Edible Arrangements Review

Flowers are a popular gift item and they rank as a common standby gift for anyone- especially for women. But while most people like the thoughtfulness of flower arrangement, they also dislike the ultimate result when the flowers succumb to their environment and wither away. One company that nips this problem in the bud is Edible Arrangements, an online store that sells "floral" arrangements that are fully edible.

Web Site Commentary:

Edible Arrangements is a nice alterative to the traditional floral arrangement and it's a store/online service I have been aware of for several years. I have used the web site myself for personal reasons and I have also used it while at work to buy birthday presents and gifts for other occasions for my fellow employees.  

Edible Arrangements takes its name from the fact that the arrangements it sells are edible. They are made from fruit and most of the arrangements are dipped in either semi- sweet chocolate or in white chocolate for added flavor and to help preserve the fruit for a small amount of additional time. Some of the pieces of fruit are presented in the arrangement in their natural shape, but others are cut into stars, flowers, butterflies, leaves, etc. The idea is to make the fruit look like a nicely organized, arranged set, similar to a floral arrangement. The arrangements are often very attractive and many might be hesitant to eat them at first because they won't want to disturb the nice appearance.

Edible Arrangements offers fruit that is completely free from preservatives and that is delivered locally, in refrigerated vehicles, to ensure it is fresh and ready to eat. Since Edible Arrangements offers fresh fruit, it is generally wholesome and with few calories compared to other edible gift items. True, the fruit is dipped in chocolate but this shouldn't be cause for too much concern. The chocolate coating forms a very thin layer on each piece of fruit and adds only a small amount to the caloric content.

Edible Arrangements exists in most large cities in the United States and many people are probably aware of the physical location stores but may not have realized that there was such a successful presence on the world wide web. Because there are so many physical location stores, customers are immediately given the opportunity to select delivery or pickup when they make a purchase. If you select pickup, you will be prompted for your zip code so that Edible Arrangements can quickly find a location close to you. It will also ask you to select a pickup date and time. Each time I have used Edible Arrangements, I have opted for the pickup method because there was a location nearby. I have never had a reason to use the delivery service (which also carries an additional charge), but I have been told by others that it works quite well and the arrangements are delivered in perfect condition.  

Edible Arrangements offers an intuitive web site that is very easy to follow and that earns extra points for making the extra effort to spell out everything a customer would need to know. The site tells you the ingredients of all products and other pertinent information, as well as lists the locations of nearby stores, the driving directions, the actual miles, the store hours, and the store phone number. Edible Arrangements leaves nothing to guess, making it a good online store for those who want to know every small detail when they make a purchase. But one area where Edible Arrangements could stand to be improved is with its product offerings. There are only about 100 Edible Arrangements to select from, and this number has not changed by much in the times I have been using this online service. In addition to the few choices, the arrangements are very similar to each other. This is one area that I think Edible Arrangements should work to change. Adding different arrangements and possibly even expanding beyond fruit would be two possibilities.

Bottom Line Viewpoint:

Edible Arrangements is a fun alternative to traditional arrangements and it makes a great gift for an individual or even as a snack to serve at the office. The arrangements are displayed in decorative, artistic ways with a thin coating of chocolate and they make a nice gift that is certain to surprise most recipients. The site could use a few more products to choose from, but Edible Arrangements is still a very good web site and a good service for creative gift giving.