This tends to be a complicated question. We offer coolers and ice packs throughout the year for shipping to warm weather locations. We even check the weather between here and the destination to see if it will travel through warm areas on its way. If you aren’t home to receive your chocolate, or if it gets left out in the rain, we can’t guarantee its safe arrival so please select the Signature Option at check out. Also keep in mind that your package is driving around in an un-air-conditioned vehicle all day… We recommend that you choose the shortest possible shipping (2nd day) option. Please keep in mind, however, that most locations in New York and surrounding states are only 1-2 days via standard ground shipping (we don’t want you to upgrade if you don’t have to!) If you have any questions regarding transit times or shipping options, please call us at 888-875-6643.

During the warm months (May-October), and always to Florida, Texas and other southern states, we may mandate coolers and ice packs for shipping our products as well as Shipping via FedEx Second Day Air. This is necessary in order to guarantee that your candy arrives as it should. We realize it’s very expensive to ship chocolate – especially when it’s warm – and that you may opt to not place an order. Honestly, we’d rather have you not order the chocolate than receive a melty mess. ☹

All candy that leaves our temperature-controlled warehouse is inspected and verified to be in perfect condition. Despite best efforts, we cannot guarantee that your candy will arrive in perfect condition and are unable to issue refunds or replace products damaged by extreme temperatures. Watson's Chocolates strongly recommends that you purchase a cooler and ice pack to ship any all of your chocolate, select 2nd Day Express shipping and the Signature Option. THIS IS THE ONLY WAY THAT WATSON'S WILL GUARANTEE THAT YOUR CANDY ARRIVES WITHOUT MELTING.

We are committed to delivering fresh chocolate in excellent condition to our customers, each and every time. That said, the best results occur during the months with low temps/low humidity. Sponge Candy, in particular, is very fragile as well as extremely sensitive to any type of heat or humidity.

Any kind of heat or humidity causes the sugar in Sponge Candy to break down and get gooey. It does not mean that it is old – on high humidity days, Sponge Candy can start to break down the very same day that it’s made! This is why a lot of candy makers don’t make Sponge Candy in the summer. Sponge Candy will almost always have a slightly stickier center during the warm humid months.

We suggest that you purchase a cooler and ice pack to ship any all of your chocolate, select 2nd Day Express shipping and the Signature Option. THIS IS THE ONLY WAY THAT WATSON'S WILL GUARANTEE THAT YOUR CANDY ARRIVES WITHOUT MELTING. During the warm months, we may mandate it. This may help with keeping your chocolate from melting, but during these warm times, don’t be surprised if you have a sticky piece or two.

One of the biggest factors is delivery to you.  Please be sure to track your package for delivery. If it is left outside, on a porch, in the sun, your candy my melt. We strongly suggest adding a signature option so that you’ll be sure to receive the package from the shipping carrier. Also, if you receive notice from us that your package has been sent via FedEx, text TRACK and your shipment’s tracking number to 48773, and FedEx will respond with your shipment’s status. There are no sign-ups or extra steps involved. To get automatic ongoing status updates for a shipment, text FOLLOW and your tracking number to 48773.

We take an enormous amount of care when packing and shipping our famous Sponge Candy because it is extremely fragile (see How do I mail Sponge Candy?). Every box is packed by hand and vacuum sealed to help prevent breakage in shipping, and to ensure freshness upon arrival. We have also worked hard to decrease our amount of packaging while delivering the same great quality of candy that you expect from Watson’s.

We promise that when it leaves our warehouse, it is in pristine condition. HOWEVER, once it leaves our warehouse, it is out of our control. Unfortunately, the shipping carriers are not as careful as we are and therefore, on a few occasions, our customers have received broken pieces (they will taste just as good, but they aren’t always as pretty).

If your candy arrives in this unfortunate state, please take a picture and send it our way at info@watsonschocolates.com. We will strongly recommend that you contact FEDEX and file a broken shipment claim. You can always provide us the case number and we can also call on your behalf.

Sponge is extremely FRAGILE! You need to ship it like you are shipping glass. It is not enough to put the box in a shipping box with cushioning – you need cushioning inside the actual sponge box! If you can hear it rattling around in its pretty green box, it’s going to break. (It will still taste yummy, but it won’t look so pretty…)

For internet and mail orders, we ship directly from the factory. The candy is vacuum sealed to reduce its ability to move around in its box.  It’s quite the process, but we want you to receive it in the best possible condition.

Even with this love and care, we still occasionally have breakage – so imagine what it looks like when it’s shipped without any cushioning inside the box! 

Please take good care when shipping out our sponge… or better yet – let us ship it for you!

We work with our customers to ship packages to their customers. If you place a corporate order with us, we’ll provide you with a .csv template for all of your addresses. We can ship using our FedEx/USPS account, or you can provide us with your account number. We however do not currently use UPS. If you have a gift note enclosure, you can sen them to us. We will help get your packages where they need to be on time. Shipping and handling charges may apply. Call us to discuss your order – 888-875-6643.

Click here to view our flat rate shipping table.

Please call us to discuss this option. Due to recent carrier challenges, we are shipping exclusively with FEDEX and they do not deliver to APO/FPO. We can ship a limited selection of foods to APO and FPO addresses via the United States Postal Service Priority Mail so call us at 888-875-6643.

Please call us at 888.875.6643 for a shipping estimate before placing your order to Canada.

Unfortunately, we are not able to ship our products overseas.

Our candy is manufactured in a facility that also processes peanuts, tree nuts, coconut, soy, eggs, wheat, and dairy.

Please check ingredient labels carefully.

The ingredients of our chocolate and of our Sponge Candy are gluten free, but they are enrobed on machinery that also enrobes pretzels and Oreos. Our products are also processed in a facility in which milk, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, gelatin, coconut, and soy are used.

Use this answer block to discuss some commonly asked questions you've discovered from your customers interactions. You could discuss product details, size fit, shipping policies, or anything you think would help merchants make an informed decision about your product or collection. This section will appear across all products.

Sometimes. But not always. Upgrading shipping simply expedites the transit time – it does not expedite the processing time.

All orders placed on the phone or via our website typically take 1-3 business days for processing before they are shipped from our facility. Therefore, please be aware that “2nd Day” shipping does not necessarily mean that your order will arrive within 2 days from the time that it is placed – it means it will arrive on the second day from when it ships (i.e. when shipped on a Monday, it will arrive on Wednesday). Please plan on 5-7 *business days from the time you place your order for general ground delivery. You will receive an email when your package is shipped.

FedEx does not deliver to residential locations on Saturdays and Sundays, so we do our best to send your chocolate to arrive within the work week. We do not want your order to sit in a warehouse over the weekend where it may be subject to unfavorable conditions. For example, if you live in California and place an order on a Wednesday, your order will not ship until the following Monday.

*During the peak Holiday times or shipping sales, regular shipping days and delivery times may vary.

There is no need to refrigerate your chocolate. It will do just fine at room temperature (68-70 degrees) for long periods of time. In the summer, air-conditioning is fine. In the winter, please try to keep the chocolate away from any heat source as it will soften (70F) and even melt (80).

Chocolate may be frozen but it must first be protected by wrapping with plastic wrap or waxed paper because when the chocolate comes out of the freezer the package will get moisture on it like any frozen food, and it will be wet which can make the chocolate sticky and not shiny.

We are always open to requests for donations for the many and various causes that are important to our customers and community – we recognize the amount of time and energy it takes to fund-raise. While we would like to contribute to all of the many organizations that reach out to us, we regret that we may not be able to support each and every one. Please submit any donation requests via email to: info@watsonschocolates.com or fax to 716-875-5648. Again, thank you for thinking of us and we wish you much success in your fundraising efforts.

We are more than happy to assist in developing custom packaging during most of the year. If you have a custom order for the Holidays, we suggest that you reach out to us no later than early-October. Lead times vary and an be especially long November and December. We are also happy to work with any items you’d like to create. We can use your ribbon, packaging, wrapping paper, etc. Give us a call to discuss options. Click here for our custom type options.

Our mail order, catalog, and internet business are managed at a location other than the stores. Therefore, you may see various sizes and products offered that differ from what is available at each store. Each one of our store locations may also carry different products. Please call us at 888-875-6643 or your local store for more information.

We not currently wholesale any of our products but we do have some of our products available for bulk sale. Please call 888-875-6643 for more information.

All Watson’s transactions take place on a secure server. Your information is encrypted before it is sent through the Internet.

If you don’t feel comfortable sending your credit card information over the Internet, no problem. Call 888.875-6643 and we will happily take care of your order over the phone.

Click here for info on how to opt-out.

Note: We do not sell any of our customers' information.