My 3 Biggest American Greetings Blunders (And How to Avoid Them)

I've been ordering from American Greetings for about six years now, and I've made some doozies. In my first year (2018), I thought I had it all figured out. I was wrong. Since then, I've wasted roughly $1,200 on mistakes that could have been avoided with a simple checklist. This is the story of my three biggest screw-ups, and what I learned from each one.

1. The Great Boxed Christmas Card Disaster

This one still stings. In September 2021, I ordered 50 boxes of the American Greetings Christmas cards boxed sets for our annual client mailing. I was feeling good—ordered early, got a decent discount code, everything looked fine on my screen.

When the boxes arrived, my heart sank. The card design? Perfect. The printing? Flawless. The envelopes? They were the standard size, but I had ordered cards that required a slightly larger, square envelope. The cards didn't fit. Fifty boxes. All of them. Straight to the trash. That was about $350.00 worth of cards, plus the embarrassment of having to scramble for replacements three weeks before Christmas.

What I learned: Always double-check the envelope dimensions in the product description before clicking order. Don't just assume the 'boxed set' includes the correct envelope. I now have a rule: I check the envelope size against the card size before I even add it to my cart.

2. The Login Loop of Frustration

This one wasn't a product error, but a process error. I had a big order to place for a company picnic—think invitations, thank-you notes, and a banner. I needed to check my past order history to see what we'd ordered last year. So, I tried to do the American Greetings sign in.

I'd changed my password a few months back and hadn't written it down. I tried the 'forgot password' link. No email came. I tried again. Still nothing. Twenty minutes of frustration later, I realized my account was tied to an old email address I barely checked. I couldn't place the order because I couldn't access my saved designs and address book. I ended up placing the whole thing as a guest, losing my loyalty points and my 15% repeat-customer discount.

What I learned: Do an 'account check' at the start of each year. Log in, verify your email address, and update your password. It takes five minutes and saves an hour of headache. I even started a shared document for my team with our login credentials—securely, of course.

3. The Case of the Misdirected Certified Mail

This one was a doozy. I needed to send a contract—a signed, critical contract—via certified mail with a return receipt. I prepared the letter, printed the label, and purchased the certified mail service at the post office. The postal clerk asked, 'Do you have the right envelope?' I said, 'Yes, it's a standard letter size.'

It wasn't. I had used a diploma envelope that was slightly too thick for the automated sorting machine. I found this out two weeks later when the client called saying they'd never received it. It had been sent back to us as 'unprocessable.' I lost a $3,200 contract because of a 50-cent envelope mistake.

The question isn't 'Why didn't the post office tell me?' It's 'Why didn't I check the how to send certified mail large envelope guidelines before I went?' I now keep a physical copy of the USPS guidelines for large envelopes taped to my filing cabinet.

From Mistakes to a System: My Pre-Order Checklist

After the Christmas card disaster, I created a pre-order checklist for my team. It's a simple piece of paper, but it's saved us from making the same mistakes again.

• Check the specs: Card size vs. envelope size. Is the envelope included? Is it the right type of envelope for the postal service I'm using?
• Verify the account: Can I log in? Is my email address current? Are my saved designs there?
• Confirm the goal: Am I buying a single card, a boxed set, or a custom print? A 'printable' card is very different from a physical one.
• Check the discount: Is my coupon still valid? Does it apply to this specific product category?

We've caught 23 potential errors using this checklist in the past two years. It won't make you perfect, but it will make you less stupid. And sometimes, that's the best you can hope for.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I track a missing order from American Greetings?

First, check your email for the tracking number. If you don't have one, log into your account and look at your order history. If the order is marked as 'shipped,' but you don't have a tracking number, contact customer service via chat. If you call them, you'll be on hold for 20 minutes.

Can I use an American Greetings coupon on boxed Christmas cards?

Usually, yes, but always read the fine print. Some coupons say 'excludes clearance' or 'cannot be applied to boxed sets.' I once applied a 20% off coupon to a order of boxed cards only to find out at checkout it didn't apply. I had to start over.