Retail Stores/Using shopping bag as giftwrap?

[DumboPrincess]

Regardless of how much you are spending (it doesn't matter), would you expect a store do give you extra bags when you check out because you want to make it a gift?

Example: Bath & Body Works/Victoria's Secret/Limited/Express/assorted jewelry stores...

All theses stores put your purchases in handle bags that resemble "gift bags"--paper bags with twine-ish handles, and some include tissue, some don't. Do you expect these stores to give you multiple bags if you are purchasing gifts? (Instead of you buying your own gift wrap?)

And if the store sold gift wrap, or offered free gift wrap, but it was not in the bag, would you still request the store bags?

How would you react if a store told you "no" because the bags are for carrying purchases out, but not for gift wrap? Then they offered to wrap it free-in clear bags with ribbon (like cello).

Stores have a bottom line, too, and it includes buying bags to send your purchase home in. How would you react if a store told you, "I'm sorry--I have no bag to put your purchase in because the woman in front of you used my last 6 bags to wrap her Christmas presents!" ?

Thoughts...

 

[KitKat_Tink]

I honestly think that if you're buying someone a gift you should also wrap it or put it in a gift bag. Who wants to know what kind of gift they're getting before they open it? That ruins the surprise element of recieving gifts. I have never seen anyone around here give gifts in the store bag, even if it is a nice bag, its just not necessary. You shouldn't expect the store to supply you bags to use as gift packaging.

 

[Disneyland Princess]

Thats weird that someone would wrap there gifts in the bags you get at the store but I guess if for some reson I asked for a bag to gift wrap the present in I wouldnt mind if they said they cant give me extra bags and told me they would wrap it in a clear bag instead.

 

[FarAway<3]

I work at VS, and we're only supposed to use one bag and 1-2 pieces of tissue paper per customer.
And I think it's tacky to use store bags as gift bags! Just go to the dollar store and get a pack of bags...

 

[Handbag Lady]

I only like Tiffany & Co. gift bags for my gifts. (To me, I mean).

My monster-in-law likes Swarovski, and she likes getting their shopping bags as gift bags for her presents (to her), but those are the only two examples I have in my life.

The rest of the time, wrap it like a normal person.

 

[bumbershoot]

I don't even know. I can't imagine doing any of those things.

 

[pezheadmeg]

I'm all about recycling and being green, but unless it's a gift registry--tacky!

However, it's also a security issue for the stores to give out extra bags. Great the woman in line in front of you wants 6 extra bags to wrap presents--customers get annoyed. Me as a retail lifer, automatically thinks we need to watch her on the way out. She has 6 extra bags--is she really using them to wrap gifts? Yeah, I'm cynical, but you wouldn't believe how many shoplifting cases I've seen because the "customer" got a hold of an extra shopping bag or two.

 

[allison443]

I will admit to one-time tackiness! There was a last-minute birthday get together for dd's friend, so we actually stopped at Victoria's Secret on the way to get a gift. She gave the gift in the VS shopping bag with the tissue.

I guess people's rationale for multiple bags for multiple items would be that if they purchased say, six items on six different trips then they would get six bags. So for six items purchased in one trip they still want six bags?

 

[NotUrsula]

Yes, you do have costs, and I assume that the cost of the standard shopping bag that you provide is calculated into the profit margin? In that case, do a bit of math, and determine the point at which you can afford to give away the extras -- if the customer has not spent that much, then charge for the add'l bags. If you have a customer loyalty program, you could include the bags as a perk. Charging at cost would be kind, but since shoplifters DO tend to take advantage of these bags, I'd work in a few cents profit. If they really want the gift bags for the logo, rather than just as generic "free" gift wrap, they will pay.

Real free gift wrap is lovely, and probably more expensive than the bags, after you factor in the labor costs. Personally I'd prefer a plain opaque bag, perhaps with a logo sticker? (That's another option; you could keep the stickers for these people, and restrict the number of bags; much cheaper, and they still get their "looky where I bought this gift!" moment if that is really what they are after. Also, it works to the issue of shoplifters using them as camouflage.)

Your other option is to stop providing the handle shopping bags to anyone who does not choose to purchase one; switch to cheaper standard flat bags instead. Customers will probably not be asking to use them as gift wrap.

 

[disney1990]

I have no problem with my gifts being wrapped in the bag from the store that they came from. All my VS presents that I have received were in the original VS bag and the ones that I gave to my DD's are in the original VS bags.

We are all about recycling and using just what we need. I think this is a big problem in this country. I wouldn't care if my package was wrapped in the Sunday comics.

My best friend and I have one gift bag that we have been passing back and forth (for birthdays) for probably 10 years now. Heck, it only gets used twice a year.

Recycle, Recycle, Recycle.

 

[DumboPrincess]

Thanks--I was curious for responses. I had a customer throw a fit over extra bags yesterday--after we had wrapped them to her specifications in the free wrap.

And yes...we caught her trying to "swap" product into her bag.

But we have had non-shoplifters make a big deal over it, too.