The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

It’s no secret that Cairo traffic is persistently getting
worse by the day. The idea of running errands has become a painful and dreaded
feat, unless you enjoy spending large portions of your day edging past cars,
pedestrians and whatever else the streets throw at you. Occasions for
gift-giving are aplenty and in saving you the trouble of dealing with the
streets the online shopping gateway, thegiftery.com, caters to all occasions
while allowing you to shop from the comfort of home. More importantly, the service
will deliver your chosen gift to its recipient absolutely hassle free.

The Giftery seems to focus mostly on home accessories and
appliances, furniture, and children’s toys, though you would find the
occasional bookstore such as Diwan and a few luxury food outlets – like the
Chocolate Bar and Gourmet. Their list of shops includes locally popular; Monaya
Gallery, The Factory, Kalla and Eklego Design – these are merely the tip of the
iceberg.

The interface is quite simple and straightforward, the homepage
has a search bar for finding a specific gift list, shop or brand, and type of
gift. Main tabs also take you directly to the gift lists or the selection of
shops. Apart from the basic categories mentioned, there is also a section
titled ‘Gifts for Him’, that suggests suitable gifts for men and the ‘Art
Gallery’ that highlights available art pieces.

Generally used for special occasions, one creates their wish
list using items available on the site. For a baby shower, we logged onto the
site by registering – it took no longer than two minutes to do – and by using a
password you access the gift list. Every item was shown with a picture, its
price and indication of how many were still available. All that is required is
a click of a box next to the desired present and then proceed to checkout. The method
was the same whether you select a gift from a list, or go browsing on your own.

Prices on the website varied; items are collected from differing
shops so in a way you are not buying from The Giftery, but rather from the
shops via the website – minus the hassle of the streets. We selected a toy from
The Little Shop that cost 350LE, but overall the prices were inconsistent. Some
choices on the website go lower to 150LE while others jump up to 5000LE; depending
of course on the brand and item. There were two options of paying, either cash
on delivery (someone comes and collects it) or by credit card. You also have
the option to receive the gift at home or as mentioned, ask for it to be
delivered to a designated location. We provided the address of our gift recipient
but not for the cash collection as we opted to use a credit card. We were also
asked to specify the preferred time of delivery. Our shipping cost was no more
than 15LE; however it is subject to change according to the weight and size of
the purchase.

It took our gift two days to arrive there and it did so in a
nicely packed box – prepared and sent out from the shop we’d purchased from. We
found the website to be fast and competent, with no glitches, unnecessary
delays or requirements of reloading the page. Ultimately, the service was effortless
and satisfactory. While the idea of shopping online is not a new one, Cairo was
in dire need of this form of retail and as far as we’re concerned The Giftery
has delivered, literally.