Unusual Versions of Inexpensive Things Are the Best Gifts
If you’re on holiday shopping this year, invest in the highest quality products. Buy a better version of something inexpensive, not a cheaper version of something expensive.
As Seth Godin explains on his blog:
If you want to please someone with a gift, you are unlikely to succeed by buying him a decent version of the item in question, even if it’s a great price.
What’s more, research shows that you’re better off paying for something in the cheaper category, where it’s obviously the best in the world.
This is why a really good pair of socks – or a few pairs of high quality socks if you know how to rock them – is a better gift than a cheap counterfeit tech product. (This is a better gift than a cheap one, actually a fake.)
Woolen socks that keep feet 20 degrees cooler will be remembered much more than, say, “affordable” cleaning robots that don’t even collect pet hair.
There are obviously exceptions to this rule: children, for example, tend to value low-quality toys and appliances over high-quality socks (although children are also brand-sensitive and may prefer to get one coveted item from a brand rather than multiple times. -Brand goods) …
Likewise, if the fourth best version of something is the only way your family will get it much needed this year, don’t let me discourage you from buying it. This tip is not meant to stop people buying inexpensive laptops or winter jackets when better options are available.
This is for the person who is thinking of gifting someone a cheap smart display, but might be better served by spending the same amount of money (or even less money) on high quality wine or chocolate.
If you’re shopping on a tight budget, do you support this gift strategy? And if you’re attending a reception, what type of gifts do you value more: those that are the best version of their particular item, or those that are a less good version of an existing product?