Find Great Gifts For Every Occasion

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HowTo Find Great Gifts For Every Occasion (NAPSA)—According to a recent Yahoo! Shopping survey conducted by Harris Interactive, more than eight in 10 U.S. adults have received a holiday gift they disliked. Of these, only about half of the respondents returned their gifts. Many of these gifts ended up stuffed in a closet or were given to somebody else. How can you find great gifts that will avoid meeting this fate? By following a few simple steps, even the most inexperienced shopper can become a savvy gift finder. Know yourrecipient. Spend time thinking about whatactivities your recipient likes to participate in, his or her age, and his or her gender. Jot downthefirst few things that come to mind about yourrecipient on a piece of paper— this will go a long way in helping you evaluate potential gifts. Trust the experts. Use gift guides that are compiled by giftgiving experts, which can be found online throughout the year. For example, Yahoo! Shopping’s Gift Finder allows you to input the occasion, your recipient’s age, and your recipient’s relationship to you, as well as details about his or her lifestyle. It will then provide personalized gift recommendations along with a list of online merchants whosell each particular gift. Maintain the element of surprise. Inspiring genuine sur- prise will greatly enhance your chances of having your recipient love his or her gift. One easy way to ensure surprise is to order gifts online and have them shipped to a location where a recipient is not likely to find it, such as anoffice. It’s A Wrap—Following a few simple steps can make you a savvy gift finder. Be prepared for the in- evitable. There will always be an occasion where a recipient wishes to return a gift you have given. To minimize the hassle of returning a gift and to make sure yourrecipient can find something he or she wants, always askfor a gift receipt and includeit with your card. Easy gift giving, no wrapping required. For those who are notoriously difficult to shop for, you can opt to give a gift card —always a versatile option. Yahoo! Shopping offers a list of retailers that offer both in-store andonlinegift cards. Remember, during popular gift-giving seasons, such as Christmas, Hanukkah, and Valentine’s Day, retailers are continuously marking merchandise down or offering specials and rebates. Once you determine the perfect gift, use an online comparison shopping site, such as Yahoo! Shopping (http://shop ping.yahoo.com), and with just a few clicks you'll be able to com- pare prices among dozens of merchants.