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Their website is pretty straightforward and easy to navigate. You can pick a theme for your custom Slim Packs™, like graduation, babies, travel or summer. You upload a photo (or several), pick your colors, add any text you want, and decide on a position for the Extra™ logo. Then, you get to proof your packs, select a flavor, and finish the order. It really took me longer to decide on the photos than anything else. The custom Slim Packs™ each contain 15 sticks of Extra sugar-free gum. They are available in Extra Peppermint, Spearmint and Sweet Watermelon flavors.
I designed several packs, just to see how they would look. Here are a couple of my designs.
I received my sample yesterday. The graphics are excellent! E was really excited to see a pack of gum with her photo on it. The hubby was really impressed, too. His went to work with him today so he could show it off. Each pack is cellophane wrapped to keep it fresh. I may not open it for a long while. I chew Extra™ gum on a regular basis and it holds flavor well while not sticking to my crown and fillings.
This would be a really cool way to celebrate an occasion. Imagine a senior portrait on a pack of gum for school friends. Or, a way for parents to show off their new bundle of joy. At Christmas, a family could create a photo-gum pack instead of a photo card.
While I really do like this idea and am impressed with the final product, it is extremely unlikely that I would place an order for the gum. Simply, the cost is too great for regular use. They are ordered in sets of 5 packages for $24.95 ($4.99 per pack) plus $6.95 for standard shipping (or $15.95 for Next Day Air). The first price break comes with an order of 55 packages, and drops $0.50 per pack. The second price break comes with an order of 105 packages, and drops an additional $0.50 per pack. Shipping costs per pack decrease with orders over 10 packs.
So, if I were going to buy 10 packages to share with family using my daughter’s recital photo, it would cost $56.85, with shipping, or $5.69 per pack. A regular pack of Extra™ gum costs around $1.50 locally, so the upcharge for customization is more than $4.00 per pack.
Since there’s a bit of a break with larger quantities, a family could choose to hand these out as baby announcements to 55 family members, friends and coworkers. That would cost $263.90 with shipping, or $4.80 per pack. Given the price of some other announcement options, some might find this to be an affordable alternative.
What about for a wedding? Perhaps the happy couple could hand out packs of customized Slim Packs™ with their engagement portrait to their 250 guests. With shipping, that would cost $1049.10, or $4.20 per pack. I still think it’s rather expensive per pack, but it seems to be inline with other types of wedding favors.
Overall, I think it is a great idea and the end product is delightful. The only real drawback is the pricing, making it cost prohibitive for many applications.
Disclaimer: This review reflects my opinion of the MyExtra customized Slim Packs™. I received five packages for my own use as part of the review. The opinions are my own.
