Duluth Pack Leather Valet ($50). When my coworkers come back from lunch, they take their wallets, keys, Blackberries and change out of their wallets and toss them into a heap, on their desks. This leather valet works as a catch-all to keep all of their valuables in one place. No more looking under stacks of paper for the essentials, now they’re all in one place.
DODO Case for iPad/Kindle ($60). I have this case, and I love it. It’s tough enough to take a little bit of a beating. It holds my iPad securely. And it looks like a Moleskine notebook, so it’s discreet.
Tervis Tumbler ($13-$20). My coworkers must drink 50 glasses of water, soda and iced tea per day. This plastic tumbler keeps the drinks cold and limits condensation, so no more drips and cup rings on important documents. And you can personalize the tumblers with college logos, military insignia, or your own photos (campaign tumblers?).
Vinturi Wine Aerators ($39). Do you have an oenophile in your office? You know one of those snobs who actually travels just to taste wine? Buy them this aerator to help their favorite wines reach their full potential.
Pinnacle Golf Balls ($15). Does your Boss love golf? Buy him a box of American made golf balls, and maybe a trip to the range or two. Because for some of the men I know, the best thing about the New Year is that there that much closer to being on the greens.
If you have any other gift ideas (American made or otherwise) for male coworkers, please share them in the comments. And if you’re a guy, please give us some insight into what gifts men like!
Two of these gifts are under $20, and the others could be found for lower prices. Some people are almost required (for decorums sake) to buy their bosses nice gifts. Before I came to the Hill, each employee was expected to buy the business's owner a gift in the $50-$75 range. If you're looking to spend in the $5-$10 range, it's probably better just to bake something or buy a bottle of wine/liquor than give something cheaply made.
Ha, if you have a coworker that is that much of a wine snob, then they probably have an aerator already! Sometimes a nice gift for a wino is a nice set of wine stoppers (I feel like you can never have enough of those).
Who in the world spends this much money on a coworker???
Just ordered Tervis mugs with school logos. Great idea!
Not to mention if the office does a secret santa or something where you're expected to spend more money, on one person. Thanks for the great ideas! Love love love the made in USA component, too.
Belle, I may be showing my age, but, when I entered the workforce, it was pretty much considered taboo to give a gift to your boss. Now that I am a boss, if my team got together as a group and got me a gift, I wouldn't have a problem with it. Gifts from individuals would make me feel as though they were trying to “curry favor”, somehow.
Have things really changed?
I worked for a small company, and it was made clear to everyone that the Boss expected a gift. I think most offices do group gifts. My Hill office did. We used to get my Boss DVD boxed sets, that was a good gift cuz he spent half his life on a plane.
I am a sommelier and teach wine classes at a local wine school — and am asked All. The. Time. about those wine aerators — in my opinion, they're a waste of money. Many wines that most folks drink don't need to be 'aerated,' and the same effect can be achieved by decanting the wine (Riedel makes great glasses & decanters from affordable to pricey), and a decanter or nice glasses can be used for all kinds of wine — from boxed to super spendy. So from a professional – a decanter or some nice stemware is a MUCH better gift/investment than one of those faddish aerators.