Duties

The work of a gift wrapper is focused on the following duties:

• Wrap and bag each package in a professional manner and in accordance with specified guidelines.
• Remove price tag from packaged products and include gift receipts in wrapping.
• Clearly organized and store wrapped packages in gift wrap holding area, as assigned.
• Train other staff on how to efficiently wrap gifts for customers.
• Research trends in home design or fashion; keep up-to-date on creative ways to provide gift wrapping services for specific occasions and events through the year

Day in the life

A typical day for a gift wrapper at a big retailer or store, starts with sorting through online and client orders as assigned. Then, getting the appropriate supplies together and the stationary items needed to complete every wrapping order – e.g. sharp scissors, sheets of wrapping paper, double-sided tape and boxes or gift bags. To be a professional gift wrapper, an aspiring candidate practices wrapping gifts quickly and efficiently. On a daily basis, a gift wrapper pays attention to the smallest detail and treats every wrapping order as a little work of art.

It is the gift wrapper’s job to decide when it is appropriate to use double stick tape or bubble wrap or artfully create bows. Certain orders contain fragile and irregularly shaped items, which have to be treated accordingly. Inventiveness when it comes to working with different textures, patterns and colours is what helps a good gift wrapper stand apart from the competition.

Work schedule and typical hours

As a gift wrapper, one has to work a seven-day week and all year round. Usually, store working hours are 10 am – 9 pm on weekdays and 12 pm – 6 pm on weekends. Work hours vary within or outside store hours, including evenings or weekends when needed. The demand is high when there are festive occasions such as Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Thanksgiving or any other holiday.

In addition to working at retail stores, gift wrappers work extra hours by providing private gift wrapping services or running gift wrapping courses. Many gift wrappers do this work part-time, in combination with other retail positions.

Growth of the job

The demand for packaging professionals like gift wrappers is expected to rise, with 47,930 new jobs to be filled by 2018. Most gift wrapping jobs are dependent on holidays when profits can be made, thus very few gift wrappers do so on a full-time basis. Job outlook is favorable if your gift wrapping business has a unique selling proposition to differentiate your services from the rest of the competition.

Typical employers

Typical employers of gift wrappers include departmental, floral and retail stores – for instance, Harrods, Neiman Marcus, Hallmark, etc. Often retail stores offer seasonal positions during the holiday season, which can start out at salaries close to the minimum wage. Many professional gift wrappers are employed at gift-wrapping services or establish their independent business.