I have been spoiled I tell ya'!

Does any vendor, seriously, want to receive a personal, hand-written thank you note in their mailbox in return for every order they send? That is if they even have a mailing address available...

A pretty silly idea, no?

Yes, silly indeed.

Just as I find the entire topic. And now people aren't as happy with a typed thank-you with their order.

That's the thing isn't it, for a small artisan or vendor that works the hours they do, the more time writing notes over and over again, the less time there is for product development, procurement, and customer service...  

Typically, shipping departments work like this:

The shipping warehous(however big or small) gets a packing slip of the items ordered along with a shipping label. Someone in the shipping warehouse gathers the contents, packs them, checks them off the packing slip, and sends it out. That individual may or may not take a moment to scribble a "Thanks!" on the packing slip at the same time that they are intialing the contents they have packed.

Takes an extra 15 seconds for whoever is packing the order. This may eb the vendor themselves, or the person they pay to pack and ship orders.

IF a vendor is writing a handwritten note providing hot spots to a vacation destination, there is clearly a relationship that has already grown beyond the customer-vendor status, lest the vendor would not know of the pending vacation to make suggestions.

It would be silly of Stirling to write me a lengthy note describing all of the beautiful places I should visit on my non-existent vacation to Swaziland...

However, it is very much appreciated that they toss in a sample bar of bath soap and scribble "Thanks for your order, Chris!" on the packing slip.

Seriously, some of you are taking this WAY too far out of the realm of realism, just to have a reason to argue...

BadDad You seem to be taking it more serious then anyone.

Does any vendor, seriously, want to receive a personal, hand-written thank you note in their mailbox in return for every order they send?  That is if they even have a mailing address available...

A pretty silly idea, no?

Yes, silly indeed.

Just as I find the entire topic.  And now people aren't as happy with a typed thank-you with their order.

If you find a topic "silly", why do you continue to post?

When I find something silly, childish, and inane, I ignore it.

When I find something interesting, appealing, or familiar, I participate.

Again...it seems like some people just want to create nonsense to argue about.

No matter how you slice it that is NOT conducive to good conversation and interesting discussion.

So customers like personalization and thank you's, but vendors don't? Like they're less human than anyone else... Okay...

They get our money, we get their products... Equal exchange. You like a thank you, maybe you should send one, otherwise, it's just a tad hypocritical, no?

The difference is, you risk $10 on maybe a bad soap, they risk their livelihoods and potential bankruptcy.

I'm still waiting for Porter Stansberry's thank you note

BadDad You seem to be taking it more serious then anyone.

They get a thank you. A very personal thank you. Every time I make another purchase.

BadDad You seem to be taking it more serious then anyone.

They get a thank you. A very personal thank you. Every time I make another purchase.

And you get a thank you every time you shave...

And usually everytime I place an order, as well.

I get a nice, hand scribbled "Thanks!" on my packing slip.

It means a lot to me, so every vendor I purchase from goes out of their way to do it because they know for a fact that I will slander them all over the interwebs if they don't, and they will never again receive my $15 for their tub of soap.

Heck, I have vendors that hand write novellas and throw them in the box with my order just so they don;t lose me as a customer, because I am that valued as an individual, and my opinion holds that much weight in the wet shaving community in general.

Pretty soon, Andrew will make me Super-Mod Extraordnaire Above All Else, because my opinion is WAY too important, and he needs a firm hand to prevent any other members from having a contrary opinion.

Didn't you know this was my pan all along? That's why I agree with Kevin in this topic, to be honest. It gives me status on the forum. It has nothing to do with thinking a "thank you" after spending $100 on products is a nice touch...

Personalization is a wonderful thing and, as someone said, the idea is to make what is ordinarily a rather impersonal transaction much more personal. Unfortunately, you eventually get to a point where writing all those notes can make your hands hurt/cramp, so some vendors (B&M included) have started typing the notes instead. I'm curious: do you think the fact that the note is typed makes it less personal?

I'm curious: do you think the fact that the note is typed makes it less personal?

In a word, yes.

Personalization is a wonderful thing and, as someone said, the idea is to make what is ordinarily a rather impersonal transaction much more personal. Unfortunately, you eventually get to a point where writing all those notes can make your hands hurt/cramp, so some vendors (B&M included) have started typing the notes instead. I'm curious: do you think the fact that the note is typed makes it less personal?

In a word, yes.

Barrister_N_Mann, generally, I would have to agree with Jeff.  A handwritten note, even a simple "Thanks for your order, Freddy", will always show a higher level of caring.  However, realizing what you have stated here, a typed note with a handwritten signature would be almost as good.  For me, what that handwritten note or signature does is make a personal connection, even though we may never meet and have nothing but a merchant/customer relationship.  It's something special.

There are a few people here who would argue the point but, based on this thread, the majority really seem to enjoy that special touch.  I might add that the fact that some artisan merchants, such as yourself, feel the need to type, rather than hand write a thank you means you must be doing a lot of things right in product, service, and the care you take with your customers.

Fair enough. Regardless, for the sake of our hands, I'm afraid you're going to have to live with it, gents.

I guess I just meant that it makes the "Thank you" more personal (handwritten letters sent by mail are inherently more personal than a typed out email for example), not any less valued or appreciated. You still take the time to add the note, which as already mentioned before is a "bonus". I'm certainly not disappointed or let down in any way if the note is typed or non-existent.

Is anyone sending a handwritten personalized message back to the Artisan when they get their order or a Thank You email?

I tend to send feedback on my purchases from artisans, stores not so much. But I do like to send along my thoughts if something stands out to me good or bad. Try not to take up too much of their time, but I've had some really nice exchanges with various artisans because of it.    

My take on all of this: Is a note or handwritten thanks nice, very much so. Will it determine how I purchase in the future, not really. I know people are trying to run a business and are normally busy, at least with the people I've bought from directly. You get me what I order in a timely manner, help me out if I have any issues, and we're golden. The personal touches, while much appreciated, are just gravy.