Why Doesn’t Total Cost Impact DIMS SCOREs?
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 DIMS SCOREs are not directly impacted by Cost Per Use of an item or the Total Cost of an experience.
People often assume that if something costs less, it makes more sense to buy it. Why spend more than you have to? Why spend more indeed? But the cost summaries seen throughout our site, and in the pdf we generate for our users at the end of every Gift Survey, are provided for information only. DIMS SCOREs are not directly impacted by the Cost-Per-Use or Wear of an item, or the Total Cost of an experience? Why? Because quite simply, we know that every family has their own threshold for what they think is a lot, or a little, amount of money.
DIMS (Does It Make Sense) Scores are directly impacted by what we have tried to identify as more fundamental components to thoughtful gift spending. These include questions like how often will you really use and enjoy an item and ensuring that you have factored in all the attendant costs to a purchase, such as the cost of new shoes that may be required for a new dress, or a new case for a new electronic device.
The pdf summaries, which are automatically generated when children complete a Gift Survey, illustrate all the math and thinking that kids have gone through. So when you receive a pdf you will know exactly how much the young person in your life is asking you to spend. But the DIMS (Does It Make Sense) Score is not impacted by that dollar amount. Our goal is to ensure that the amount being shown to you is as representative and complete as possible. But the decision as to whether or not that amount of money makes sense for your family – is yours alone – as it should be.
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!
