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Monday
December 18, 2000
Shopping
For Your Boss
Forty-six percent of the 110 employees polled by Vault.com,
the Inside Career Network, plan to by theirbosses
gifts. How much do they plan to spend?
33%
say $15 - $30
30%
will spend $30 - $50
24%
plan less than $15
13%
more than $50
When
it comes to buying the right gift for your boss the
line between inexpensive and unemployed can get a little
blurry. Then again, you don't want to over-do it. So
we sent our Mike Bryant in search of some gift guidelines
in today's Consumer Payoff.
Office outbursts and boardroom battles are not limited
to television and movies. It's not always a cakewalk
at work. But whether you bond with the boss or butt
heads with a boss from hell, a holiday gift is still
a good idea.
Your boss may want to just shoot you if you give a white
elephant. You may need a few pointers from an expert.
Author and career expert Mark Oldman says there's an
art to schmoozing without sucking up.
He says, "Keep it very modest, keep it professional.
Don't buy that bottle of Crystal or Dom Perignon, too
expensive. It's going to send the wrong message, almost
like brown nosing your boss."
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Suggested Gifts...
"A nice bottle
of wine"
"The new Beatles Anthology"
"A gift bag of cheese"
"A day at the spa"
"Sports Tickets"
"Gift Certificates"
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Instead, he says buy a reasonably priced bottle of booze
not more than 20 or 30 bucks.
Gadgets like computer mouses, accessories for an organizer,
CD's and DVD's are big this year, but Benita Gold wants
to find something more personal for her head honcho.
She says, "He loves gadgets. He always has the latest
electronic everything. I try to pick out something that
has to do with our connection."
Her boss is a man so she needs to be careful. Mark says,
"Buying gifts for the opposite sex is always a scary
proposition."
Some "no-no's" include lingerie, bedding, perfume, clothes,
or anything too personal no matter what the sex. And
never give the dreaded fruitcake.
Need some more good ideas? Books, fancy food baskets,
theater or sports tickets and gift certificates are
always good. But no matter what you buy, don't get too
carried away.
Mark says, "Anything over 50 bucks, unless you work
for Donald Trump or Oprah Winfrey might send the message
that you're trying to unduly influence your boss."
Finding the right gift for the boss is so important
guys spend about three hours shopping for the right
present, but only 45 minutes buying for the wife. But
it can be worth it. The right gift can pay dividends
through out the coming year.
If you think making more money would make your decision
any easier, think again. Experts say people who earn
over $50,000 a year are even more likely to have a hard
time finding the right gift.
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Holiday
Gadgets