In late 2010, eBay launched the outcomes of a nationwide examine figuring out completely different sorts of present givers in line with their vacation purchasing kinds. Within the eBay-commissioned survey referred to as “The Psychology of Gifting” wife anniversary gifts performed by Kelton Analysis, grownup American girls had been requested to determine their vacation present purchasing behaviors. The examine resulted in 4 forms of vacation buyers, every sort akin to a definite present giving fashion.

eBay’s Survey of Reward Giver Varieties

In line with the eBay-sponsored survey, American girls will be grouped into 4 forms of present givers. Which group do you belong to?

• • Emotional Givers. About 4 out of 10 American girls are Emotional Givers. They often hunt down distinctive items after giving a lot thought to the items and the recipients on their present lists. Emotional Givers wish to present how a lot they know the present recipients, so they have a tendency to plan their items, often wrap the items themselves, and ship the items often with a handwritten notice or card.

 

• • Sensible Givers. About 1 out of 5 American girls fall into this class of givers. After they give, the perfect present objects are both chilly money or present playing cards (present certificates or present cheques). The rule of practicality dominates their present giving, thus they provide recipients the liberty to decide on what merchandise the receiver thinks is greatest. And, the proper instrument for that kind of freedom is both money or a present card.

 

• • Comfort Givers. About 16 p.c of the survey’s contributors recognized themselves underneath this kind. Comfort Givers are environment friendly buyers. They usually want to purchase present objects from just one retailer or supply. For these girls, in search of nice present concepts is a chore that they ultimately need to (usually grudgingly) accomplish. Most frequently, Comfort Givers hardly really feel any pleasure or pleasure in in search of the proper present to offer.

 

• Final-Minute Givers. These are the ladies who store for items on the eleventh hour. They appear to benefit from the mad rush of last-minute shopping for. About 13% of America’s girls fall underneath this class. These present buyers often don’t plan their items manner forward of the vacations.

 

It appears doable to exhibit a number of of the traits of the various kinds of givers. For most individuals, nonetheless, one attribute dominates, whereas one or two often are simply secondary behavioral traits.

One blogger, as an illustration, wrote that he truly grew to become a cross between Emotional Giver and Comfort Giver. Proof of that, he mentioned, was that he shopped for Christmas gifts-all of which he had rigorously thought out and deliberate for particular recipients-from just one on-line retailer. Earlier than his transmogrification to the Emotional-Comfort hybrid, he claimed he was undoubtedly of the Final-Minute breed.

Skepticism of Such Surveys

eBay’s survey seems to be well-designed and has been reported to have a 95% confidence stage with a margin of error of three.1 proportion factors. After I first heard of this survey, my first impulse was to self-check and decide what sort of present giver I’m. Then, I slowly realized that I ought to take such surveys with a grain of salt.

To begin with, this sort of survey, like many different related surveys, emphasizes the fabric and monetary/financial side of giving gifts-as if generosity will be objectively measured or quantified. By categorizing present givers in line with their purchasing kinds, the unstated advocacy appears to be that “The right present to offer to anybody in the course of the holidays is one thing that may be shopped from a retailer,” which is actually not completely true in all circumstances. There are, the truth is, limitless alternatives for anybody to offer non-material, non-store-bought, non-monetarily-quantifiable items.

But, majority of individuals right now really feel compelled to offer items to at least one one other merely due to worry of social sanction. This brings me to my second motive for being skeptical: true giving-just like true love-conquers all worry, together with the worry of social sanction and the worry of leaping off the bandwagon.

Seeming Lack of Non secular Footing

There is a non secular dimension to the human custom of present giving, but so many right now have forgotten the true spirit of self-sacrificial generosity. As an alternative, we permit our capitalistic economic system to encourage sentimentality in present giving, as within the case of the Emotional Givers, who need to cope with the temptation of giving for the sake of giving-quite a giant bounce from the extra noble and extra considerate objective of giving for the sake of aiding somebody in want.

Or, take the case of the Comfort Givers and the Sensible Givers who favor present playing cards or money. I can consider two doable motivations for this crowd to favor comfort once they got down to discover the proper present.

One doable motive is that they have not actually warmed as much as the thought of vacation giving but, or they only could also be too lazy to kind out a whole lot of present concepts and discover the proper present. They could probably be beneficiant in a method or one other, though looking for items for the vacations simply may not be their thought of having fun with the vacations.

One other doable motive is that they really feel obliged to interact within the social apply of in search of the perfect items to offer in the course of the holidays or on particular events. They provide items to keep away from the societal frown that they might get if they do not. This avoidance might be the explanation for his or her choice to seek out the proper present from handy, fast, hassle-free, and often one-stop sources.

So, they search the least troublesome highway, particularly the one with the signal that claims “This option to the proper present thought that can take up simply an iota of your thought, time, or effort.”

As for Final-Minute Givers, I imagine they both simply lack the time or store on the final minute purely for the adrenaline rush. Nothing dangerous concerning the latter, however the former has query marks sprayed throughout it. Actually loving individuals are beneficiant not solely with their items but in addition with the time they use to seek out the proper present. In case your present is meant to be a fabric illustration of your love and concern for the welfare of one other, then spend time to seek out the perfect present. The time you sacrifice for locating the proper present is a part of the present itself.

Giving, within the true spirit of generosity and charity, all the time calls for some type of sacrifice from the giver. It’s a sacrifice that the giver willingly makes for the sake of the receiver. Generosity and giving are all the time other-centered. After reflecting on eBay’s survey, I’m wont to say that until you might be inebriated by that self-sacrificing spirit, you’ll by no means be capable of discover the proper present in any respect.