Buying Gifts For People You Barely Know
Many people ask the question: What type of gift is appropriate for someone I’ve just met, or the individual I barely know? Certainly, there are several types of individuals that may fit the description of persons you barely know. One person is tied to the traditional gift exchange. If you draw a name and know very little about the person, it is best to use standardized good old common sense. If you’ve been part of gift-exchanges in the past, think of items you appreciated receiving. An example of a general item is incense or potpourri type fare. This is something that can enhance someone’s home and when the receiver applies the good scent to their home environment, he or she will appreciate the effect.
Good scents bring about feelings of good will and many times when someone is selling their home they’ll add scent to their house in order to lure the prospect into making an offer. That said, if it works on potential purchasers of big ticket items such as real estate, it can prove just as effective when exchanging gifts. Therefore, if you are exchanging gifts, think of items that provide a nice scent for the home, especially when providing a gift to female recipients.
If the gift exchange is for a male, and you find out he enjoys home construction projects, it may be a safe bet to purchase a gift certificate to a major home improvement center. If he likes video games, package up a gift card from a retailer who sells such items. Gift cards and potpourri or incense are fairly safe gift items when you don’t know the recipients all that well.
Another category of gift recipient under the classification of “Persons you Barely Know” is someone you just started to get to know, such as in dating scenarios. The rule of thumb here is, regardless of the recipient, never purchase anything that is too expensive. In so doing, you may cause the person to feel obligated or uncomfortable. Just a nice little item with no personal strings attached is your best option. For example, even though women like flowers, don’t go up to the flower lady and purchase a rose on the first date. This appears too desperate, clingy or needy. You don’t know the woman well enough to determine if she’s the type who responds well to floral items, plus flowers are associative with a more personal relationship.
Women should not buy a male they’ve just started to get to know personal items such as shirts and shoes. If you believe he truly will appreciate such an item and he has just met you or has been out with you only a couple times, you are better off to leave well enough alone and look elsewhere. The thing to do in a dating situation is not to pull out any substantial amount of cash out of your wallets or pocketbooks until you know the new person considerably better. Gift giving should preserve relationships, not drive people away.
