The anatomy of a sale and the gift that gives

  We are at the beginning of the annual parade now, marching into Black Friday week advertisements.  However this year its different...everything is different...and many shops have already been offering the type of sales and specials you only see on Black Friday weekend a wee bit earlier this time.  Whats usually considered a frenzy, excitement filled weekend in brick and mortar shops has now took a turn to shopping from the comfort and safety of our homes.   And lest not forget about Cyber Monday.  All melded together this year for the ultimate shopping odyssey online....but....where is your money best spent?

With the myriad of Greek boutiques such as ours now on the online landscape, the choices are numerous.  Some offer free shipping, some offer heavy discounts, and others buy one, buy two , get another free,  and some offer ALL the above at once in a dizzying mix of coupons that you can't remember what to use for which products.

If you are only concerned about price, some of those heavy discounts and Buy one Get One Free deals small online boutiques are offering  may seem too good to pass up.   But are they pricing right before that attractive discount?

If you are concerned about  authenticity, what do you know about the product origins, how much is shared consistently by the boutique selling the products?   Do they describe the products accurately?

If you are concerned about dealing with  a company that will take care of you if there is a problem with the purchase, how  responsive are they to inquiries?  How many customer reviews do they have?

We can't speak with any certainty for other boutiques business practices.  What we can tell you is about our boutique, and what we've been saying and showing our customers since we started our business in November 2018:

-We price right the first time.  Even when a price may seem high for a product coming from Greece, we encourage you to make comparisons with similar products in other online boutiques, keeping in mind the difference in materials and product quality.  If a boutique is showing a fiberboard piece vs our real wood piece, and they are pricing less, its the quality and material that is the difference in price.   In the same tone, if a boutique is showing a similar ceramic item to ours in a smaller or same size version, and pricing more than us, you may want to take a closer look at the pricing patterns.

-We authenticate our products.  We started this way and continue to do so, not just talking about the artists in Greece who make the products, but showing you who they are in our visits with them, in interviews, making videos about their product to give you a "live" look at the quality and craftsmanship. Also beyond our artisan products, we talk about all our suppliers in the same manner.  Giving full on descriptions of materials used to make products and talking about the background/traditions associated with the products.  We are very transparent in all the products we represent.  

-We value our customers and service to them.   We always say "read our reviews" on both our website and social media pages.  We strive to offer top service.  We receive many remarks on how responsive we are and when there are issues with a product, even those out of our control, we do our best to achieve our customers' complete satisfaction.  We communicate often, we would rather over communicate so the customer knows they are squarely in our focus as we fulfill all the steps of their sale.   

There is one other "perk" of shopping with Taste and Art of Greece that we are fairly confident no other boutique is offering at this time.  We created an Adopt a Church program, and have been donating portions of our sales to various Greek communities all across the USA.  For Christmas, we have once again pledged our support with a percentage of our sales starting today to the Hellenic Nursing Home in Canton, Massachusetts.  Any gifts you give from our boutique are truly a gift of giving and care, with a portion of each sale going to charity.  

Shopping with us for Black Friday week, and any time of the year, will always mean we will provide best in pricing, quality and value, transparency and integrity in advertising, celebrating and showcasing the work of the Greek artisans making our products and a nod to all our suppliers and their fantastic products.  And for this year, and this Christmas it means so much more....there are no extra dollars to spend, you won't be asked to round up your sale.  You simply shop as normal, take advantage of all our promotions and discounts as they come...and know that your purchases have been and will continue to help those in need. 

Happy Thanksgiving and God bless!

Elaine and Stratis
Co-Founders
Taste and Art of Greece