What to give a personal trainer?

November 5, 2007 8:47 AM

What should I give my personal trainer for Christmas?

She is a wonderful trainer and I want to reward her spectacularly. Last year I gave her a certificate for dinner for two at a great local restaurant. This year I want to do better than that. She is in her 30's, married, no children. We live in a relatively small city in Montana.

posted by tzuzie to Shopping (13 answers total)

Give her business! Refer your friends to her.
posted by ian1977 at 8:52 AM on November 5, 2007

Best answer: Cash. Nearly all gifts, especially those between people who don't know one another well, result in deadweight loss. Unless your trainer has asked for a very specific present she would like you to buy for her (and not just "it would be really nice to have a new purple widget"), you are unlikely to get her something that she would enjoy as much as she will enjoy the cash. You are her employer, she is your employee, and the best way to reward her is by paying her a lot of money. I know it feels crass, but that's what she really wants from you, I promise, and she'll appreciate it more than anything that will make you feel better.
posted by decathecting at 9:02 AM on November 5, 2007

Nthing cash.
posted by hermitosis at 9:03 AM on November 5, 2007

Gift certificate for massage/spa treatment? Perhaps a lift ticket or season pass to a ski resort? An iTunes gift certificate so she can beef up her workout music? A gift certificate to Title 9 Sports? A nice pair of snowshoes?
posted by cior at 9:06 AM on November 5, 2007

Best answer: Dinner's pretty great.

A letter from you, with permission to quote you if she ever chooses to advertise that way.

Hey! I just looked at your web site -- maybe include a small keepsake made by you? A bracelet? Or a simple little bag, with money inside.
posted by amtho at 9:19 AM on November 5, 2007

decathecting - I'm pretty sure that article is satirical. The dismissal of the joy of giving/surprise of receiving at the end is what tipped me off.
posted by amtho at 9:20 AM on November 5, 2007

I'm giving my personal trainer a gift certificate for a massage.
posted by hazyspring at 9:26 AM on November 5, 2007

I've given mine cash.
posted by spec80 at 9:29 AM on November 5, 2007

a donut.
posted by Stynxno at 9:36 AM on November 5, 2007 [1 favorite]

The article may be; I'll confess, I only skimmed it. The study upon which it is based is not. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a copy of the study that wasn't behind a JSTOR paywall.
posted by decathecting at 10:29 AM on November 5, 2007

Response by poster: Cash it will be. In a hand beaded bag....personal and useful. Thanks!
posted by tzuzie at 11:24 AM on November 5, 2007

If you want something slightly less crass than cash, you could always give something cash-like to a store that most people visit at least occasionally (here in Seattle a Starbucks card is usually the norm; if you're in a small town, maybe iTunes would also work pretty well).

Then again, who can say no to cash? :)
posted by stilly at 2:18 PM on November 5, 2007

Nth-ing cash. As someone in a similar business, I get tons of gift certificates every year, and while I appreciate the thought, they make problematic gifts unless people give me certificates to businesses I patronize constantly. With gift certificates to other businesses, I always either have money left over or have to shell out a few of my own dollars to use the certificate.
posted by freshwater_pr0n at 5:20 PM on November 5, 2007