Ask HN: Shopping for yourself or someone else online?

I buy ordinary things on Amazon and Walmart for an elderly relative. Cranberry juice and vitamins and picture frames for the grandkids’ artwork. He’d never manage choosing the better deal or non-ripoff shipping, and is nervous about using a credit card online. No worry, pops, I’ve got you covered.

We live in a somewhat remote small town and buy basically everything online, (including occasional grocery delivery, lingering habit from the years of the virus), excepting local meat, eggs, baked goods, etc.

As long as it’s nothing I’d prefer to hide, I’m not sure I would care if they knew Who it was for. Can sort of tell from the shipping address, no?

I'll start: usually shop for myself, plus shop for gifts for others.

I do, however, share links with friends and family when I find something that is an amazing product/service at a good value.

I'd love to tell websites who I am shopping for if it means I'll get better recommendations/have a smoother experience.

> Would you be willing to tell the websites you're shopping on who you are shopping for?

Amazon asks if the purchase is a gift during checkout. I've never told Amazon it was a gift, even if it was. I don't know if they ask for a personal message for the giftee after checking that checkbox though.

Just a play of mind.

If I were buying some NSFW things, I would be happy to tell it's not for me, as the buyings are then used for target ads and I don't want to be retargeted :)

But, when I shop, then mostly for myself. Sometimes for my family. Then it doesn't make sense for me to tell the shops for whom am I buying.