Small gift for Asian corner shop owners

LopezLopez

Hi there. My local corner shop is owned by a lovely Asian couple who constantly receive parcels on my behalf when I'm not home. It has happened a lot and I really appreciate it. I would like to get them a card and a small gift to show my appreciation and will take advantage of the christmas season to do so. However, I do not want to offend anyone and I'm not sure what's appropriate to give them. I am not too worried about them not celebrating Christmas as I'm sure they'll receive a Christmas card as per its intention and nothing else; but what about the gift? I guess I should assume they don't drink so wine it's out of the question. Any ideas anyone?

CarolnMalky

What about some nice candles? Or a picture frame?
Sorry but im not very good at these things lol.
Carol

bubblebathgirl

some nice home baking muffins ,cake a nice thank you letter

jetty

if they have children, perhaps a small toy for them, if not, how about inscence (sticks you light for fragrances, not sure on the spelling!) or an ornament? i'm sure whatever you give them, they will be grateful

jordylass

Make them a cake, it's always well received, very personal and I would have assumed, completely unoffensive.

vij1366

well thats a nice thought .if you do a cake its advisable to ensure that the cake is eggless as a lot of asian ladys dont eat eggs. if they are a young couple then it should be alright.best thing to do is to ask them in a subtle way .
or i find the best thing is to put money in an envelope and let them decide what they want to buy.
if you have any asian shops around you they do asian sweets(mithias)these are pure veg and is ideal.
like i said if you ask subtle you could find out if they drink .if they do then atleast it increases your choice.
but the best thing to do as i said is if there is a asian shop ask them if they sell the goddess lakshmi statue this cost anything from £3.00 to £20.oo they are either gold plated or silver plated .this is far far better .
p.s make sure they are hindus as if they are not then you could offend them .

Justie

this was a site recommended on the eid presents thread http://www.ambalafoods.com/index.php and should be suitable for hindu, sikh or muslim shop owners, I would buy baklava cos it's divine :T but there's a huge choice of sweet and savoury gifts.

as vij says an envelope with money in would be welcome I'm sure even if it *feels* less thoughtful

whatever you decide I'm sure they're be touched, it's a nice thing to do :T

louise24769

Hi There,
With all respects to the past two posts (great ideas), instead of buying them traditional indian gifts (which they are likely to be given or brought by themselves) why not give them something that they are unlikely to have been given. I have lots of asain friends and live in a very multi-cultural area. For my friend's birthday (she is a muslim), I once made scones and gave her a lovely new funky tray with scones, cream and jam on it. She and her family LOVED them and wanted the recipe, as she had never made them before. My friends love our 'traditional' goodies. So, you could make them some mince pies or homemade fudge (or similar) and put them in a basket/box, as a gift. You could always check what they can and can't eat, as well as any allegies. I've never offended anyone yet and my friends seem always pleased that I have made an effort. I have been given some amazing Asain food too, which is brilliant and I have been given some cooking lessons by my friends. Everybody wins!

fairenoughclough

Say it with


There's lots of delivery deals around if you don't want to take them yourself, though personally I would take them personally.

:rotfl: :rotfl:

rkh001

Being Asian myself, I know that any gift would be much appreciated. The problem is that they run a shop which means that they can probabaly buy everything they want/need. I would go with the above suggestion of flowers or even a nice potted plant. Stay away from foodie type things as Mus;ims only eat Halal stuff, Sikhs may or may not eat meat/eggs, Hindus don't generally eat any meat or eggs (although the younger generation eat anything they like), etc.

Play safe and I am sure they will really appreciate it.

Ally

I think a nice potted plant would be nice, or something they can plant in the garden (rose's) if they have a garden. Also, picture frame would be lovely too.