👋 Welcome back to This Week in Print-on-Demand! We’re serving up a flavorful blend of promotional merch and HR insights. This week’s smorgasbord includes Merch by GS’s big gifting expansion, record-high employee retention, a wild “front-row swag vs. ad” stunt, plus spooky trivia and cosmic facts for fun. Buckle up, we’ve got the scoop on everything from industry events to weirdly awesome trivia. Dive in and enjoy the spice! 🌶️

NEWS & NUGGETS: A DASH OF INDUSTRY INSIGHTS

🏅 Top-Rated Suppliers: PPAI reports that 1,128 promo suppliers and decorators earned top A+ or A ratings for 2026. That’s 959 companies at A+ (a 2% jump) and 169 at A. Together, they represent over half of the active members. In short, distributors have a huge pool of “SAGE 100” rated vendors to trust. Source.

🚀 Retention Reigns: A new Eagle Hill Consulting report shows U.S. employee retention at its highest point ever. Workers are “job-hugging” (planning to stay put) over the next 6 months. Notably, women and Millennials are leading in loyalty, while men and Gen X have more restlessness. The word to HR: strong pay and culture are keeping people in seats right now. Source.

🗓️ Catch Ross at PRINTING United Expo: Ross will be speaking at PRINTING United Expo next week, one of the biggest events in the print and promo world. If you’re attending, drop us a note so we can connect. More details about the event here.

✨ Fun Fact: A day on Venus is longer than a year on Venus! Venus takes about 243 Earth days to spin once but only 225 days to orbit the Sun. In other words, the planet completes an orbit in less time than it takes to rotate on its axis. Mind-blowing, right? Check it out here.

 🎉 Giveaway Winner Alert: Shout out to the winners from last week: Amy Cornwell & Christy Nguyen, MBA, who won the Traveler Bag from Showdown Displays by participating in our weekly poll. Check out the poll results from last week below. We’ve got another weekly poll & giveaway below!

BEHIND THE SCENES

Work Less, Gift Smarter 🎁

Holiday gifting shouldn’t feel like a full-time job. One of our clients told us she was managing her company’s holiday gifts through a Google Sheet, collecting everyone’s choices, tracking responses, and placing every single order herself. That’s over 20 hours of unnecessary work.

We can’t wait to give her those hours back and offer her team more than just three options to choose from. Our platform makes gifting simple, scalable, and budget-friendly. Best of all, it guarantees everyone actually gets something they want.

Because great gifting should feel fun, not frustrating. ✨

SWAG INSIDERS

The Power of Swag 💥

This is the perfect example of leveraging swag to go viral. The team at Kalshi took a $6.5K ad budget and flipped it into a front-row stunt, sitting behind home plate at a Chicago Cubs playoff game wearing a giant Kalshi “$YES” hoodie.

The video blew up on MLB’s TikTok and across social, racking up millions of brand impressions. The guy behind the stunt? A genius. He’s already fielding 5+ job offers for his creativity.

$6.5K in paid ads? Meh. $6.5K in swag that puts your brand front and center on national TV?

Priceless.

WEEKLY POLL + GIVEAWAY

🎁 Giveaway Alert: Giant Jenga Set 🧱 

Ready to take team building to new heights? We’re giving away a custom-branded Giant Jenga from our friends at Disrupt Sports. It’s the ultimate icebreaker for the office, happy hours, or family game nights. Stack it high, pull carefully, and hope your boss isn’t the one who makes it topple. 😅

Details:

• The winner will receive this Giant Jenga from Disrupt Sports, branded with their own company logo.

• Winner announced in next week’s newsletter.

👉 To enter, just answer this week’s poll below.

📊 Poll of the Week

CLIENT SPOTLIGHT

🤝 Meet OilStop, Inc.

OilStop Inc. is the drive-thru oil-change chain that co-created Happy’s Car Wash. They offer a quick 33-point service plus a complimentary drink while you wait. A speedy, friendly approach to car care. Based in California, OilStop has become a leader on the West Coast, emphasizing customer satisfaction and efficiency. (Fun fact: OilStop and Happy’s even share a corporate office in Petaluma, CA, and the same leadership team.)

📣 Our Collaboration

For OilStop (and their sudsy sidekick, Happy’s Car Wash), we built ShopOilstop.com, their one-stop swag shop for everything branded and awesome. Employees, franchisees, and partners can now grab co-branded gear like hats, mugs, and polos all in one easy place.

We handled the whole thing, from design and sourcing to fulfillment, so their team can spend less time chasing merch and more time serving customers or getting that perfect shine. Now they can reward, rep, and rally their crew with swag that’s as sharp and service-minded as the brand itself.

🤝 Connect With OilStop

Shoot me a note at [email protected] to get connected with the team.

WEEKEND UPDATE

Around the Water Cooler With Ross AKA The P.O.D. Guy

A Letter to My Partners and Friends

Dear Jason and Ian,

Nine years ago, two smart, talented guys took a random call from a complete stranger, a stranger who knew next to nothing about building websites or apps, but had a big dream. You didn’t have to take that call, but you did. And that one simple decision changed my life.

Six months later, we met in Vegas for the first time. You walked the PPAI show floor with me, saw the spark of an idea that would eventually become Brand Sauce, and chose to believe in me, long before there was any proof that you should. Looking back, I still don’t know what I said to convince you, but it will always be one of the best conversations of my life.

From that first handshake in Vegas to where we are today, you’ve been more than just business partners. You’ve been my teachers, my sounding boards, my friends. You’ve stood by me through every win and every setback, and you’ve helped shape not just Brand Sauce, but the person I’ve become along the way.

Having you here in San Diego this week meant a lot. I know how much it takes to step away from your families and daily lives, and I’m deeply grateful for the time, energy, and love you both continue to pour into this partnership.

Brand Sauce has been one of the greatest adventures of my life, and I can’t imagine sharing it with anyone else. I feel genuinely lucky, every single day, that I get to build, dream, and grow alongside you both.

Here’s to the next nine years, and to the friendship, trust, and laughter that make it all worthwhile.

I love you, boys

THAT’S A WRAP

That’s a wrap on this week’s swirl of swag inspo and HR smarts. From viral merch moments to smarter gifting, the takeaway is simple: the best brands make culture fun. Want to make swag work harder for you? Book a quick demo here, and we’ll bring ideas.

Until next time, stay saucy! 👋 


– Ross & the Brand Sauce Team.

If you missed our last few editions, you can find them here:

• For Print on Demand | EP#51, we mixed up a fun blend of swag inspo and HR smarts. That week’s lineup featured spooky-cool merch trends & must-see events.

• In Print on Demand | EP#50, Learn how the federal shutdown impacts swag, how companies boost engagement, and a fun Halloween candy stat.

• In Print on Demand | EP#49, Ross gives us a look behind the curtains of his personal life with his fiancée, Madison, and 4 kids.

• Be sure to check out Print on Demand | EP#48 to learn more about unique event swag, holiday gifting trends, and a little BTS with Ross.

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