text input on browse page?

[staff <minivend@custompress.com>]

******    message to minivend-users from staff <minivend@custompress.com>     ******

we are building a catalog for a company that makes colored lanterns
(blue,red, white, yellow, black, orange, green) that can be ordered in a
string of 48. the company will assemble any string in the customers'
exact preference and wish. 

in other words it could be one string of 48 blue lanterns, a string of
24 blue and 24 red, a string of 24 blue and red alternating, or a string
with lights in this order, for example: the first one is blue, the
second one is orange, the third one is white, the ... and so on until
48. the company's customization is that precise. 

my simple mind says it would just be easiest if we could put a
text-input box on the BROWSE page that would allow the customer to enter
desired preferences/requests in a line or two, and when BUY NOW was
clicked, the product info would be carried over to the shopping basket,
but also with the customer's remarks appended.

in other words

G422   String of 48 lanterns    Qty: 2      Price: $59.95     Extn:
$119.90
       "please make me a moody boquet of color; i trust your judgement
because a friend recommended you."

G422   String of 48 lanterns    Qty: 1      Price: $59.95     Extn: $
59.95
       "please make the first 16 red, the second 16 blue, and the third
16 green"

G422   String of 48 lanterns    Qty: 1      Price: $59.95     Extn: $
59.95
       "multicolor, heavy on the orange please"

G422   String of 48 lanterns    Qty: 1      Price: $59.95     Extn: $
59.95
       "all red"

i am told it's not possible to put a text-input box on the browse page
with info that carries over to the shopping basket. 

i'd even be satisfied with a text-input field on the shopping-basket
page. but am told that's not possible either. 

so...

so far, i see two possibilities.

-- put a drop-down selector box on the shopping basket page with a
bazillion choices in it, which would not be complete even then, or

-- tell the customer on the browse page (where the shopping and
purchasing is really done) not to forget to enter their thoughts and
wishes and exact color preferences on the checkout page -- but yuck,
isn't this the place where you're supposed to be giving your cc number
etc, after you're done your shopping and decided to buy? 

neither seems appealing. 

roddy
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