(Bunchful brings you the gifting adventures of Michael & Michelle. Don’t miss out on new posts. Join Bunchful Newsletter.)
(Chapter #2)
Michael was hosting clients for lunch on a rainy Saturday afternoon. It was an important meeting, one that culminated after months of negotiations. He finally got his clients to sign the first part of a big contract, and he was excited. He wanted to linger over after-lunch drinks to celebrate the deal, but he had other pressing business. It was his fiance’s birthday and he needed to find her a gift. After finishing his drink, he stood up abruptly:
“Gentlemen, let’s make a toast. Here’s a long and successful partnership.” And he was outta there.
His fiance, Michelle, was celebrating her birthday, the big ‘Three Three’, and he didn’t have the faintest idea of what she really wanted for a gift. On top of that, he only had a few hours to nail something down before their dinner date. It was time to start wandering the streets of Manhattan to find the perfect gift. And it was raining.
Now, Michael is not the last minute guy. He had spent the better part of a month doing Google searches for the perfect birthday gift: top gifts, gifts for her, gifts for birthdays, etc. He had even bounced ideas around with his buddies, Henry, Lou, and Jackson, but they were as clueless as he. He did remember that Michelle had suggested a couple gift ideas to him one night at dinner, but he had been distracted at the time, and darned if he could remember what she had said. Today, he was just another lost soul on the quest for the perfect birthday gift for his girl.
Suddenly, he was overtaken by yet another thought: did she really love the gift he gave her last time, or was she sparing his feelings? On their six month anniversary, he had given her a chopping board he got from Sur la Table. When she opened the gift, a strange puzzled smile developed on her face, but then she had grinned reassuringly, so he hadn’t thought about it since. Besides, she loves to cook, which is why he thought the chopping board was unique and unexpected for a mini-anniversary. Well, let’s be happy he hadn’t gone with his first inclination, a red fire extinguisher to match her Le Creuset cookware.
Now, for the first time, Michael found himself wondering if Michelle had a wish list hidden somewhere. This wasn’t a completely random thought; his friend, Henry, had mentioned a new technology company that was being developed for situations just like this … a social gift registry for everyday life, Henry had called it. It was a registry where you didn’t need a big wedding event or baby shower to register your wishes. It would take the pain and guesswork away from friends and family who wanted to buy gifts that were loved and wanted. Very simply, you could see what your friends want – and GET THEM THAT. He remembered the name … Bunchful … He’ll have to remember to join the Bunchful Newsletter, so he’ll know when they launch. For now, though, he had a greater existential crisis … find Michelle the perfect gift for her 33rd birthday.
Hmm, I wonder how things went down later that evening …
(Join the Bunchful Newsletter to follow the story of Michael and Michelle, and their excellent gifting adventures, #GiftStories.)
