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Buying gifts on a tight budget -- without coming off as cheap -- is no easy feat. So we turned to free online personal shoppers, which claim to hunt down the best potential presents based on budget and recipients' tastes.
We put four Web sites to the test, hunting for perfect gifts for five recipients:
- A. An imaginative 8-year-old girl
- B. A gadget-loving 16-year-old boy.
- C. A 45-year-old label-conscious "fashionista."
- D. A 65-year-old avid golfer.
- E. A soon-to-be-wed couple in their mid-20s.
The budget was about $25 to $50 per person, not including sales tax or shipping. Sites that returned a range of creative gift options for the (admittedly slim) budget fared better than those that offered limited or obvious suggestions like a Barbie doll for the little girl. We also kept an eye out for gifts that seemed too cheesy, cheap or otherwise inappropriate.
(One thing to keep in mind: Nearly all of these sites receive payments from retailers for steering customers their way, so results may be biased.)
Gifts.com stood out from the pack, offering exceptional picks that worked well with the personalities we described. That breadth of options made it easy to pick out gifts without lamenting -- or even thinking about -- the squeezed budget. PersonalShopper.com came in a close second. Not only did it return good gift picks, but it also offers a handy gifts calendar that helps you manage your budget and shopping lists for every gift-giving occasion. It will even send e-mail reminders as the occasion date approaches.
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Here are our findings for each site, ranked from best-performing to worst. Prices are subject to change:
How gifts are selected: Users peg the gift recipients to one of several categories ("Miss Imagination" or "The Thinker," for example) or answer questions about their habits (More likely to make jokes or videos?) to find a fit. Then they narrow the results based on their budgets.
Best ideas:
- A. "Project Runway" design fashion and figure-drawing set ($29.99).
- B. Wireless USB missile launcher ($39.95).
- C. Sephora fragrance sampler and $50 gift card ($50).
- D. "Where Golf Is Great" coffee-table book on golf courses in Scotland and Ireland ($48).
- E. Riedel Champagne flutes, set of four ($49.95).
Performance: excellent. The site groups related items together, so you can check out all "robotic pets" or "magazines for pop culture fans." Ideas were well-matched to categories and personalities. A price-comparison engine helps users to decide where to buy.
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How gifts are selected: The site allows users to set up profiles for each recipient, then check boxes to describe that person's interests. Shoppers can also set a budget for each gift-giving occasion.
Best ideas:
A. Perfumery science kit ($18.09).
B. Scene It? Music Edition DVD trivia game ($40.89).
- C. Oscar de la Renta "Expressions" robe ($32.90).
- D. Swing Groover electronic golf-swing aid ($29.99).
- E. Rachael Ray cast-iron minicasserole set ($49.99).
Performance: great. There were a few oddball suggestions (a grilling-themed Monopoly game for the young girl), but with hundreds of results to choose from, good ideas heavily outnumbered bad ones. The site also highlights sale prices and a built-in calendar manages gift lists and allows users to save ideas for later.
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