How to buy gifts that people actually want

Post by elil17 » Tue, Dec 01, 2020, 9:37 PM UTC

Afton wrote: post #74

dsr_ wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Since I know about knives, I would buy them a knife. If I was an accomplished bread baker, I would give them a couple of loaves each week for a month -- unless I knew they had a dietary issue. Don't buy a book about programming for a programmer; do buy the best book on programming in Python for a kid who shows interest.

You can, but if you consider knives an uninteresting kitchen tool, then you have just given them a $300 knife that they will feel bad about every time they use it open a can of beans. btw: if you do know about knives, please hit me up at my email address and let me pick your brain a bit. [Edit: my email address wasn't in my profile. fixed, but I'll reach out to folks shortly, thanks!].

Post by ape4 » Tue, Dec 01, 2020, 9:40 PM UTC

jfengel wrote: post #40

tbirdz wrote: post #18

What do you do if you genuinely don't want anything? It seems like people don't believe you and keep harassing you asking for what you really want, and then get really frustrated when you keep saying "No, really I don't want anything ". Then they either respect your wishes and don't get anything, but seem to harbor some kind of resentment against you in their heart, or they get some random garbage you don't want and…

Ask for food. You always need food. They can make it themselves, such as a favorite recipe, which will make it special to them. Or they can buy something that they like and think that you might like, which conveys a connection between you. If it's good, you get a great memory. Even if it's not, it's soon gone, and not weighing down your life. There are some who have rigorous diets or otherwise don't want their routin…

Post by mturmon » Tue, Dec 01, 2020, 9:42 PM UTC

joshstrange wrote: post #21

Best gift advice I give regularly: Keep a note on your phone (doesn't matter the app Apple Notes, Google Keep, SimpleNote, Drafts, etc) with a header for each person you want to get a gift for. Throughout the year whenever you hear them say "I love X author" or "I'm getting into Y hobby" then add a little note under their name. These can be as simple as "Coconut La Croix is their favorite seltzer flavor and brand" to…

Post by nicbou » Tue, Dec 01, 2020, 9:44 PM UTC

ebg13 wrote: post #32

Afton wrote: post #4

Interesting that they didn't really touch on what I consider the hardest part of buying for someone: domain expertise. If I am known as 'into' something, then the likelihood that someone who isn't also into that same thing will come up with a good gift is shockingly low. I bake bread, for example. A book of 100 bread recipes is basically dead weight to me. I have a friend who is really into knives of various sorts. E…

I have this problem often. I want very few things, I can easily afford everything I want, and the things I might want fall into two categories: 1. I already know the most about the thing and have already found the one that either maximizes the utility/price relationship or maximizes utility below my price sensitivity threshold. 2. I don't know the most about the thing yet and have therefore not decided what I want. T…

Post by noneeeed » Tue, Dec 01, 2020, 9:47 PM UTC

ape4 wrote: post #83

jfengel wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ask for food. You always need food. They can make it themselves, such as a favorite recipe, which will make it special to them. Or they can buy something that they like and think that you might like, which conveys a connection between you. If it's good, you get a great memory. Even if it's not, it's soon gone, and not weighing down your life. There are some who have rigorous diets or otherwise don't want their routin…

Food is pretty good. But its not perfect, I don't want a bunch of, say, chocolate since I'll eat it all and feel bad.