Why Does Adding Cost Reduce My DIMS SCORE?

We have already received quite a bit of feedback about our organization, site, and service, which we love. Thank You so much! Oftentimes people ask why a DIMS – Does It Make Sense?® Score question is worded the way it is – or scored the way it is. So we created the DIMS SCORE® blog series so we can take you through the journey of thinking that lead to each one of the questions you see in our Gift Surveys today. This post discusses why things like the need for ongoing supplies for a requested gift, reduce a DIMS SCORE®.

Do you need ongoing supplies to be able to continue to enjoy this toy? Will you need a case for this new electronic device? Will you need new shoes to wear with this outfit? These are examples of questions which can reduce a child’s DIMS (Does It Make Sense) Score. We know kids don’t like these questions but because our mission is to help you teach your kids to think before they buy, we feel we have to ask them. We want to point out that the weighting of these questions is such that their negative impact on a DIMS SCORE® is really very minimal. (Yes – some questions are worth more to us than others.) And please understand that we know items that can add cost to a gift, like cases for new electronics, can still be a good idea. Cases protect your investment. But our job is to help kids consider all the components of a purchase. And if you really don’t want to be walking around with a “naked” unprotected new phone, then the cost of that new phone’s case is relevant!

Please understand that we know items that can add cost to a gift, like cases for new electronics, can still be a good idea. Cases protect your investment. But our job is to help kids consider all the components of a purchase. And if you really don’t want to be walking around with a “naked” unprotected new phone, then the cost of that new phone’s case is relevant!

The beauty of our pdf summaries, which are automatically generated when children complete a Gift Survey, is that they illustrate all the math and thinking that kids have gone through – including every single DIMS SCORE® question they answered. So when you receive a pdf you will see exactly how the young person in your life arrived at the decision that the gift they would like might make sense. As your family gets used to the Gifting Sense platform, explain to your kids that they can always discuss a gift that didn’t generate a DIMS SCORE® of 8 or higher with you. That gift still might make sense. Perhaps shoes they need for this outfit can be worn on several other occasions. If ongoing supplies don’t cost that much but can really add to the longevity of a toy, then you might not mind having to buy them right? All we want is for kids to understand the oftentimes the “price” of a gift or experience is just the beginning of it’s true total cost.

If you have any other questions, any at all, as you explore and learn about our site, please write to us. As we have just launched, we know we can improve and expand upon our offering. We are currently collecting development suggestions for Version 2.0 and would love to add your feedback. Help us help you teach your kids to think before they buy – we really believe it’s one of the best gifts you can give them!


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