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?
I am 32 years old and have early-onset Parkinson’s. I just finished our wedding thank yous and would have absolutely used a service like this if I knew about it. I used to have beautiful handwriting but now it is almost illegible. I am very self-conscious about how it looks.
I can’t begin to imagine how hard it was to write all of your thank you notes by hand. I know, however, that everyone who received one from you thought it was the most beautiful act of love and appreciation, that you took the time to write them all out by hand! -Jordan, MSM Team
I totally see where most of you are coming from, but I’d love to answer some of your questions as to why someone would hire another to write your thank you notes. I grew up typing for everything from taking notes in school to sending texts to my friends. Most my age are the same way, leaving us with this dilemma…do you write a thank you note the receiver cannot read or so you ensure your gratitude is heard by having someone else do it. It doesn’t mean I care less or my thoughts are less heartfelt. More than anything it means I care enough to spend way too much money so my sentiments are known.
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. 🙂
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 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.
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 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.
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.
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
Absolutely RIDICULOUS!
Uhh, no. Sounds rediculous. 🙂 Who are the people that would pay for that? Kinda funny.
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. 🙁
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.
I would NEVER do this personally, but the sad thing is … I know some people that would!!! To each is own!
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!
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 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.
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.
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….
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.
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 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.
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?
Not even if I won the Lottery would I throw money away like that. I agree with you Crystal.
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.
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.
Only if my hands didn’t work and I couldn’t hold a pen or type.
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!
N-O!
I personally am terrible about sending out thank you notes, but I don’t expect to receive them either. I believe that a gift is just that – a gift. If we expect something in return (such as a thank you note), then it’s not truly a gift, is it?
@Davonne, I completely agree.
@Davonne, You said exactly what I was trying to come up with the words for. 🙂 Me too, I don’t expect a Thank You. I love finding gifts for people……who cares if I get thanked.
@Christina,
Me too! I love the satisfaction of finding the “perfect” gift!
@Davonne, I totally agree! especially when they have thanked me at the shower or party or whatever the gift was for, I’d never expect a thank you card. I am still trying to get my baby shower thank yous out, and my baby is 10 months old… I think it is frustrating that people get offended that they didn’t get a thank you note, when I showed my gratitude directly to them. I only have one baby, but I’ve still been more busy than I ever have been in my life. I don’t know if it is because I’m 21 and am just in a different generation or what… I really am so grateful for the gifts, I just don’t feel like people should expect a thank you card in the mail and if they don’t get one, get offended!! Now off to stamp and send all of those cards…. 😛
@Reagan, Thank you! This is exactly how I feel!
I think this is crazy.
But….I do think there could be uses for people in certain situations, as previous posters have pointed out. And, I’d rather receive one of these (or a pre-printed, impersonal note) than no thank-you at all. At least they did *something* that way.
But it is pretty ridiculous.
If someone has taken the time to give your either a small act of kindness or gift than a thank you is not to much to ask in return. It doesn’t have to be a book; just something small and personal. Pretty sad if you ask me but the crazy thing is that people will actually buy into this.
HAHA! I didn’t read all these comments–but I couldn’t help but laugh. Personally, I think it’s pretty tacky…HOWEVER, a few years ago I was at dinner with friends. They had just gotten married and the guy mentioned that he saw online that there are SAHMs who write thank you notes and that they were going to pay someone to do it. Always willing to make a buck, I said, “Well, I’m a SAHM and I’ll do it for 10% less!!” I think they paid me $100-$150 (can’t remember exactly) to write about 75 notes. It was AWESOME. (i would never ever ever ever pay someone to write my thank yous in a million years. but…hey, if they’re going to pay someone to do it anyway….it might as well be ME.)
@jess, That’s awesome! I’m going to start keeping my ears open at events like this!
I think that just goes to show what the world is coming to! We had a discussion just the other day on how respect for others seems to be getting more and more lost, and I think manners are right up their with it! It sickens me!
Wow, I can’t believe someone out there came up with this idea and actually thinks its a good one! I just find it very impersonal and almost downright rude to pay someone else to write a thoughtful expression of thanks to someone close to you/important in your life, etc. I don’t care how wealthy I ever become, I would never spend money on that! I mean, really, what ever happened to genuine manners? Anyways, this is just IMO.
However, I have considered paying a professional to do caligraphy or just beautiful handwriting to address and label my wedding invitations someday! 🙂
Yes, I probably would. I’m not good with words. It really doesn’t seem right to me, though. But I might pay someone to help me express what I want to say but can’t.
NEVER! I would never pay someone to do that! That’s crazy!
Oh my gosh, that is an absolutely crazy idea! And at 5 dollars apiece?? I wonder if anyone has actually taken them up on this. Sure, thank you notes can be a pain, but it takes less time to write a note than it took the person to go shop for the gift/card you are thanking them for.
I am saddened to say that many young people today wouldn’t know a thank you note if it hit them in the face. I require that my son write his thank you notes before he is allowed to play with this birthday/Christmas presents. However, I couldn’t tell you when we last received a thank you card. Many people are not even sending thank yous for shower gifts anymore!! And paying someone else to write them for you is downright tacky!!
@Mel, Yup! I didn’t get a thank you note for a gift I spent extra to mail for a bridal shower I wasn’t going to be able to attend (it was out of town)….when I didn’t get a thank you note for it, I opted not to send one for the wedding because I felt if they couldn’t even be grateful for it, then I wouldn’t waste my time, energy, and money for another gift.
Maybe it was just the way I was raised, but I was taught to send thank you notes. I too remember writing them when I got married – it did take a lot of time, but I was more than happy to do it!
@Shelley,
I was taught to give gifts expecting nothing in return. I try to get thank you notes out, but I know I have missed some in reply. I don’t remember who did or did not give me a thank you note. Less stress for me.
@My Boaz’s Ruth,
If a gift is given, a thank you is warranted – be it a call, in person, or in a note. That’s just being respectful and polite. That’s how I was raised. At showers and weddings and such, record-keeping on gifts is rather traditional. If you have gone so far to have record of it, there’s no excuse to not thank someone.
Shelley: That’s assuming every gift was given at a shower. I got given gifts by third parties with a verbal “This is from X’ and forgot who that person was. I got given gifts that I thought had a card attached and did not. So by the time I was writing thank you notes I did not remember the person’s name (and not sure I could have found an address)
I did my best to get thank you notes out. I still do my best.
But I won’t “dun” another person for not getting THEIR thank you notes to me because I don’t give my gifts expecting anything in return. It’s nice to get thank you notes, sure. But that isn’t why I give the gift.
Tacky in my opinion! If someone took the time to pick something out for me, go to the store or online to purchase it or even make something themselves, the VERY least I can do is personally write a thank you note. Yes, it took me days to write out all the thank you cards after our wedding, but I wanted to PERSONALLY express my deep felt thanks to everyone who took their precious time, money, and effort to give us a gift.
Absolutely not!!! I even have my children write their own thank you cards for their birthdays and Christmas. It seems really impersonal, but then again that is just me. There might be someone out there that this would be right up their alley, and again, who it be a service if someone hadn’t asked for it? Oh well, back to the old fashioned way….lol.
I know I’m in the minority here but I’m terrible at writing thank you notes and I’m terrible about teaching my children to write them too unless it’s for a special occasion (graduation, confirmation, job interview, etc). I DO make sure that my children always thank the gift giver either in person or over the phone if they live far away.
I wouldn’t use a service like this for day to day thank you notes (after all I probably wouldn’t send one 🙂 but I see nothing wrong with using something like this when you have hundreds to write (weddings, funerals, etc), except for the cost factor. Hopefully you’ll have nice family like mine who came over and helped me write mine from my wedding so that task didn’t seem so daunting.
@Dawn, I had a very large wedding (250 guests) and multiple showers, but I sent a handwritten thank you note to everyone. I’ve had several occasions in my life where I’ve been fortunate enough to receive quite a few gifts; even if the list is long, I tell myself to write at least 3-5 cards each evening. That breaks it down into a manageable amount and keeps me moving. I got all of my wedding thank you notes out less than 3 weeks after our wedding by doing this and having a few marathon note writing sessions. I just don’t think there is any excuse–any–for not writing a hand written, personal thank you note.
@Meghan, I should clarify after reading some of the specific examples that if there are physical, mental, etc. reasons for not being able to actually write a note, that is understandable. But thinking that you have too many to write, not enough time, etc., is definitely not an excuse in my book.
ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!
This is just my opinion, and most would agree that we are losing some of our personal connections. With all this technology, it makes us sooo less patient. I speak to people who remember what it was like to not even own a cell phone, or when communicating with someone meant getting that piece of paper and just jotting down ideas, and then sending it. It seems that our fast world is advancing in technology, but we are forgetting the true essence of certain things. We need to ask ourselves if we are truly appreciating things for their beauty. Yes I love my computer for the things it provides me, and my phone because it keeps me close to those I love, but also remember that without certain things we still need to shine on.
So I guess I wouldn’t pay anyone to write thank you cards for me, its not a task for me, or a job, its something that only you do if your heart desires, and the recipient cherishes it more when its true, and humble.
-Laura Walker
I think it’s tacky and rude. I recently went to a bridal shower where the mother-in-law-to-be handed out blank envelopes for everyone to write their own addresses on so the bride-to-be wouldn’t have to be bothered. I thought that was in poor taste, as well. It seems to me that if someone spends the time & money to choose a gift, the recipient should be able to write & address the thank you note. She already had all of the addresses since she sent out wedding invitations to everyone there. Just my 2 cents…
@Stephanie, But what if she didn’t have EVERYONE’S address and someone got left out because she had no way to get it? I’ve been to several showers that have done the “address-your-own-envelope” thing and I didn’t really think it was in poor taste. It’s not like they wrote their own thank-you cards. 🙂
@Emily Johnson, It seems like having each person leave their contact information on an address sheet is less “in your face” for the purpose.
@Stephanie, we often do this at our church/family showers. it does not offend me to write my name & address on an envelope. it seems like a simple gift, something i can do for the couple. and i do appreciate receiving a simple, heart-felt thank-you note written from the bride or groom.
@Stephanie, Completely and totally agree with you. I used to think the practice of having guests hand-address their own thank you envelopes was OK… I don’t feel that way AT ALL anymore. It’s tacky and inappropriate. It should be the responsibility of the host/hostess to gather addresses if they are wanting.
As for paying someone to hand-write thank yous? I think I have to agree with the overwhelming majority of comments already – NO.
@Stephanie, I’ve been to many showers that do that, and I hate it! Of course, that’s not the only ettiquette rule that’s broken at showers these days . . .
@Stephanie, I agree! We did this at a church shower once as a game – it was like a raffle and kind of fun. That did not seem tacky at all but since then almost every shower has had people simply fill them out. I don’t like it at all! For my showers I always hand wrote the note AND the name/address – I figure that is the least I can do after people took their time and money to honor me!
@Stephanie,
I guess I’m in the minority, but I like the idea of having the addresses written by the guest on the envelopes. The showers I’ve been to where we’ve done that – there has been a prize raffle. Plus, I feel like I’m helping out the frazzled bride/mother to be when I fill out that information. I think in most cases, these ladies definitely want to send personalized thank you notes and it wasn’t their idea to have the guests write their addresses anyway. The hostess thought it up as a way to put less stress on the bride/mother to be. Writing thank you notes can take a very long time and some people get cranky when they don’t receive one within a few days (trust me, I’ve lived through that!). This helps speed up the return time on a thank you note. In sum, the intentions are always good…so I don’t think it’s rude at all.
@Paige, I didn’t mind it at all. But, I’m more about things that matter and less about conventions. I have 2 babies of my own and I know it can be a challenge. Anything I can do to help a new mother (or still mother-to-be) have things a little less hectic I am more than happy to do so. I think that to be so up-in-arms about the way a thank-you note is addressed just shows how “all about ME” our culture is getting. THe party is supposed to be about the bride/bride to be, and not about my thank you card for playing a part in it. JMHO.
@Stephanie,
I LOVE this idea. The poor bride has one less thing to do to get those thank you notes out!
I wouldn’t pay someone to do it, but I have to admit that I’m someone who often forgets to write thank yous. It wasn’t a priority when I was growing up, so often just doesn’t occur to me – especially when I’ve already verbalized the thanks to the person.
In that instance, what’s worse? To verbally thank someone, but send no note or to email a personal note? Or must one send a card?
Personally, I’m often tempted to tell people not to send a thank you card because I know how much I detest writing them. (I also rarely give cards with gifts, but just write the names on it – cards in general have always seemed like a huge waste of money to me).
@sarah, I think a verbal thank-you is fine; I generally reserve cards for special occasions (like showers) or when the gift-giver is out of town. Likewise, if someone thanks me in person for a gift, I’m fine with that.
I grew up, though, with family that doesn’t generally send thank-yous, so I try to take that into account too.
I think thank-you notes are sadly becoming a lost art. Definitely something I’ll be teaching my children!
I do know someone that own a calligraphy business and has a client who occasionally gives her notes (the client creates her own wording, of course) to write out for her. This particular client has a disability which prevents her from writing it out herself – and I think it is so sweet that my friend is able to use her talents to bless someone in this way!
@Elizabeth, If she is coming up with the message herself, I think this is completely different (whether or not she is disabled). Kind of like if you make a homemade card on the computer, you use your writing but pretty it up with type, etc. So I agree with you there is nothing at all wrong with that 🙂
ABSOLUTELY! If I had known about this site after my wedding, I would’ve paid them to do it for me.
This is a great service if you have multiple thank you notes to write. It does seem a bit extravagant ($3.50 for an e-mail) but a service I would have definitley looked into for writing my wedding thank you notes.
I’m sure the company has good intentions but this is simply too impressionable for me! Ill stick to my own and a quick search on the Internet for wording help if needed!
I guess I’m the only one thinking why didn’t I think of this first. Great work at home business. 🙂
But would I personally use this service, absolutely not. A thank you note should come from the recipient’s heart, not someone else’s. I even think those cards with the blanks a small child would fill in is more appropriate than using a service.
Some have talked about funeral/sympathy thank you notes. If I send a card with a donation, I’m perfectly fine receiving a generic pre-printed card signed by a family member. The funeral home my family uses has a nice verse on theirs. I’ve been in the same shoes as the grieving family and I can (in most cases) relate to what they are going through.
NO! That’s crazy. I can’t imagine ever doing that–how rude! As if the time someone spent doing something nice for you or picking out a thoughtful gift wasn’t worth five minutes for you to thank them?
Wow. That is some serious laziness. I can’t see that it would be worth it at all. It really kinda defeats the purpose. If you can’t bother to take the time to write the note yourself, you aren’t really thankful for the gift. Wow. My mom definitely taught us to write a handwritten note for every gift we got. They didn’t have to be elaborate, but a simple, handwritten, thank you, was required.
I enjoy writing my own thank you notes. Even if the service was completely free, I wouldn’t use it. Having someone else write my thank yous is way too impersonal and frankly just rude to the recipient.
No way. I have been received a couple of thank you cards from weddings that are generic with a picture of the couple and say “Thank you for your generous gift and being a part of our special day”! I think that is so rude and worse than this website. I doubt we’ll be buying any of those couples baby gifts if they have a baby in the near future.
(Had to vent – just received one last week and it’s not the first!)
@Jill,
We recieved one of those also, so rude!!!! What is wrong with people these days?
@esther,
I know I probably sound kind of whinny (spelling?) but I just feel like if I took the time to personally pick out a gift for someone, they should take the time to personally thank me for it.
I guess I just enjoy writing thank you cards.
@Jill, Maybe it’s just me, but I like getting the pictures.
@Abigail’s Mommy,
I enjoy the pictures too but you can order them so you can personally write on the back. That is what my husband and I did – made it like a post card.
@Jill, That’s a good idea! I will have to use that. (I normally wright thank you cards.)
@Jill, My 2 cents, I feel like a gift should be bought for the joy of giving it- not with any expectations attached to it. Receiving any kind of thank you note is an added reward- not a necessity
@Lauren,
I agree, you should not give a gift with the thought that you will get a thank you. When I give a wedding gift or baby shower gift i make it a point to write in the card that no thank you is necessary. I remember being newly married and having our first child and writing thank you notes for hours. The newly married couple/new parents have more important things to do than write me a thank you.
@Jill, I don’t like those thank-yous either. So tacky and impersonal. It’s not much of a thank-you when it’s pre-printed like that.
Especially now, that the hand written note is becoming a lost art, I make a point to have my boys sit down and hand write thank you notes. I don’t even like the ones that already say Dear ____, Thank you for the ________. I tell my kids that if someone can take the time to pick out something for you and get it to you, you can certainly take the time to thank them.
Okay Crystal, I admit I’m not always down with the lingo…What is ROI?
@kelly, I am not sure how long it will take Crystal to reply, but since a fair amount of time has already elapsed since you wrote, I’ll tell you it is my understanding that ROI is Return on Investment, meaning how much you get out based on what you put in.
ROI = Return on Investment. Check out this article on True Frugality Considers the ROI for more of my thoughts: https://moneysavingmom.com/2009/10/frugal-aint-cheap-or-is-it.html
Return on investment. Typically used in a corporate or business setting
No Way! I don’t think I ever would! As others have already said, I would rather not receive one or get a Thank You phone call than to have one written by stranger to the gift recipient.
Absolutely ridiculous. Thank you notes are supposed to thank people. If you can’t take the time out of your day to do that, than no one should do anything nice for you ever again.
I would absolutely not do this- even if I could afford it! I agree with several others, that no matter how busy I am, I can always take time to express my gratitude. I would sooner make phone calls to say thank you rather than outsource it.
No I wouldn’t. And as a recipient, I’d rather get a “Thank you so much for ____. I’m not good at coming up with the right words but wanted you to know how much I appreciate it” than a fake outsourced eloquent (sp?) card.
@Rae,
Well said! (pun intended! :-)). I agree with you completely and
will probably quote you in the future!
When someone takes the time to think of you, you should take the time to write your own thank you.
Crystal,
Thanks for bringing this up – it’s a good reminder!
I can see the temptation if one is carrying triplets and had so many friends/neighbors/coworkers that I had 8 showers to write for.
But generally, absolutely not. Not even if I were getting married and having a huge wedding. My cousin sent out generic, typed thank yous (“thank you for your lovely gift”) and we’re still offended. I don’t care to do that to someone else.
I would not, it seems exspensive and impersonal! That being said, perhaps someone like my husband who is unable to hold a pen (combat injuries have left his hands severely damaged) and had no one to help with that sort of thing, might use a service like this, where a message could be typed. Then again sending a “thank you” e-mail would presumably be acceptable in a sittuation where one could not write, so I don’t see much need for a service like this…
I agree with most of you. It’s pretty silly. How can someone else express your gratitude for you? Plus, by the time you coordinate hiring someone else to do it, you could have just done it yourself. I think some people are desperate to make money of an idea these days!
No!
Though we outsource practically everything these days, from cooking to cleaning to shopping to raising our kids (yes I’m a full time working outside the home mom and my daughter is in daycare, though perhaps not much longer since baby #2 is due any day and I’m not certain I’ll be going back to work)… so this doesn’t surprise me.
It is sad, though.
I agree with other posters. Thank-you notes should be personal and handwritten. I appreciate receiving handwritten thank-you notes and enjoy writing them myself. My children have been writing their own thank-you notes themselves since the age of five. It’s a good practice to learn early. Yes, it takes time to write them, but how appreciative are you if you can’t even be bothered to thank someone?
Nothing takes the place of a hand-written note from the heart. Regardless of what it says – just the time spent doing it means a lot. Growing up, we were taught about the value of a hand-written thank you. If I did this, my Mom would be so ashamed of me! 😛 And YIKES – so expensive!
I have seen books at the library with help, ideas, and suggestions on writing different types of thank-you notes. My problem is wondering if I’m repeating myself too much from year-to-year!
@Lissa, I think you can be safe in assuming that most people won’t remember what you wrote – only that you did.
I know it’s impersonal, but I ‘hired’ my friend to help me write thank you notes last year. I was pregnant with triplets and had just finished my EIGHTH baby shower and had list upon list of thank you notes to write. We met for coffee and I bought her lunch and we wrote thank you’s for hours. Not quite the same as hiring it out to someone you don’t know, but there was no way I could have finished them all.
@Brenda, I think in that case, you were perfectly justified. 🙂
@Brenda, Brenda – I wish I had thought of that! I’m still writing thank you notes from all the gifts/services that people have given me from my triplet pregnancy & delivery! I was all caught up before the girls were born & then as soon as they were born, it started all over again! And you KNOW how busy you are with newborn triplets! lol!
I wouldn’t ever pay someone to write and send my thank you notes, but I could see paying a one-time $3.50 to find out what suggestion they might have for those hard to write notes.
When my grandfather died, we were all so devastated that it was a wonder we ever had the right words at all. I think 3.50 for a paragraph that I could tweak and personalize sounds worth it in times like those. That’s just my opinion.
@Heather, I often find inspiration by looking at cards in the store. Or if I receive one with an especially meaningful message, I’m apt to save it to use again.
I wouldn’t do it – I’m too frugal for that and I’d probably just not send anything before I’d pay someone else to do it. On the other hand….when I saw your post it reminded me of a job ad I found to do this sort of thing. The company sells handwritten materials basically. So they would send you everything to complete the job. Everything from thank you notes to a handwritten message on marketing materials for companies. I saved the info just in case I ever want to do something like that for extra money 🙂
What was the name of the company?
As a recepient, I’d rather not get a thank you note than get it from someone who did not take the time to personally write it.
@Karisa Rivera,
I second that. I’d be insulted to receive an out-sourced thank you note. It says “I think so little of you that I need to pay someone else to deal with this nuisance.” I’d prefer no note at all to that.
No matter how busy we all are it does seem a bit much, However let’s stop and think about this for a moment what about is it help for the person who can not seem to find the right words to express how truly grateful they are . If this is the service your paying for then the site might have something.
I agree with Jenna here — there are people who might be genuinely unable to come up with the right words to say thank you. in those cases of writers block/phobia/learning disabilities, I think this service would be very helpful.
@lucy, There are books that provide samples for any situation. Even if you buy rather than borrow or library, they’ll cost you far less than $3.50-5.50 per note.
No, I wouldn’t pay someone to do this! However, it does sound like a great market for a stay-at-home-mom!
No way! You’d be losing out on making a personal connection with the dear person who thought enough of you to give you a gift.
If it was for business purposes instead of paying a salaried assistant then I can see some benefit…never for personal use.
Wow! I think the point of a thank you note is that it is somewhat personal… this would defeat the purpose, and cost quite a bit of money!!
OH MY! There’s NO way I would ever pay someone to write thank you notes! The whole point of the thank you note is to express heartfelt appreciation for someone else’s thoughfulness.
“Would you pay to have someone write your thank you notes for you?”
Absolutely not. To me, part of the point in sending a thank you note, is that fact that you took the time out to personally thank someone. I think paying someone to do it is impersonal, and just downright lazy.
I don’t know what this world is coming to. You are right it seems extremely expensive and impersonal. I would much rather prefer saving the money and writing them myself.