Robin Spizman has the best gift shopping advice we have seen!
A quote from her Gifts and Tips web page, “Don’t just consider what you like to give…think about what they would like to receive…it’s their gift!”
Using what “I like” to decide on a gift for someone else has always been a pet peeve of mine. It is being downright lazy (or maybe uninformed). Is that why such a small percentage of shoppers buy personalized gifts?
Actually personalizing a gift is quite easy once you have decided what kind of gifts might fit you recipients desires. As an example, your husband needs a wallet. Think about how he will feel if it has his name or initials engraved on it! We all like to see our name in lights! How would you feel?
Every year we do a local golf on ice tournament for our friends and neighbors. We always give out a personalized gift of some kind to each participant. Two or three years later we find out that they haven’t used the golf balls yet. Why?
Gift giving is part science and part feelings. The science is determining what gift they might like. The feeling is going one more step to include their personalization on the gift.
Take the time to go the next step and your recipients will show you that it was worth it!
07.01.09 Posted in General, Personalized Gifts at 7:18 am by Ken
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Tags:, gift shopping tips, Personalized Gifts
Some thoughts on how to select a gift that will be appreciated.
Are you thinking of a gift because you like it? Wrong! Think of a gift the recipient will like. It is for them and their enjoyment! This is my biggest shopping pet peeve. This is the single most important reason the customer service lines at stores are jammed on the day after Christmas!
It is okeydokey to ask them what they might like. Ignore the “I don’t need anything” response. Dig deeper.
What are their hobbies or interests? Hard to go wrong with golf accessories for the golfer or something horse related for horse lovers. It gets easier when you have a couple of specific interests to work with. Try searching for the area of interest followed by gifts (i.e. golf gifts, horse gifts, tennis gifts, etc.).
It doesn’t have to be “unique”. It does have to be related to the interests of the recipient.
Instead of a shopping list with nothing but names on it, try a list with names, interests and gift ideas. Most of us have computers with a spreadsheet capability, a really easy way to organize the gift shopping experience.
Another reason for selecting gifts for the recipient is the hassle they get when they try to return something. Consumer world has a list of return policy limitations for many of the major retailers.
11.07.07 Posted in Personalized Gifts at 1:14 pm by Ken
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Tags:gift shopping, gift shopping ideas, gift shopping tips