Broadway Basketeers website is very easy and rather pleasant: you can refine your gift basket results by type, recipient, and holiday or occasion.
As for the baskets themselves, we found that many of the site's offerings are simply different configurations and amounts of similar, if not the same items, even though it may seem like there's a ton of variety. That being said, we found that most items tend to be sweet treats like chocolate-covered pretzels or caramel corn, therefore we encourage that you make sure that the recipient of your gift has a sweet tooth before ordering from Broadway Basketeers. Other than sweet treats, you can find items like some salty snacks, wine, fruit, and pre-packaged baked goods.
Broadway Basketeers review: Ordering and delivery
- Gift givers can provide a media message
- Choosing a delivery date is pleasantly simple
We experienced little to no difficulty choosing and adding a gift basket to our cart. From there, customers are taken to a page where they can customize their order with shipping details and when they would like the gift to arrive at its destination. A pleasant surprise we found is that gift givers can add not just a written message, but a media message as well - free of charge, too. This means that you can record your voice wishing someone a happy birthday, for example, adding a nice touch to your gift.
As for delivery options, we found that choosing a delivery date is pleasantly simple. You can choose from two options: a time window during which you would like your basket to arrive, or an exact date. Regardless of when the window occurs, shipping is free of charge. The charge to have the basket arrive on an exact date is $10.95, which is not the highest charge we've seen, so we think this is quite the bargain.
If you were hoping to ship outside of the U.S. or Canada, Broadway Basketeers cannot cater to your needs. However, the possibility to ship your gift basket to Canada is a huge plus in our book.
Broadway Basketeers review: Gift basket
- Gift basket pre-assembled
- Gift basket itself to be very average
Seller: Broadway Basketeers
Basket: Grand Gourmet Gift Basket
Price: $49.95 + delivery ($0-$10.95)
What's inside: Sheila G's Brownie Brittle in Salted Caramel, Blueberry Greek Yogurt Cookies, Gourmet Caramel Popcorn, Assorted Fruit Flashers, Mixed Toffee Nuts, Pirouline Wafer Rolls, Creme Brulee Trail Mix, Chocolate Pecan Caramels, Sorrento Hot Cocoa, Salted Caramel Pretsel Twists, Chocolate Filled Pastry
When we received out Broadway Basketeers gift basket, we were quite pleased to see that, while it arrived in a cardboard box like most other gift baskets we reviewed, it was pre-assembled and wrapped in plastic within the box. This was a huge plus, given that for most other gift baskets we reviewed, there was some assembly required before we deemed the gift basket to be presentable.
The plastic wrap around the basket and the items within makes for easy transportation if you decide to ship the Broadway Basketeers gift basket to yourself before giving it to the intended recipient in person. That being said, our gift basket did not contain any items that needed to be refrigerated during shipment, so there were no cold packs to open separately. While browsing the website, we found that a note on the top of the product page will be included if the product contains refrigerated items, and we found that to be handy when choosing the gift basket that fit our criteria, although we're not sure if this note has been included on every product page that needs one, so we still encourage customers to use their good judgement when ordering.
We found the gift basket itself to be very average: the wicker basket, though reusable, was somewhat unstable and flimsy. The plastic seams were visible and apparent. And the decorative ribbon, while a nice touch, fell apart as soon as we tried to open the gift basket. Even when we tore open the plastic wrap, we saw that one of the snack boxes was open (the contents were still sealed in foil inside).
We were the most disappointed in the products themselves. While nothing in the basket was terrible, we were not impressed by the selection of snacks. Looking at each individual box, nothing on the packaging made it immediately clear as to what was inside. We found this to be mainly true for the items that are made by Broadway Basketeers, which markets those products as "gourmet," although we wouldn't qualify them as gourmet ourselves. However, we were please to find some popular brands in the basket, although they aren't hard to find in store.
As we opened the gift basket and examined and tasted each item, we realized that some of the items in the gift basket were not as advertised on the product page.
There were 11 items in total, as the page indicated, but some were replaced by others. We were truly excited to taste the Sorrento Hot Cocoa paired with the Salted Caramel Pretzels, but were disappointed to find that both items had been replaced. It wasn't just those two items - around half of the products in the basket were not as advertised on the Broadway Basketeers website. This was a huge letdown, and can potentially be for many customers. While it isn't unusual for an item to be replaced in a gift basket when that item is out of stock, we found it highly unusual for more than 3 or 4 items to be replaced. That being said, there was a better balance between sweet and salty in the gift basket we received than it was advertised on the website.
Our Broadway Basketeers gift basket cost $49.95 without the presumed cost of shipping, which we deemed reasonable for a perfectly average gift basket.
Broadway Basketeers review: Customization options
- Shines is in its customization options
- Option of engraving a wine bottle for select gift baskets
Where Broadway Basketeers shines is in its customization options. While we didn't see a "build your own basket" option, there are cool ways you can add flair to your gift. A perfect example is the option of engraving a wine bottle for select gift baskets. The complementary option to add a media message is also a nice touch.
Broadway Basketeers: Customer reviews
- Gifts were well received
- A few have noted some delivery issues
Many customers have been pleased with their selection from Broadway Basketeers's array of gift baskets, noting that delivery is timely and the gifts were well received. However, a few have noted that the quality of the snack items is, although not bad, simply average. A few have noted some delivery issues, such as a missing card or a mix-up, but we believe that some human error, whether on the part of the customer or the service, is unavoidable.
Should you order a Broadway Basketeers gift basket?
When looking at key elements - number of items, quality of the gift basket, and price - we found that Broadway Basketeers offers the best bang for your buck with some relatively affordable options. While we weren't impressed by the basket, we still believe that a gift basket from Broadway Basketeers can make a suitable gift with some judicious choosing. Broadway Basketeers is an easy choice for a no-hassle yet thoughtful gift.
