Is it really the thought that counts? Nesmahar Sayed unwraps the issue Thursday night. Twins Sherine and Sherif returned home after celebrating their 21st birthday with their friends. Sherine carried a bucket -- an ordinary bucket otherwise used for washing floors -- coloured white and red, with fur around the edge and wrapped in cellophane. Inside the bucket was a black handbag and two veiling scarves surrounded with multi-coloured shredded paper. Sherif pulled the red ribbon around the black wrapping cloth, inside was another one, this time in red. Nestled inside the inner cloth was the gift: a black wallet. Amal Fawzi, 29, heard the twins' account of the presentation of the gifts and remembered the old days when she had her own theory regarding presents. "When I was young, I was more concerned about the gift itself than the way it was wrapped. Our entire generation was." Back then, the only wrapping option was coloured sheets of paper -- viewed as extravagant, according to Fawzi. "The salesperson always insisted on the price of the whole sheet, no matter how small the gift; so after complaining and bargaining I would end up paying the full LE0.5 for a piece of wrapping paper that I had no need for," Fawzi said. Times have changed, however, and today's prices for gift-wrapping typically range from LE5 to LE35. And Fawzy is just one of many people who would willingly pay this sum without complaint. These prices, however, also require a reconfiguration of gift budgets. "How can I buy a gift for LE50 and then spend another LE35 on wrapping it -- the price of a fancy box?" Fawzi asks. The solution, is to cut down on the value of the gift and indulge in its wrapping, especially if the person receiving the gift had previously offered an extravagantly- wrapped present. "I have no choice but to give a comparably wrapped gift," Fawzi said. This trend, she believes, is just one symptom of an increasingly appearance-obsessed society. And while gift giving is supposed to be an act of generosity, Fawzy can't help but notice that gift-wrapping seems to be more about profit. Hisham Salem, owner of a renowned gift-wrapping shop in Mohandessin said that financial returns are of secondary importance to him, the customer's satisfaction being the greater reward. "I was attracted to the field, and launched the shop with a partner two years ago. It is a happy project. I am sure that we all enjoy business in this field mainly because of the customers' reaction," Salem insists. If the main benefit for gift-wrapping businesses is their customers' happiness, why are the wrappings so expensive? Salem explained that the main reason behind the high prices was that all the materials used are imported. Sameh Amin, one of the first suppliers of gift-wrapping materials in Egypt told the Weekly that the business is a costly one, in large part owing to particularly high duties and taxation, because the imported materials and the wrapping service are classified as luxuries. Amin said that the wrapping business really began to take off during the last four years, noting the proliferation of shops specialised in gifts and their wrapping. The main constraints on the types of materials that suppliers obtain from abroad relate to price and respect for conservative social mores. According to Amin, imports originate chiefly from China, followed by Europe then America. University student Fouad Haiej, 21, who owns a chain of gift shops in Cairo, started out in the business by selling trinkets and wrappings to Agami residents during the summer. The saying "It is the thought that counts" is strikingly at odds with the gift-wrapping trend. Amir, a salesperson at a gift shop, told the Weekly that he once wrapped a gift for LE420 -- and that the present was not even for a specific occasion. Like most trends, it is the novelty of gift-wrapping that makes it so appealing -- for those who can afford it. And although the idea of fancy-wrapping, as well as many of the materials used, is imported, a local counterpart has emerged. Rania Ibrahim, 30, who works from her home so as to be near her children, takes a more indigenous approach. "I make use of Egyptian materials and decorate them with my own designs," she told the Weekly. Although she started her business by dyeing boxes, she now does a brisk trade in gift "buckets" (a bucket costs her LE15 and three hours to prepare). According to Ibrahim, the bucket became popular because its size allows it to accommodate many different types of gifts. By working from home, Ibrahim avoids much of the overhead incurred by her competitors, and can, consequently, offer her service at lower prices. Asked about the latest trends, Ibrahim highlighted the demand for wicker and mesh boxes. Wafaa Abdallah, a Faculty of Science graduate, is another expert gift- wrapper. She and her colleagues listen to upbeat music as they work, giving the endeavour a party-like atmosphere. "I enjoy my work a great deal, and I am always thinking of ways to use new materials in wrapping gifts," Abdallah said. Sales staff learn many of their gift presentation ideas from wrapping material suppliers who now also offer gift-wrapping classes. Some of the most original ideas come from customers, however. Abdallah recounts how she prepared a swimsuit gift putting it in a large gift box filled with juice boxes. Her colleague, Hani Ibrahim, notes that the nature of the gift sometimes dictates the type of wrapping. "For an Easter gift, a customer brought in some small chicks. I put them in a cage, at the bottom of which I scattered coloured shredded paper. Then I decorated it with ribbon," Ibrahim recounts. And although pets have become increasingly popular as gifts, gift wrappers -- female ones in particular -- sometimes refuse to wrap them, out of concern for the welfare of the animals. If a disagreement arises over the kind of wrapping most suited for the gift, Heba, Abdallah's colleague, told the Weekly, "I ask him or her to kindly wrap it elsewhere. We take considerable pride in our work and are eager to maintain our reputation," she said. Although the goal of the service is to produce a few joyful moments, some difficulties leave suppliers and sales personnel less than euphoric. Some suppliers expressed concern about the proliferation of suppliers whose products they believe are of inferior quality. Haiej, however, expressed doubt that purveyors of such goods would survive long. Not that the gift-wrapping business is even sure to last. Amin explains that "suppliers and sellers are currently reducing their profit margin as a result of a recent 30 per cent decline in sales. That cut will only reduce losses by so much, however; I don't know what we will do within the coming three or four years." What colours are most popular in the local market? "That depends on many things," Abdallah told the Weekly, "personal taste, the colour of the gift itself and the occasion. But I would say purple is the colour of choice -- except for Valentine's Day when red and black rule." The marking of holidays foreign to the local culture, like Valentine's Day, has had quite an effect on the business. "For Valentine's Day customers totally indulge financially and creatively; the cost of wrappings reaches a peak. It is the hot season," said Ibrahim. The cost of wrapping increases with accessories added to the wrapping, the additions including "flowers, helium balloons, stick balloons, hearts, small bears and glitter". The basic wrapping items, however, like gift bags, wrapping cloth, gift paper and boxes have a fixed price at all gift shops.
