Do you have nightmares about giving a gift that falls flat? An unwise choice can send the wrong message. What might such unwanted gifts entail? Such advice might be useful if you still have some presents to purchase.
Senior Deals Strategist Jason Higgs from the firm Bountii has told Digital Journal about the types of gifts to avoid this Holiday season.
Gift Cards
While gift cards can be tempting if you are in a hurry or lacking in inspiration, they are widely regarded as the worst gift. Higgs says that “while they’re convenient, gift cards are impersonal and lacking in memorability.” A $20 Amazon gift card might be a decent gift for a colleague you don’t know very well, but giving the same thing to your nearest and dearest might look lazy and thoughtless.
Novelty Items
A joke gift like whimsical office supplies might be funny in the moment, but they fail to offer any real value, so they often end up as clutter or worse, in the trash. Not only does this defeat the point of giving a gift, but throwaway products like these are often harmful to the environment.
Scents
Buying a perfume without first checking a person’s taste and preferences is full of potential pitfalls, as it is hard to predict what scents each person will like. Moreover, scents interact uniquely with each individual’s body chemistry, which often results in vastly different aromas even when the same perfume is applied to different people.
Cheap Jewellery
Inexpensive jewellery can cause skin irritation or allergic reactions as it is often merely coated with precious metals, rather than made from solid silver or gold. This means cheap jewellery also often loses its lustre quickly or breaks easily, as well as usually missing the mark in terms of style.
Self-Help Books
Inspiring self-help books can help people lose weight or manage their time and money better. However, giving these books as gifts can offend by making the recipient feel they’re being criticized and they need to change something about themselves.
Overly Personal
No one wants to be stuck opening something very personal in front of other. Gifts that are intimate or personal could embarrass the recipient if opened in front of a large group.
