Gifting

[Brissles]

Any product shown on air is now suitable for 'gifting' it seems, regardless of the price.

The other day there was a Benini table top water fountain with a shiny globe and a few pence short of £100 - if I heard 'gifting' once it was mentioned a dozen times. Tonight 'gifting' is rampant again in the Bibi Bijoux hour with £30 upwards for bracelets and necklaces, and the same in the Lola Rose hours where we were encouraged to buy TWO tsv's for sixty quid !!

WHO forks out tens of pounds for gifts ????? friends at Xmas get up to a maximum of £12 and family around £20 - birthdays (when I remember) is less, - am I unusual in this ? My circle of friends are in a similar financial position so they too never splurge on 'gifts'. We often exchange home made presents, which is lovely, and I'm delighted that I'm thought enough of to have been given a gift ! In fact if I was given a £100 item I would feel highly embarrassed. Clearly Q will say anything to flog a product.

 

[Julius]

The most expensive gift I ever "gifted," or should I say, "gave," was a Tova art-deco Diamonique and black Diamonique bracelet in sterling silver which I purchased for £94 on last clicks. (She liked that gift). I also bought her a steam iron from Robert Dyas that cost £39.99 - which she didn't like at all. Personally I couldn't care less about the value of gifts that people give me. I would far prefer a gift from the Pound Shop than an expensive gift I do not want, like or need. At work they are always giving me champagne which is of no use to me as I don't drink alcohol. I would better appreciate a 35p pack of rich tea biscuits!

 

[maymorganlondon]

QVC's characterisation of gifting is out of control. Even if you have a high disposable income their suggested giftable items are often bizarre. For any cash-strapped customer, their suggestions, if followed could have nasty financial consequences...besides which, only a limited number of brands will be recognised... So why bother????

 

[ERICS MUM]

QVC US have started their 'Christmas In July' shows. When's our turn ? I suspect all this gifting malarkey is a subliminal way of getting us into Christmas shopping mode.

 

[Silver Fox]

Just the term 'gifting' gets my blood pressure soaring, another US import into our language and one loved & used as a great selling tool on QVC. It must put many people under pressure as they think this is the norm and so the credit cards are pushed to the max especially at Christmas.When Christmas in July starts I will be switching off ( not that I am around much now anyway!)

 

[Dream Girl]

When they say get this for such and such for x and x.

Do you think they see the price as is or with the ?30%? discount that can purchase it for.

Or their staff shop they have on site.

Always remember JR selling a quilt set with extra cushions and she let the viewer know she'd managed to pick up one of the cushions in the staff shop.

For those customers only wanting the cushion was very helpful to know that.

 

[historymystery]

No, you aren't unusual. In my family, we do much the same. Regardless of whether you are hard-up or not (and I wouldn't define anyone in our family as hard-up), makes no difference: to me, once you start spending big amounts on each person's present, other people feel obliged to do the same, or bigger and better, and so it goes on and escalates. This is why the amount of debt problems soar in the early part of each year, and people can spend the rest of the year (or longer) paying it off. Personally, I'm more happy with an inexpensive gift, bought or homemade, that I can actually use than something like the blurdy awful bronze ornaments that Q were flogging last Christmas for an astronomical price, or something similar. I've just been reading the doom and gloom predictions in the newspaper, about big falls in house prices and another recession forecast, people being allowed to buy expensive cars even though they have a poor credit record all fuelling a debt explosion in the near future, etc. etc. I just pray these forecasts of gloom are not right.

Any product shown on air is now suitable for 'gifting' it seems, regardless of the price.

The other day there was a Benini table top water fountain with a shiny globe and a few pence short of £100 - if I heard 'gifting' once it was mentioned a dozen times. Tonight 'gifting' is rampant again in the Bibi Bijoux hour with £30 upwards for bracelets and necklaces, and the same in the Lola Rose hours where we were encouraged to buy TWO tsv's for sixty quid !!

WHO forks out tens of pounds for gifts ????? friends at Xmas get up to a maximum of £12 and family around £20 - birthdays (when I remember) is less, - am I unusual in this ? My circle of friends are in a similar financial position so they too never splurge on 'gifts'. We often exchange home made presents, which is lovely, and I'm delighted that I'm thought enough of to have been given a gift ! In fact if I was given a £100 item I would feel highly embarrassed. Clearly Q will say anything to flog a product.

 

[historymystery]

Yes, when you think of it there's only 6 months left to buy the tat that they tell us is ideal for the ubiquitous "present drawer". What's taking them so long to put on a Christmas in July hour? :mysmilie_51: PS: anyone heard them advising us what to buy for the kids' teachers yet? After all, summer holidays are approaching...

QVC US have started their 'Christmas In July' shows. When's our turn ? I suspect all this gifting malarkey is a subliminal way of getting us into Christmas shopping mode.

 

[shopperholic]

The most expensive gift I ever "gifted," or should I say, "gave," was a Tova art-deco Diamonique and black Diamonique bracelet in sterling silver which I purchased for £94 on last clicks. (She liked that gift). I also bought her a steam iron from Robert Dyas that cost £39.99 - which she didn't like at all. Personally I couldn't care less about the value of gifts that people give me. I would far prefer a gift from the Pound Shop than an expensive gift I do not want, like or need. At work they are always giving me champagne which is of no use to me as I don't drink alcohol. I would better appreciate a 35p pack of rich tea biscuits!

I might be way off the mark here Julius, but somehow I think it mightn't be the price of the steam iron, but the steam iron itself. :mysmilie_15:

 

[Dream Girl]

I might be way off the mark here Julius, but somehow I think it mightn't be the price of the steam iron, but the steam iron itself. :mysmilie_15:

Yep and the fact it came with a free basket ......

Full of mens shirts.

:mysmilie_15:

 

[Starlight]

Yes, when you think of it there's only 6 months left to buy the tat that they tell us is ideal for the ubiquitous "present drawer". What's taking them so long to put on a Christmas in July hour? :mysmilie_51: PS: anyone heard them advising us what to buy for the kids' teachers yet? After all, summer holidays are approaching...

Yes they've started already, last week one of the guest presenters was suggesting an item, can't remember what it was now but it was something ridiculous like bedding and cost around £40!!!

Maybe we should start a competition on this thread for the most ridiculous 'teacher's gift' suggestions seen on air from now on :mysmilie_17:

 

[Moth]

Any product shown on air is now suitable for 'gifting' it seems, regardless of the price.

The other day there was a Benini table top water fountain with a shiny globe and a few pence short of £100 - if I heard 'gifting' once it was mentioned a dozen times. Tonight 'gifting' is rampant again in the Bibi Bijoux hour with £30 upwards for bracelets and necklaces, and the same in the Lola Rose hours where we were encouraged to buy TWO tsv's for sixty quid !!

WHO forks out tens of pounds for gifts ????? friends at Xmas get up to a maximum of £12 and family around £20 - birthdays (when I remember) is less, - am I unusual in this ? My circle of friends are in a similar financial position so they too never splurge on 'gifts'. We often exchange home made presents, which is lovely, and I'm delighted that I'm thought enough of to have been given a gift ! In fact if I was given a £100 item I would feel highly embarrassed. Clearly Q will say anything to flog a product.

I think it was JF who started off using the "gifting" expression? It does annoy me when you're weighing up if you can afford to buy one yourself and there they are, on screen, advising us to buy two or three for the gifting drawer. I guess they forget that they can spend money like water at our expense, which is why we can't!!

And I agree too about receiving expensive items for gifts. Last year, my sister bought be a tablet computer, although I'd not expressed any interest in one. I use it now but I felt very awkward at the time knowing how much it must have cost. I felt guilty and ended up spending far more on her next gift than I normally would have.

 

[Lemonpop]

Any product shown on air is now suitable for 'gifting' it seems, regardless of the price.

The other day there was a Benini table top water fountain with a shiny globe and a few pence short of £100 - if I heard 'gifting' once it was mentioned a dozen times. Tonight 'gifting' is rampant again in the Bibi Bijoux hour with £30 upwards for bracelets and necklaces, and the same in the Lola Rose hours where we were encouraged to buy TWO tsv's for sixty quid !!

WHO forks out tens of pounds for gifts ????? friends at Xmas get up to a maximum of £12 and family around £20 - birthdays (when I remember) is less, - am I unusual in this ? My circle of friends are in a similar financial position so they too never splurge on 'gifts'. We often exchange home made presents, which is lovely, and I'm delighted that I'm thought enough of to have been given a gift ! In fact if I was given a £100 item I would feel highly embarrassed. Clearly Q will say anything to flog a product.

I agree Brissels, just ordered the Elemis TSV which will be split into pressies, after I have taken what I need out. Doing this every now and then I can give nice presents that could be expensive.

 

[Dame Fondacox]

WHO forks out tens of pounds for gifts ????? friends at Xmas get up to a maximum of £12 and family around £20 - birthdays (when I remember) is less, - am I unusual in this ?

As unusual as those viewers who don't have at least two homes with several bathrooms all filled with Molton Brown and L'Occitane hand wash and creams, not to mention Kelly Hoppen interior designs and a present draw in each, filled with premium skincare products to give as a 'good to see you gift' to those who just happen to pop around, unannounced.

 

[shopperholic]

Debbie Flint suggested once, buy a Dyson Vacuun cleaner for a friend, I do love my friends but not £400 worth. :mysmilie_17:

 

[Dream Girl]

I think it was JF who started off using the "gifting" expression? It does annoy me when you're weighing up if you can afford to buy one yourself and there they are, on screen, advising us to buy two or three for the gifting drawer. I guess they forget that they can spend money like water at our expense, which is why we can't!!

And I agree too about receiving expensive items for gifts. Last year, my sister bought be a tablet computer, although I'd not expressed any interest in one. I use it now but I felt very awkward at the time knowing how much it must have cost. I felt guilty and ended up spending far more on her next gift than I normally would have.

Doesn't she have a home in the USA if so that would be were its come from.
She always says Larry calls her hun, that's an US saying too.

 

[Dream Girl]

Debbie Flint suggested once, buy a Dyson Vacuun cleaner for a friend, I do love my friends but not £400 worth. :mysmilie_17:

Has she ever said what her mum buys her 16 grand children and 2 great grand children?
Just wondering what she points at her to grab?

:mysmilie_11:

 

[loveallthingsitalian]

I now only have one family member to buy to (excluding Mr L) so I do buy something nice. Her birthday is just before Christmas so I sometimes combine the two in order to get something special. However we have both reduced our working hours so I think we will possibly cut back this year.

If I had stacks to buy for I would buy token gifts only, but like Secret Santa, sometimes token gifts can be a total waste of money as they can be a bit useless.

I know biggish families who only buy for one person each but then you always find someone who buys for an extra person thus b***ering up the whole system.

 

[maymorganlondon]

I hold the line with my nearest and dearest. It might sound mean, but I set a budget and stick to it. I make clear what that budget is, so if they have any bright ideas for presents they know whether they might get it or not.
If anyone wants a bigger present (occasionally the case) then I tell them the budget for Christmas and birthday (and beyond) and say fine, but that's this year's and next year's presents all in one, and I don't forget. Some youngsters don't really appreciate the value of the gifts they receive until or unless it's pointed out to them that "someone" has had to work hard to earn the money that's spent on them. Not all are that careless of the effort it takes to give them expensive presents, but some are.

QVC paint a picture of a lifestyle that's supposedly aspirational. It's not aspirational at all, frankly, it's all about consumerism and generating a feeling of guilt and inadequacy in their customers. It's not new. The advertising industry was spawned to make people feel dissatisfied with their lot in life, and that buying product X would alleviate that dissatisfaction (just listen to the lyrics of The Rolling Stones' song Satisfaction which sums it up beautifully, IMO). Buy an expensive item and you might get a glow from having and using it, but for how long? If you genuinely scrimped and saved, or worked your posterior off to earn it, then maybe you continue to get that satisfaction... for others, after a while the feeling of money which could have gone to better use will creep in.

 

[Dream Girl]

Most of the time you hear presenters harping on oh I've ordered this, oh I'm going to order this that and the other.
My QVC parcels arrived, been on the web site etc, etc, etc.
Very seldom have I heard apart from Christmas I'm buying this for x person, most often its for themselves.

Jackie Kabler is always at it, since she has a good number of sisters I've never heard her say she's buying for them.