There are only a few certainties in life: death, taxes and that one Christmas gift that just makes us scratch our heads. Whether we already have it, don’t need it, don’t want it, or are just plain confused, we know it will just end up collecting dust. The thought is what matters anyway, right?
For years we received emails the week after Christmas from customers saying they received this and that, but truly wishing it was a bag of Dried Cherries or Original Cherry Salsa from Cherry Republic. So a few years ago, we decided to revive the ancient art of bartering. “Why not trade these white elephant gifts for something that they can really enjoy and relish?”, we asked ourselves. Most of the time we donate the items to charity, or hold an auction and donate the proceeds to charity, but this year we decided to give them to our employees.
So without further ado, here is a blog of bartered items that we received from across the country.
P.S. If you were the recipient of one of these gifts, don’t worry, just think about those Cherry Republic goodies you’re munching on as you read this. To the GIFTERS of these items: Don’t get upset, your giftee really only cares about the thought you put in – we think.
Of course, Bob chose first. He immediately grabbed these Dancing Water Speakers that we received from Larry in Hudsonville, MI. Although he wanted to keep them for himself, his boys “just couldn’t live without them.”
Tyler Champt, our new Wholesale Director, grabbed the bottle of Hot Pepper Oil and a jar of Pepper Jelly, both sent to us by Brenda from Bolton, MA. Everyone was hesitant to try them, Tyler enjoys living on the edge. 
Nan Schanhals, the manager of our Corporate Department, picked up an Old Spice Gift Set sent to us by Kristen from Farmington Hills, MI. Nan loves the Old Spice commercials and said she has plenty of men in her family that could sorely use this set that includes 2 body washes, 2 deodorants, and a body spray. 
We received 3 Rainbow Loom kits. Apparently these are all the rage, however we ended up with three of them. Karen from Naperville, IL told us she was tired of finding the little rubber bands in her sweeper and she needed some Cherry Maple Granola to properly recuperate. Andrew Pritchard, our Digital Marketing manager, grabbed them up immediately. He had given a set to his niece and once he opened it he couldn’t put it down. A pretty productive 20 minutes, wouldn’t you say?
When word spread that we bartered for a pair of Michigan house slippers (from Cindy in Owosso, MI), the office went into a frenzy. Spartan fans thought they might make for good tinder, while Wolverine fans thought they should be framed. Outsmarting everyone, our talented Graphic Designer Cory Woessner snuck into the office under the cover of darkness and saved them from a certain doom. He wears them around the office on a daily basis. 
Alas, no one decided that they wanted the Poo-Pourri that we received from Mary from Battle Creek, MI. That’s okay – it fits perfectly in our office restroom.
Believe it or not, someone actually received Chocolate Peanut Butter Pop-Tarts in their family’s Christmas gift exchange (well that’s what she claimed at least)! We ended up trading Karysa from Novi, MI a small jar of Original Cherry Salsa for her Pop-Tarts. Karysa was nice enough to include 3 losing scratch-off tickets in her box. Did we just lose our shirt? Fittingly, our Product Innovator Amy Eaton ended up taking them and using them to calibrate her new scale. 
Perhaps the most useful barter we made was for a miniature pingpong set. It sets up anywhere, even in our office. We promise, it was a productive day!
Until next year..
