Buying gifts for people is not always a simple task. It is one thing to buy a gift for someone you are close to, but what do you do when you are trying to find the perfect or proper gift for a colleague or manager? What do you buy? How much should you spend? What is the occasion? Is it better to buy a group gift?



One of the first things you need to do is to set the price. This will allow you to narrow down your search and prevent you from getting out of control as well. If you are buying something for your boss, you don't want to buy something too cheap but also not too expensive. You don't want your colleagues wondering if you are trying to be nice or if you are trying to get the next promotion. It has to be just right.

The trick is to figure out what to buy. This will to some degree depend a little bit on what they do and what their interests are. There are some gifts that will work no matter what. If your boss travels a lot, a new leather suit case that fits one or two laptops can always come in handy. If they are too expensive, talk to your colleagues and see what they are doing. Maybe you can go in together? After all, it is better to buy one gift your boss will appreciate instead of buying her a couple of gifts that will end up in the trash can the next day. If you really want to get your boss something she will appreciate and you don't mind spending time with her outside work, then go ahead and buy a round of golf for two at your favorite golf course.

The occasion it self will hopefully narrow down the wish list. Buying a gift for a wedding is usually pretty straight forward even if it is for your boss or colleague. They probably have a registry and you just need to pick something that is available on the list. If you are like me and you always get invited to weddings where the couple has listed salad bowls for $140 or a silver knife for $299, then you have to be more creative. Going in with your friends or colleagues probably can help here. It allows you to divide up the cost among a couple of people and still get your manager or colleagues what they want.

When is it appropriate to buy a group gift? This can be tricky and depends on the situation and a little bit on the gift as well. If you know your colleague always wanted a nice new driver but it is outside the comfortable price range, then going in on the gift with your colleagues will reduce the burden on your end and will also not make the person getting the gift feel guilty about it since he knows all of you divided up the cost. This really is the perfect way to go. If you are buying a pair of golf balls, then it is probably not worth dividing up the costs. There is a good chance that those balls will end up in the water if you were five people going in on that gift.

In conclusion, buying gifts for colleagues and managers is not always an easy task. There are several things we have to take into consideration. If you are going to do it though, you might as well do it right. Talk to your colleagues. Ask them what they are thinking about buying. Use a service to organize the perfect gift and divide up the cost. And most importantly, don't stress over it. Buying a gift should be a fun experience.