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New Delhi: Remember when you unwrapped a gift, put
it away and never touched it again? Selecting a gift can be
tricky, especially when you are unaware of the person's taste or
collection, the reason why gift coupons are becoming popular this
festive season.
Shruti Agarwal, a public relations manager who recently got
married, says that she has a closet full of wedding gifts that
have been "locked in for life".
"There were sets after sets of glass bowls and photo frames which
we are never going to use. We appreciate the gesture, but I feel
bad that all that effort has gone waste because they don't suit
our taste and there is just too much of the same stuff," Agarwal
told IANS.
"I wish we had got gift vouchers instead. At least we could buy
something that we really needed," she added.
Shagun Mitra, a freelance writer, says that after learning from
her own experience of getting gifts that have been stacked in her
storeroom, she presents gift coupons to her friends and relatives
on birthdays, anniversaries, festivals and other occasions.
"Unless you know someone well and know what they want, or what
their choice is, it is very difficult to choose the right gift for
them. You may have the best interest in mind and put in a lot of
effort and money, but there is every chance that the sari you
picked, or the set of glasses you bought, does not suit their
taste, or they already have something similar," Mitra said.
"I think gift vouchers are a great option. The person has the
choice to select something he or she really needs or wants, and
will therefore always appreciate it," she added.
Most of the big names in retail offer gift vouchers of various
denominations, ranging from Rs.500 to Rs.10,000.
"The vouchers can be used for a fixed period, generally for a year
from the day of purchase. If a gift voucher is of a particular
denomination and the item you choose is more expensive, then you
can pay that extra cash. It can also be partially redeemed," said
an employee of Shoppers Stop.
"With the festive season around, we are seeing more and more
people use gift vouchers in our store," he added.
Online shopping is similarly gaining momentum, so much so that the
Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Assocham) says that
the online retail industry is likely to touch Rs.7,000 crore (Rs
70 million) by 2015. It now stands at around Rs.2,000 crore (Rs 20
million) and is growing at a rate of 35 percent annually.
"Online shopping and gift vouchers have revolutionised shopping,
especially in smaller towns where all brand outlets are not there.
I mostly shop on E-bay and Flipkart," said Rajashree Deka of
Guwahati in Assam.
Some may argue that vouchers lack the personal touch of a
hand-picked gift, but those like Ranjana Sarkar, a Delhi-based
researcher, disagree. For her wedding gift, her friends have
pooled in to buy a hefty gift voucher of Rs.10,000 from a
lifestyle store.
"I am going to re-locate to Mumbai after marriage and my husband
and I will set up the house from scratch. This (voucher) is
therefore a very thoughtful gift because we can use it to buy as
per our needs, and remember them whenever we use the things,"
Sarkar said.
(Azera Rahman can be contacted at azera.rahman@gmail.com)
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