Gifts for every occasion – a marketing mantra today . In the networked life , gifts can reach anywhere in real time or virtually and the suppliers laugh their way to their banks , again virtually now a days .
In olden days , giving or receiving gifts denoted cultural and social standing . You took a gift to a king or noble and you get some benefit in return . In a democracy , politicians expect gifts mainly as largesse for favors curried in return .
We have gifts for babies , for marriages , to wish recovery from illness or for achievements in life . Gifts are a way we celebrate an occasion .
In the US , those who give gifts during family events also hand over the item with all tags in tact along with the bill of purchase so that those who receive the item can opt to change it for something different in size , or quality or utility at any of the outlets for a fixed period of time – No stigma attached to this and people more or less expect this protocol now . One of the favorite pastime of shopaholics is to trade in and out such gifts throughout the year!
During my military training days , I observed one of my colleague buying gifts items like suite length , shirt material , shoes etc in bulk much beyond his means from a shop during a festival discount sale . When I asked how he could afford this , he simply told me that these are advance purchases for his wedding scheduled after a year and he will get the costs reimbursed by those relatives who may wish to give him a wedding gift on that occasion !
Really “gifted people ” indeed !