MOTHER OF INVENTION Suburban mom Kathi Baginski immediately hits up Target’s jewelry section to find a gift for the bride-to-be.

Shopper No. 1

Kathi Baginski at Target (2939 W Addison St, 773-604-7681) A suburban mother of two adult kids (including TOC features editor Laura Baginski) and now a grandmother, Kathi’s got years of gift-giving under her purse; we restricted her to the Land of the Red Bull’s-Eye. Kathi says she’s used to shopping for strangers—in past years, she’s bought Christmas gifts for entire families in need. The cardinal rule, she explains, is: “Buy people what they like, not what you want them to like.” To help accomplish that, do your homework; if you don’t know the recipient very well, “ask a store clerk who’s about the same age.” That strategy works for people a generation older than you, as well as younger: “These days, you see store clerks in their seventies.”

Kathi wants to get the bride something she won’t receive for her wedding, so she quickly chooses a Mossimo nylon jade-and-purple purse ($16.99), silver earrings ($5.99) and a headband ($5.99). “I’m not into buying clothes for people I don’t know. I only have a 50-50 success rate with my own daughter,” she says with a shrug. For the teen, Kathi’s first instinct is a digital-picture frame, but they’re too expensive. She quickly opts for a Leadsinger II iPod karaoke adapter ($39.99). “Kids all love karaoke,” she says. Two thirds done, and she’s only been pushing a cart for 18 minutes.

She considers Andrew, who likes to camp, the toughest to buy for. Shying away from camping gear (“you don’t know what he’s got already”), she looks for an insulated vest. From Target’s wide selection, she settles on the most “urban”—a slick black number with a silver interior ($30). The lady sure is efficient: She spends $99 in 40 minutes.

The verdicts
Andrew “I don’t like it at all. It’s polyester, and it’s too urban-chic.”
Lauren “An awesome gift. I would love to plug in my iPod and sing along to the songs I choose.”
Rachel “The shapes and colors are a little too funky-chunky-’80s. I would probably regift these items.”