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How to buy gifts that people actually want

willpatrick.co.uk

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Re: How to buy gifts that people actually want

#181

Post by D13Fd »

dataflow wrote: post #134
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…

It's really good advice if you're only doing this once per person, but you want to be a bit more careful that it doesn't lose its effectiveness if you want to be able to do it multiple times. Not sure if this happens for other people, but I know when I've gotten gifts based on my comments, I've sometimes started watching what I comment on with that person, which has affected my comments thereafter... not because the…

This is an excellent point, and I’ve been on the other side of it. Just like you said, you end up not wanting to comment on anything because you’ll end up getting it as a gift.

Re: How to buy gifts that people actually want

#182

Post by caddemon »

dheera wrote: post #169
nicbou wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Honestly I'm not a big fan of gift cards. The point of gift giving is to show you care, and gift cards feel like you're just trying to fulfil a social obligation without putting much thought into it. I'd rather use them as a last resort, for people I don't know so well.

I'm also not a huge fan of gift cards as logically, gift cards are cash with restrictions, which is worse than cash, and cash isn't a good gift, so by transitivity, gift cards aren't a good gift. The only time I use gift cards are when it needs to be reimbursed as a business expense. Personally as a gift receiver I much prefer receiving things that I couldn't have gotten myself, and preferably edible. Simple homemade…

I used to think this way about gift cards but as I've gotten older I've had a bit of a change of heart - when I get cash (or a big shop gift card like Amazon) I often end up using it towards basic living expenses that I would have purchased anyway, like groceries or cleaning supplies (even though I'm not in a situation where that is strictly necessary). This is really no fun, and possibly the reason cash is considered a bad gift.

I think the sweet spot for a gift is something I would enjoy but would be unlikely to buy for myself (or in the case of experiences something I normally wouldn't do often), as you pretty much said. But a safe way to achieve this IMO is something like a gift card to a nice restaurant or a spa. Of course you still need to know your target though.

Kind of reminds me of the Netflix problem, the large pool of choices can make none of them seem particularly exciting.

Re: How to buy gifts that people actually want

#183

Post by OJFord »

bisby wrote: post #142
boatsie wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, this is the problem with gift giving something a person is “passionate” about— that passion means they probably already have the things they want and likely also has strong preferences you are unlikely to know anyways. I find buying a shared experience is better— a meal, dessert, golf, spa, etc. You get to spend time together, you get the benefit too, and it will not tend to be more memorable than some random gi…

My wife hates this. Everything I want that I can afford, I already own. Anything I want that I can't afford, I shouldn't be receiving as a gift from someone else. That leaves the only remaining case of "things I don't want". So duplicate gifts, expensive gifts, or bad gifts. This puts us into the category that the article states you don't want to be in: guessing for things the other person wants (but doesn't know the…

I think the best gifts are things you want, can afford, but haven't (quite yet) been able to justify.

Up-thread people are talking about $300 knives. The vast majority of users here can 'afford' a $300 knife; that doesn't mean it's easy to justify or feel good about though.

But receiving a $300 knife? I'd be giggly and excited and I'm not even 'into' knives. (I mean, they're tools, I have some decent ones, but they support interests rather than being the interest.)

Re: How to buy gifts that people actually want

#184

Post by johnisgood »

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…

Just do not forget that they may have bought those things in the meantime. At the time you buy the gift, they may already have it. This is important to note.

Re: How to buy gifts that people actually want

#185

Post by therealx »

WarOnPrivacy wrote: post #180
therealx wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ugh, I have almost the same issue. I think I'll regift it to someone who understands but doesnt care. Have you looked into the genetic squencing offered at education places/third party businesses? They are a little more expensive (starting at $500, I think.)

> Have you looked into the genetic squencing offered at education places/third party businesses? They are a little more expensive (starting at $500, I think.) For genealogical purposes? I haven't considered it. A bigger picture is I'm not sold on the usefulness of DNA testing in general. Comparison testing shows a lot inconsistency. Most of the lines are fairly well filled out anyway; the big exception is one great-g…

Oh, no, sorry, I'm only interested in testing for health reasons. It would indeed be fairly useless for genology except I guess to get a real picture of your overall heritage.

Re: How to buy gifts that people actually want

#186

Post by war1025 »

mauvehaus wrote: post #148
war1025 wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> or some japanese whetstones I bought a set of diamond sharpening plates this summer after having had a cheap Arkansas stone for several years. Night and day difference. I can actually get things sharp quickly and consistently now. Since we're on the topic of gifts, if someone out there is thinking of a sharpening setup as a gift, can't recommend diamond plates highly enough. I bought a 300 / 600 / 1200 grit set off…

A good coarse stone makes all the difference. I have a 220/320 grit diamond plate for flattening my water stones, but it does wonders for making sharpening knives non-onerous. Woodworkers might be interested in the Norton water stone starter set of 2 combo stones 220/1000 and 4000/8000. The 220 wears out of flat so quickly it's useless, but I have the diamond plate anyhow. The 1000 and 8000 are great. The 4000 is a l…

I completely agree the 300 grit plate is what makes all the difference.

Re: How to buy gifts that people actually want

#187

Post by nickjj »

nicbou wrote: post #80
Sohcahtoa82 wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When possible, this is when gift cards are great. My niece is an aspiring artist, and rather than trying to find out what art supplies she wants/needs, I got her a gift card to the art supply store that I know she shops at. Of course, "when possible" is a key word here. Not every store sells gift cards, and sometimes the well-known stores aren't the best deals. Like, I might be interested in making fun electric gadge…

Honestly I'm not a big fan of gift cards. The point of gift giving is to show you care, and gift cards feel like you're just trying to fulfil a social obligation without putting much thought into it. I'd rather use them as a last resort, for people I don't know so well.

I think it depends on how you give it to the person.

Think about giving someone a generic gift card without any other information vs. "Hey, I know you're looking to get into art but honestly I have no idea what type of supplies you want, so here's a gift card to buy what you want from xyz art store".

I know when I was a kid getting a $50 gift card for some toy store that sold video games was the best thing ever. Your Aunt may have good intentions but she probably doesn't know what games you like but you sure as heck appreciated the gift because it translates to something you really like that was enabled by the gift giver.

I think the card being specific to 1 store also really helps personalize the gift. You can be sure the person will enjoy it instead of maybe feeling guilty about how they should really use it for every day living expenses.

Re: How to buy gifts that people actually want

#188

Post by AlwaysRock »

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…

+1 I have been doing this for years. Makes life so much easier. My father in law is getting new grill tongs because he was complaining about the short ones he has this summer.

Re: How to buy gifts that people actually want

#189

Post by Sohcahtoa82 »

learnstats2 wrote: post #146
Sohcahtoa82 wrote: post #79

The worst, IMO, is getting something that's similar to what they asked for, but not quite, and the distinction matters. When I was 10, I really enjoyed Monopoly with my friends, but my parent's set was missing pieces and just overall in bad shape, so I asked for a new Monopoly set for Christmas. My grandma bought me Monopoly Junior, which was an entirely different game, and I was actually upset by it. Years later, wh…

Around the age of 10 as well, a parent asked me if I was excited about the new PlayStation and if I wanted one for Christmas. I made it painfully clear that I would still much prefer a SNES, and wasn't so bothered about a PlayStation. It turned out that they had already bought a PlayStation before asking me (I'm sure they were sold out everywhere when I was asked), and so I got a PlayStation for Christmas. Which was…

I wonder how many kids asked for an Xbox One or PS4 for Christmas in 2013 and got an Ouya.

Re: How to buy gifts that people actually want

#190

Post by phil21 »

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…

Yep, this is the best idea I've also ever had (not sure where I learned it from many years ago - likely a friend) when it comes to gifts. It takes years of practice, but even if you miss half the "hints" given to you, you're still doing really well once you get a couple years worth of notes together.

Even those "iffy" gifts the first time you hear them turn into huge winners years later because you remembered and happened across it somewhere.

Also one other rule I learned from a friend I've lived by now for around 5 years is that whenever I see something I think someone would like - I simply buy it and gift it right then for no reason in particular.

Gift-giving holidays used to be a severe anxiety ridden period for me because I never "got" why we had to exchange these silly things and would panic at the last minute, but now that I've started the above practices my loved ones know even if I miss a birthday or Christmas here and there I'm still thinking of them. When I reframed it into "I saw this thing I thought you'd really enjoy" vs. "I went to Target on xmas eve and panic bought something after 2hrs of looking" it got a lot more fun.

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