When planning to buy a gift for a young woman, you will need to do some interviewing and observing. Gift giving tends to flop when one doesn’t take enough time to learn the person he or she is buying for. Your younger woman is special to you; therefore you want something that shows you care and at the same time will be a gift that is useful.

Consider her mood lately. Does she seem cheerful, sad, irritable, or moody? How important is the holiday to her? The combination of mood and the significance of the holiday to her will help you eliminate gifts that aren’t useful, are not in her favorite color, easily break or tear, and have nothing unique about them.
Think for a moment, if she hasn’t been in the greatest mood lately, you wouldn’t buy something that brings her mood down, requires much time to put together, and has little to do with her interests. If she doesn’t like exercising, then you wouldn’t get her a bike. If she has environmental allergies, then you avoid perfume products. Lastly, if she already has an established routine for using special products for skin care, you would avoid buying her something that might offend her like beautifully decorated acne or wrinkle creams.

Now sometimes what one might think is really not much of a gift, might be for a young woman who has been saving for quite some time for something or has ran out of a favorite product. If she hints about needing something that you know she can’t really afford right now, that is the perfect opportunity to buy the product. Now sometimes it isn’t a product that a young woman wants, but a service. She may need a car or computer fixed. Maybe she talked of having a room decorated and organized one day or mentioned something about wanting to visit a certain salon or spa. Things that a woman needs that she has been putting off for a long time can turn out to be wonderful gifts. Just be certain she hasn’t mentioned something else that is more important then the product or service she has been putting off.

You might be confused or really don’t know what present to get the young woman, approach your gift buying experience in steps.

1. Think of some things she has mentioned needing such as something for a technological device, an item to help with organizing, or something that helps her relax.

2. Observe what she reads and watches on TV or Internet and note your findings. Surf for items that relate to those interests.
3. Surf the Internet or visit offline stores that are having weekly sales. The Sunday newspaper typically has many circulars of local stores that have deals. Sometimes you are able to find popular, trendy items at a discount.

4. Ask for the assistance of someone who knows your girlfriend or share her taste with a sales clerk.

5. Notice what she already has prior to the gift exchange to be certain the present is something she will like or isn’t the same as something she already has. Save your receipt!

6. Be sure the gift is impressively decorated before presenting.

7. Take a photo of your girlfriend with the present in hand. This comes in handy if she should say, “What did you get me for my birthday last year, I forgot?”

Don’t be persuaded to buy something just because it is a good deal, if it is something that isn’t unique, appears to be boring or thoughtless, it will not represent you or your listening skills very well. An example of tacky gifts: healthy and alcoholic beverages, reading material, cosmetics for blemishes and other flaws, dated costume jewelry with paint tarnishing, underwear, poorly made tools supposedly to help with her hobbies, and cheap perfumes she hasn’t talked about or smelled. Also, avoid purchasing clothing and accessory items that you are in doubt about your girlfriend’s size, color and style. She will not be appreciative of something that is not her typical preference and her face will tell it all.

Although many people will buy gift cards for loved ones, there is nothing like a beautiful gift that has been well thought out and heartwarming. Try to find something that is memorable, but if all else fails then get her a gift card to her favorite store—that is if you know what it is. Remember to be generous.

To your success in finding a perfect gift!