What to get someone who has everything
For someone who has everything, give something they'll use up or do rather than one more thing to keep: an experience, a favorite food, or a better version of something they use every day. Gratos remembers what each person likes, what they avoid and what never to send them, so the gift it finds from a real store fits them, and it buys only when you approve.
Updated
What do you get someone who has everything?
Something that doesn't need a shelf:
- An experience, such as a class, tickets or a meal out. Research by Cindy Chan and Cassie Mogilner found experiential gifts are "more effective than material gifts at improving relationships from the recipient's perspective" (ScienceDaily, 2016-12-16).
- Something they'll use up: their favorite coffee, good olive oil, chocolate from a shop they love.
- A better everyday thing: the mug, the pen, the blanket they use daily, in a nicer version.
- Your time: a day out together, planned by you.
Why is it so hard to buy for them?
Because givers and recipients judge gifts at different moments. Researchers Jeff Galak, Julian Givi and Elanor Williams found "gift givers tend to focus on the moment of exchange when selecting a gift", while "gift recipients are more focused on the long-term utility or practical attributes of the gift" (ScienceDaily, 2016-12-06).
Someone with everything has already bought the useful things. So skip the "wow" and think about what they'd reach for in a month.
Should you just ask them what they want?
Yes. In 2011 studies by Francesca Gino and Francis Flynn, recipients appreciated gifts from their wish list more than ones they hadn't asked for, while givers expected the opposite (Stanford GSB, 2011-09-15). The same work found that recipients "actually appreciated money more than any item they initially requested".
Asking isn't lazy. It's the surest way to give them something they'll use.
What if they say they want nothing?
Take them partly at their word. Give something small they'll use up, write a note that says what they mean to you, or offer your time. If they'd welcome it, a donation in their name to a cause they care about adds nothing to their house.
How does Gratos help?
Each person in Gratos has a page with their dates, what they like, what they avoid, their sizes and what never to send them. When you ask for a gift, Gratos ranks results around their dislikes and leaves out anything on the never-send list.
Ask in your own words: "a gift for my dad, who has every gadget, under $75, something he'll use up". Gratos finds it from a real store and shows the full price. Nothing is bought until you approve.
Questions
- Is a gift card okay for someone who has everything?
Often, yes. In Gino and Flynn's 2011 studies, recipients valued money more than items they had asked for, and a gift card is close to money. A card to a place they love is personal enough.
- Can Gratos buy an experience?
Gratos buys physical gifts from real stores. For tickets or a class, book them directly.
- How does Gratos know what they already have?
From what you tell it. Add what they like, what they avoid and what never to send them to their page, and Gratos uses it each time you ask.
- What does Gratos cost?
No Gratos fee right now. We'll tell you before that changes. You pay the store's own price, tax and shipping. See pricing.