Is this a service you would use?

[wildwildsouth]

I've inherited quite a bit of money and am planning to open my own business within the next couple of years. I have a few ideas but this one I feel is genius. However, people I speak to in real life about it don't seem that impressed.

My idea is a shop that does wrapping. It would sell lots of wrapping paper, sellotape, scissors etc but on top of that it would offer a wrapping service.

So someone could come in one gift and ask to have it wrapped really nicely with ribbons and bows etc. Or someone could come in with their full Christmas presents needing wrapped. Maybe the ones they have for their kids from Santa, they might choose just a basic wrap which would cost less etc.

There would be trolleys etc near the entrance for people with lots of things needing wrapped.

Is that a service you would use?

If it was a really insta worthy service you might reach a certain demographic that way.
Remember there are people who will pay for someone to decorate their house and trees for Christmas, but its really spectacular. And to be honest they probably already don't wrap their gifts themselves.

I would as I’m money rich but time poor.

The only issue I could see if though you’d be super busy at Christmas but not at any other time

As a pp said, I'd be interested in a store which sold a wide variety of sustainable/environmentally friendly wrapping products (paper/bows/bags), including eco-friendly sticky tape. I like wrapping and would be happy to do this part myself.
It's very difficult to find eco-friendly wrapping supplies, especially when you're in a hurry. Being able to take my pick from supplies that were ALL eco-friendly would be excellent.
I'd also like the idea of a drop-off point for all old wrapping (after birthdays and especially Christmas) where the materials would be recycled. I don't know about other areas, but my council can't handle wrapping supplies unless there isn't a scrap of sticky tape left on the paper. As that doesn't usually happen, it ends up in landfill.

It's a lovely idea and I might use it very occasionally. I can't see it being a money spinner though. People won't make a special trip to get a gift wrapped so you'd have to be somewhere near lots of other shops.

Perhaps it's a service you could incorporate into another type of shop EG a fancy bits type gift shop or a coffee shop where busy mums could come and put their feet up and chat whilst their Christmas shopping got wrapped for them.

Absolutely. At Christmas there's a charity that sets a stall up doing exactly this in the shopping centre.

Not sure how much traction you'd get the rest of the year but at the holidays it's very useful.

No, I'd worry you'd get the gifts mixed up. It's too much hassle to take things to another shop. If I want things gift wrapped I'll either get it done in the shop at time of purchase or do it myself.

You could set up an online shop selling wrapping material and see where you go from there?

Just google gift wrapping services, there are a few existing ones.

Even without an actual store, one has a minimum of 15 gifts , the other a minimum order of £75...

Nope.

I’m wealthy, we could afford it, but there’s no way I’d box up all the presents, travel to you, and hang around while you wrap.

In any event we now mainly use gift bags/wrap things in colourful fabric etc, as wrapping paper and ribbons are so wasteful. So everything gets reused year after year.

Conceivably if there was a service where somebody came to my home with all the wrapping stuff and did it? Even better if they also worked out which toys need batteries and could provide those! But even then it’s unlikely to be something I’d bother with.

I wouldn't but I know at GCs schools Christmas Fayre they do it and it seems popular. Can't remember what they charge.

I think it might depend on your area.

To cut down on the effort significantly just withdraw your inheritance as cash and then set fire to it in your garden.

I could imagine very occasionally using it but I'm not a wrapping enthusiast. I struggle to believe you'd have enough demand, all year round, to cover costs.

That said I do know quite a few (financially comfortable) people who take wrapping as seriously as the present itself who might.

I can more see the upmarket wrapping supplies and stationary but those are relatively well catered for in my opinion so it would depend on location to capture people.

Out of interest for the wrapping service do you have a price point in mind?

No I hate all the waste of wrapping paper and plastic bows etc. I think people are turning away from this kind of consumerism anyway.

It sounds like it might work for people obsessed with posting all their presents on Instagram though. But you'd probably have to go to them and make a nice display.

At Christmas there's a charity that sets a stall up doing exactly this in the shopping centre.

yes, with volunteers working to raise money for charity...

@RandomMess

It would be a lot of hassle traipsing gifts to your location then have to go back and pick them up.

No

Gift wrap at point of sale is different. But a gift wrap shop sounds mad.

It’s a really great idea!! Lots of thought and creativity behind it however - especially - at the moment - people haven’t got the money for this kind of luxury. Xxx

So imagine a shopping centre at Christmas. 1,000 shoppers finish at the same time and descend on your shop. How many staff will you employ? How long will each package take to wrap?

Honestly, OP, it's one of the daftest ideas I've seen on here

No I would not use this service at all, also big malls usually have this service offered around Xmas season. Usually run bu charities so they money goes to a cause.
I can only see this working with very well off people where you go to their houses and wrap all the presents for the occasion. Extravagant or themed, proper over the top.

I made a go at something similar about 5 years ago. I wasn’t working and did some wrapping for busy mums and dads at home

Honestly it was a total fail and yielded very little compared to how much time it took to orchestrate and execute. People had to gather everything and drop off or have ready for pick up, they had to label everything as to who it was for so I could wrap different children’s gifts in different paper or label for one off gifts to family or friends, and drop off or collection had to be around set times so kids wouldn’t see them which led to a lot of lost time when plans changed for them

Big bulk orders are the only way to make any money to make it worth while and even then it’s not a lot. I never bothered after that Christmas

Sorry but I don't think it would do too well. Obviously depends on location aswell but I think that the only time of year it would perhaps make anything would be Christmas and I doubt it would make it enough to be viable all year round.

If it was a shop also selling other stuff, so maybe a gift shop or similar then it might do better but just wrapping etc I wouldn't personally use

Definitely not, and I think with the focus now on wasteful environmental practices I think you might find you're out of step, unless you had an eco-friendly slant to it.

People wouldn't want to carry their gifts to you to wrap, then have to take them home again. You'd get people coming to have a gift they'd bought then and there wrapped, but only organised people who plan things like this. And so much shopping online... all those folk would then have to come to you with the gift... no.

I DO think there's a market for eco friendly wrapping products, especially very beautiful interesting ones made of natural materials, and I think you could make up 'gift sets' of matching paper, ribbon/strong/tags etc to sell online.

No sorry.

A lot of places offer wrapping services now when you buy.

No way would I be packing the car, dragging a load of gifts into a shop, leaving them, having them wrapped and then coming back and collecting. Easier to wrap them myself

And for one off gifts I’d just do it myself as it’s easier.

Plus the cost. For me it’s a no op.

This would be what I’d consider a bolt in service.

You sell gifts and offer a wrapping service as at a small fee but it wouldn’t be your main income.

As to doing it in a shop, nah. This would be a mobile service. One you’d probably offer along with picking up dry cleaning etc.

I might, in a specific circumstance where I was picking up a present a bit late, saw your shop on the high street, and nipped in to save time.
But I wouldn’t use it regularly for lots of presents.