Avoid These 5 Holiday Gift Set Traps
It is time for a little mid-December holiday shopping check-in. How is it going? While I encourage you to maintain your sanity by all means during this wild time, I also want to remind you that there is only one week left until the big show. If you haven’t started shopping yet, it isn’t too late! It is time to take action, though, and there are no better giving options than beauty gift sets to really get cooking on that shopping list.
When shopping for beauty gift sets for gifts, avoid gift set traps. (Photo: Porapak Apichodilok/Pexels)
I. Love. Beauty. Gift. Sets. Seriously, they are a passion of mine. Not only are they an easy intro to brands we are curious about, but they also make for the most thoughtful gifts. But, of course, all gift sets are not created equal. Among the many compelling reasons to buy them for ourselves and our loved ones, there are also a handful of traps these mini product collections often employ that make them unworthy of space in our lives.
As someone who has seen just about every variation of gift set known to man, I consider myself particularly well equipped to spot these scams from a mile away. Ahead, read up on the five most common gift set traps and what to buy instead.
Trap 1: The more-is-more fallacy
We have all been fooled into falling for the idea that more is better. Sometimes our eyes play tricks on us, signaling to our brains that a set packed with dozens of products is the dreamy addition you have been waiting for. A good rule of thumb to keep in mind is the 70/30 rule: If you or the person you are shopping for wouldn’t be interested in at least 70% of the included swag, then there is probably a smaller, more curated set that would better serve your intentions for giving it.
Trap 2: Blind brand loyalty
There is no crime in being a major fan of certain brands. We all have those connections to certain labels that stick with us for life. But, don’t fall into the trap of buying a gift set just because of the brand name on the package. Really consider what is included in the collection and whether those items would go to good use.
Don’t buy a gift set if the recipient wouldn’t use 70% of the product or there is more packaging than product. (Photo: Michelle/TSNC)
Trap 3: More packaging than product
Gift sets tend to have special packaging, signifying a seasonal theme. We are all about some gold leafing on the box, but we take serious issue with gift sets that employ highly unnecessary packaging, like extra plastic wrappings, boxes and sectionals. Not only does this practice tend to be a coverup for the fact that there isn’t as much actual product inside that package as it seems, but it is just plain wasteful.
Trap 4: Questionable value
The point of a value set is — you guessed it — to deliver some sort of value. If a set costs more than buying each of the products inside individually, then there is really no point in spending the extra coins just to have them neatly packaged together.
Trap 5: Sample swindle
Samples are a wonderful way for consumers to get acquainted with a brand, which is why retailers like Nordstrom and Sephora routinely offer them… for free. If you are investing in a gift set full of testers, I am sorry to tell you that you are doing it all wrong. Deluxe samples are about as small an item as you should pay for.
Article written by Courtney Higgs
