I get lots of interesting press releases and new product pitches in my email inbox. Most of them go straight into the trash file — often before even being opened.
But when I received an email this morning about a new website which writes your thank you notes for you, I couldn’t help but open and read it. I mean, seriously? What is our world coming to that we have to pay someone else to write our thank you notes for us?
Sure enough, you can pay $5.50 to have a thank you note written, addressed, stamped and delivered straight to your door for you to review and mail out. Or, you can pay $3.50 for them to compose the text and email it to you.
I’m all about ROI and think there are definitely times when it’s a much better use of your time and effort to pay someone to do something for you — provided you can afford it in your budget. But I think one must draw the line at outsourcing thank you notes.
Not only does it seem terribly impersonal — especially if the notes are going to dear friends! — but it also seems impractical and very expensive. I’m thinking that by the time you picked out the thank you cards, got the recipients’ gifts and addresses inputted into their system, placed your order and then reviewed the cards and sent them out, you could have written most, if not all of your thank yous.
Plus, you could have saved yourself around $5 per thank you note. And considering I can write a simple thank you note in about 7 minutes (including addressing it), I wouldn’t say the time saved was anywhere near worth the money spent.
But hey, maybe I’m the odd one out here? I’m really curious: Would you pay to have someone write your thank you notes for you?
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Within two months time, I am writing thank-you cards for graduation gifts, bridal shower gifts, and wedding gifts. As daunting as a task as it is, I could never hire someone to write them for me! These people took the time to pick out gifts for me, I can surely take the time to write them a thank you note!
Only if my hands didn’t work and I couldn’t hold a pen or type.
Just when I thought I’d heard it all…………along comes something new which shocks me. Wow. I would never pay someone to do my thank-you’s for me.
However, from a receiving perspective, I’m thinking of all the wedding gifts I’ve sent for which I’ve never received a thank you – probably 8 out of 10 wedding gifts given have never been acknowledged. From this perspective I’d be thrilled to receive any kind of thank-you note – just to know they actually got the gift.
First, I think it’s a little funny/odd how easily offended many of the commenters seem to be if they are on the receiving end of “thank you” etiquette that they don’t agree with. I think there is room for graciousness even when there’s a breach of etiquette.
I could see a business using this type of service – hand-written notes mean a lot to people, and could be helpful, depending on the type of business.
For personal use, I couldn’t ever see using this type of service, but I doubt that Money-saving-mom readers are exactly their target audience! Besides the fact that I value a properly written, personal thank you note, I’m just way too cheap! I’m guessing that the same kind of people who have the money for, and are ok with, using personal shoppers are the same ones who would use this service and think it’s great.
Not even if I won the Lottery would I throw money away like that. I agree with you Crystal.
Well…. society doesn’t have a problem with paying someone else to watch and raise and feed and educate our children for 10 hours a day (which, in my opinion is FAR MORE IMPORTANT than a thank-you card) so why on earth would we have a problem with someone writing our letters for us? Makes you think, huh?
I definitely would not pay someone else to do that for me. Nor would I want someone doing it for me for free. A thank you note isn’t a real thank you if it isn’t personally done, in my opinion. It makes me sad that this service is even an option in our world. Although, not terribly surprising.
I probably wouldn’t use this service.
I’m very cheap!!! But I can honestly say that I don’t really send out thank you notes. If i don’t have to use stamps, i won’t, only for a few things, like rebates, lol. I’ve never received a thank you note. I think only because everyone that comes to my parties I have an extremely close connection, and a phone call, or probably a visit a week later would do it for us. Plus, I’m pretty sure most of my friends, and family wouldn’t really send out thank you cards. It doesn’t mean we don’t appreciate the gift, but we usually open gifts during the party, which most don’t, and so what we do is we thank them during the party, as we are opening the gift.
-Laura Walker
I think a big issue here for me is that this service seems more aimed for someone that only wants a couple thank you notes – not thank you notes for a larger event, such as a wedding. If thats the case then it seems a counterproductive that someone would use this service for a couple cards.
I would understand someone having to write loads of thank you cards for a wedding (or something similar) would need/want help I doubt you have many people that would be willing to pay so much.
Sending out 50 cards would cost $275 and I just dont see that happening.
After a wedding and three (soon to be FOUR) baby showers in just about a year, I feel like I’ve been drowning in thank you note writing! I understand the temptation to use such a service, but I just can’t get over the impersonal-ness of this sort of service.
Maybe somebody to do the envelopes, but I think the notes have to be done personally–and by hand. But that’s just me….
Sounds very impresonal and…sorry but lazy! It doesn’t seem like gratitude if you are having to hire someone to write a thank you note for someone to do something special for you. It doesn’t seem like this service is marketed for big events but more one or two cards.
I wouldn’t use it for personal use but I would for business use. A few years ago I was in the mortgage industry and sent out at least 15-20 Thank You’s a week if not more. I think its a great idea for someone in business that doesn’t have the time or an assistant to help with it!
@Andrea,
Exactly! Or that want to make absolutely certain there is nothing to offend in the thank you note!
In the businesses I have been on, we don’t send out handwritten anything.
It takes the joy out of it all. If you’re too busy to take the time to stop and write a simple thank you in your own words, you’re too busy. It is definitely a waste of money.
I think this is terrible. If someone can take the time (and money) to purchase or do something for you, the least you can do is take the time to write a personalized thank you!
I would NEVER do this personally, but the sad thing is … I know some people that would!!! To each is own!
Why would you even send a thank you note that you didn’t even take time to write. Besides whatever they write for you has to be so generic that it is almost insulting to receive I would think. I mean it doesn’t take that much brain power or energy for that matter to write a simple card, hey you can get a book with ideas on what to say cheaper than to have someone else write it for you. I’m sure there are people who use it and someone is making a pretty penny off of lazyness that’s for sure.
People will do anything to make a dime these days, even make those cute little flower barretts for children’s hair. Did you know that those wouldn’t cost much and don’t take much talent to make yourself? I even found a book yesterday at the Bellemeade Plantation gift shop on the Fine Art of writing a letter. It’s funny, I made the comment to a guy who was checking out the cover on the same book that we learned how to properly hand write letters in elementary school, 4th grade if I remember correctly. Now it’s more like “How to properly type a text message. ” I don’t know if I like the world that we are starting to become.
Uhh, no. Sounds rediculous.
Who are the people that would pay for that? Kinda funny.
Absolutely RIDICULOUS!
Though I would not be one to pay for someone to write my “thank yous”, I refuse to be the one who is constantly offended by oversight or someone not showing enough “gratitude” when I give them a gift, either. I am amazed that so many gift givers seem to be out for the big “thanks”.
Also, I am a bit taken aback by all the folks who are being so hateful about the business. I applaud their creativity and the fact that they are working hard to find things they are able to do to provide for what they need. Good for them! If there happens to be a market for it, and they can be of some help, I think it is great.
@Heather H,
*cheers* Exactly
No, I wouldn’t do that either. But I can understand that some people can get overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of many tasks they shoulder, and this could be justifiable.
I have to admit… as much as I don’t like the idea of someone else writing the notes, it sounds very tempting to me.
I have 60+ thank you notes I need to write for baby gifts, but I’ve had carpal tunnel syndrome and been unable to write since just before my first shower! I’ve tried to call family members and those who did not give me the gift in person to thank them (so they know I got it) and tell them a real note will hopefully be coming soon, but I know many people are offended by this and it feels like I’m making excuses if I tell them why the notes haven’t been written. Now it’s been 3 months since some of our first gifts came in and it is a huge burden knowing that so many people are waiting to receive notes. I’d never pay that much money, but the idea of someone helping me get out handwritten notes is VERY tempting.
Wow! I never imagined there were such strong feelings on thank you notes! My mother taught me to send them, but when I got married, my husband’s family never did! But to not give a future gift to someone because you never got a thank you note in the mail? Seems strange to me! I give to bless the person, not because I want to be thanked, even though it is very sweet and thoughtful of them if they do so!
I wrote my own thank-yous for showers, wedding, and babies. The only time I would have considered this was when I broke my right wrist (and I’m right handed). Our families, neighbors, and church family was so generous with us! I didn’t have to cook the entire time that I was in a cast and splint. I didn’t want to wait 2-3 months to send thank-yous, especially since I was due with our second child 4 months. I did dictate thank-yous to my mom and husband for them to write down, but if they hadn’t been available this would have been very handy!
@Rachel,
Now there’s an idea. A dictation service. Or dictation software. If I could just speak out loud my thank you, and software would type the words on a pretty card and address the envelope….that would be a big time saver for me. It wouldn’t be hand written but with the right font it could look personal. And the words would be more personal than the service this blog is about.
I think that some people could find them beneficial. And if you think they are tacky, simply don’t use them and write your own. I work full time (and often bring my work home) and still maintain the responsibilities of a full time mom. I would definitely take advantage of this service for things like showers and birthday parties. When I am home, I want to spend that time with my family. Any way I can outsource things that don’t need to be done by me gives me more time with my family. I can also see people using this service for professional thank you’s (I send out thank you’s for donors and people who attend functions for my non profit. This would definitely come in handy). And what the heck if wrong with someone asking you to simply put your name and address on an envelope at a shower. Maybe they don’t have your info. Maybe they have a million things to do and want to make sure they have your name with your info in one convenient spot. The bride or mother to be probably isn’t asking you for this, but the host (who invited you into their home or another facility and most likely fed you and planned a nice party for you to enjoy). Be a good guest and just put your name and info on an envelope.
I just forwarded the link to a friend, who’s mother died very suddenly – on Mother’s Day of this year no less. She is totally overwhelmed with grief, and still trying to explain it all to her kids, plus trying to keep up with meals and housework, and helping her dad go thru all of her mom’s things. It’s just been an enormous task, not to mention exhausting and just plain sad. And every night she looks at the stack of thank yous she must write, and only feels guilty and more tired.
Personally I hate writing them, but I especially for gifts being sent via mail, I think it’s important to let the sender know that the gift was received and is appreciated. And honestly, whether they paid someone to do it or did it themselves, they at least were respectful enough to follow thru and acknowledge the gift. To me, that’s more important than knowing who authored the letter.
Would I use the service though, probably not. But not because I want to do it myself…I’m just too cheap.
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