How to buy a gift for a loved one

A beautiful gift containing six organic soaps. £25The perfect gift box for a man, lime and ginger body wash with a soap and shaving cream. £28

I see so many customers in our store looking for the perfect present for a friend or a loved one and it got me thinking how do you pick out that perfect present!  The customers who are buying for themselves look focused and make the purchase within minutes! The customers still looking for a gift after 10 minutes or so are usually agonising over what to buy!  Its that balance between guessing what the person would like against what they would choose for themselves that is often the stumbling block. Do you know the person well, is it a relative?  It generally makes little difference as to how easy it is to choose! There’s also the risk element, if you get it wrong they might think I can’t believe he or she thought I’d like that!

So here are a few tips to finding the perfect gift…

1. Golden rule, don’t choose what you’d want, take time to consider what hobbies and interests your friend likes, make a note about them before you shop so that you don’t get overwhelmed by the choice of gifts once you are in the shop.

2. Ask if the store has a voucher system so that your friend can choose themselves, personally I prefer surprises so I’d avoid this its a bit of a cop out!

3. A giftbox is an excellent solution and means you could add in several items so that you don’t put all your eggs in one basket so to speak!

4. Something unusual and quirky often makes the perfect gift.

5. A treat is often the perfect gift a busy person will often buy the essentials and not make much time for a little luxury.

6. Listening to what the person is most interested in for a few weeks beforehand is a good idea, peoples interests can change and so being switched on to what they are up to is a good idea.

7. Ask someone close if they have a wish list, I’d avoid these online wishlists I think they take the element of surprise out and thats what a present should be.

And if you get really stuck try our website out http://www.quintessentially-english.co.uk where you will find a lovely selection of gift boxes filled with luxury soaps and toiletries and if you call us we will put together a bespoke box of your choosing.