3 Top Tips on How to Handle Pasalubongs That Didn’t Quite Hit the Mark Like A Pro

3 Top Tips on How to Handle Pasalubongs That Didn’t Quite Hit the Mark Like A Pro

 

It’s a whole new different story if we remember the list of pasalubong gifts we have received before that didn’t quite hit the mark – from keychains to fridge magnets to free-size shirts and shoes – but we’ll let that story be and give you pointers instead on how to prepare your facial muscles and flash the most genuine-looking smile upon receiving a gift you don’t necessarily like.

That split-second window when your true reaction is most obvious? You’re on your own on that, though.

With that, here are our top 3 tips on how to properly deal with receiving, err, lackluster pasalubong.

 

3 Top Tips on How to Handle Pasalubongs That Didn’t Quite Hit the Mark Like A Pro

 

3. Just Smile, Then Say Thank You!

 

 

Some people are actually really thoughtful but can totally miss the target. These are people who do want to bring you home a souvenir or two when they travel but are the type who just grab a handful of predictable trinkets and move on with their itinerary.

The solution? Just smile and say thank you. Those should be your first (and only) reactions while receiving the gift. There’s really no need to have extra feedback if there isn’t a need for them. For example, receiving a keychain does not necessarily require you to look at its intricacy or details, especially for those expected ones of landmarks and national animals. A simple, “Uy, cute!” should suffice. Then walk away before you give yourself away.

 

2. You Don’t Love It? “Like” It!

It’s easy for us to get carried away with the prospect of being gifted. We love daydreaming about what we could get during special occasions and when there are loved ones coming home from abroad. This gets particularly more difficult if “I got you something!” was declared to you.

When the day comes, though, it’s not the newest model of smartphone we get, but perhaps an older version. Is that a bad thing? Absolutely not. It’s simply not the latest, but not obsolete or completely unusable. You don’t have to love the gift, but you can “like” it for what it is. The moral of this tip is that don’t peg gifts or pasalubongs to what you would buy. Just because you received something you wouldn’t have destroyed your piggy bank for doesn’t mean it’s less of a gift. Always keep yourself in the perspective that someone did take the time to buy something for you.

 

1. State What the Gift Is!

Not only does it buy you time to think of what to say next, stating the gift as soon as you open it or peep into the bag it’s in is already a way of complimenting it. “Aww, a shirt!” can already let you off the hook.

We do not need to be floored at the sight of the present (though of course it is nice if we are). Just the same, being included in someone’s pasalubong list is already nice – it means you were in that person’s thoughts. Gifts are something, that among many other things, come from the heart first and wallet the second.

 

Then again, you really need not master these tips! Just sweet-talk your loved one to take you to Duty Free Philippines Fiestamall upon arrival. It’s really quite practical to be able to select pasalubongs yourself – you get to choose the shoes you want (that will actually fit and in the color you prefer), get to sample the fragrances and pick what you like best or get to test all the gadgets they have available to find out which will be most useful to you. Your reactions would be genuinely priceless, so it’s a win-win situation!

 

 

Plus, you’ll be amazed on your next visit at how different it looks now from the last time you went. It is quite an upgrade, probably the most extensive they have done, which puts them on par with Duty Free shops abroad. New brands have come in, too, particularly on the fashion, accessories, and chocolates categories, which are never not a hit!

 

 

3 Top Tips on How to Handle Pasalubongs That Didn’t Quite Hit the Mark Like A Pro