work place goodie bags - ideas?

[laura]

At our staff retreat, we give out goodie bags with fun/useful stuff. One of my assistants is responsible for putting these together, but she's never done it before and I am blanking on anything interesting to help her, so I thought I would ask here for ideas. We keep the bags between $50-$75 each, including the container, and they need to be gender neutral.

I work at a university and last year we did a loose "summer fun" theme (but it doesn't have to have a theme) with the following:

* beach bags (to hold everything)
* beach towels & sunscreen
* trashy novel (everyone got a different bestseller, then we swapped later)
* book light
* snacks from Harry & David (moose munch, truffles, sour candies)
* bottle of water
* personalized notepads for desks
* fun office supplies (nicer than normal pens, highlighters, post-its)
* $10 iTunes card
* $10 coffee shop card (for on campus coffee place)

Hmm, I think that is everything. The only thing I have come up with so far this year is SIGG bottles. Does anyone do anything like this?

FWIW, we would like to avoid: coffee/travel mugs, blankets, logo bags - we did those things as program-wide gifts over this year

[jennylou]

To go along with the SIGG container, perhaps you can do sort of an environmental theme?

Cool cloth bags, the SIGG containers, re-usable environmental friendly lunch stuff (there are sandwhich wrappers that I know of for sure)?

[gardenmommy]

What about a sort of earth friendly gift bag? Some ideas of what to include:

A cloth shopping bag as the holder
A book on green living
Your SIIG bottles ;)
Organic snacks
An organic cook book
Silverware made from bamboo
Coaters made from recycles glass tiles
Cloth napkins
A t-shirt made from hemp
CFL light bulbs

I'm sure there is more you could do, it'd be easy to do a search for green products

Oop, cross posted with jennylou!

[moderngal]

Sigg bottles are a PITA to clean, fyi. May I suggest the Kleen Kanteen (http://www.kleankanteen.com/)?
Love the eco-friendly idea. :)

[laura]

Well SIGG/KK are the same in my mind (meaning I have no preference- whatever we can find the best price on!) but I must ask - what is the difference in terms of cleaning? They both seem like a PITA to clean to me, which is why I have resisted them for so long.

Thanks for the ideas - keep them coming!

[moderngal]

Sigg bottles can't go in the dishwasher. KKs can. :)

[KK812]

I love the "green bag" idea. Another one I like is an "outdoors bag." Backpack, water bottle, book of local hikes, inexpensive binoculars, trail mix, iTunes gift card(doesn't everyone bring their ipod hiking? :)).

[jimmysgirl424]

Movie pack?

GC to blockbuster
30 day membership to Netflix
Microwave popcorn
GC to movie theatre
Movie theatre style candy