Last year Stacie Flight, an employee at L’Armoire boutique in New Canaan, Conn., mentioned to the store owner, Diane Lloyd Roth, that she wished that a cashmere poncho they stocked came in cotton-candy pink.

“Well, last Christmas, when I opened the gift, there it was in pink!” says Flight. “It was a wonderful surprise. For Christmas and for each of our birthdays, she takes us to a restaurant of our choice. She has a very generous heart.”

In addition to gifts valued between $250 and $2,500 (depending on employment tenure and hours), Roth also gives employees cash bonuses and handwritten thank-you notes.