Bringing a present on a first date? Trying to compenate for a lack of personality?
Be playful, tease her, and more importantly take the lead in anything you decide to do. The purpose of a date is to have fun and to get to know each other. No gimmicks needed.
The two Russian women I had the best time with both got small presents on the first date with me. Their squeals of joy were quite loud.
I’m not talking about something expensive. Less than the cost of a drink. The only thing is that you do something that demonstrates that you were looking forward to seeing her. And if she is unimpressive, don’t give it to her. But if you do like her, why not say, “I picked up a little something I hope you’ll like” and see what happens. If you’d buy her a drink, why wouldn’t you buy her something cheaper that will make her smile and remember you as “the guy who did something different.”
Both women said years later that that made a big (and positive) impression. And quite possibly knocked out someone who was handsomer than me.
I know you didn’t mean it bchad, well, at least I hope you didn’t…
But when I read “squeals of joy”, I was like “What are we, dolphins???”
Still sceptical… Can you give an example of the gift w/out outing yourself?
I’d still go with “no gift”… Just to be safe
I don’t think of dates as dolphins, but it was a very distinctive sound.
I think they were both edible presents and I pulled them out at dessert time. It was a while back so I don’t remember the details. One was a sampler of gourmet chocolates. The other was a small tart from a gourmet pastry shop. There were other outings where I got something, but the woman didn’t impress me or it was clear I didn’t impress her so I ended up eating them myself afterwards.
I’ve shown up with a flower at times, but never on a first date. And no, I don’t always have a present, but I do like to throw one in from time to time, just as a surprise.
One of the Russian women later confessed that she didn’t actually like my gift very much, but she loved that I made the gesture.
I like big posteriori and I cannot lie…
I know you don’t. Just stating my reacition to the phrase you used.
Gotcha! Though maybe I should bring some fresh Mackerel or Pike next time on a date. 
This
Go with Herring
I agree with krnyc2008. Giving gifts before you get to know a girl is a sign of whimpiness.
It’s a good thing you’re tall, good looking and dark (no homo) because that kind of game for an average person wouldn’t fly.
I don’t think it would work with anyone.
The goal of first date is to get to know each other’s personalities, and see if you look at life through same glasses (prisms?) so to speak. And this whole “she impresses me, she gets the gift” tactic seems… condescending.
No offense Bchad - I am sure that wasn’t your intention.
Russian chicks are simple: do all the chivalrous stuff the lesbo feminists told you not to do growing up in the United States and Russian women will love you. Watch out though, odds are they don’t use birth control. Make sure to pull and shoot.
Look, the date boils down to how you make her feel. The small gift is simply a powerful method of making someone feel special if you want them to. It’s nothing more than that. If you are cynically calculating whether a little something extra is going to get you a shot at her kitty or not, then you are probably lost before you start. If you simply say that you were looking forward to the evening and picked up a little something that you hope she will enjoy, it makes her feel more important. And that’s a nice thing to make her feel toward the end of the evening. If you leave the impression that this is just some kind of PUA tactic, then it’s not going to have that effect. If you are clueless and she’s not already responding to you, then presenting something isn’t likely going to change anything but if things are going well, it can make it even better.
My main point about it is that Russian women seemed especially appreciative of this gesture, probably because it feeds I to their expectations (or fairy tales, as Ivan Drago called them) of how a gentleman should act.
Bchad, you remind me of a trader that refuses to cut his losses…or the trader that says “told you so” on a trade that works only 30% of the same.
You’re usually spot on but not in this case. It happens.
Every russian women I met randomly at a pub or bar usually claims they are medical doctors back in the old country, and that they are taking some nursing exam in brooklyn.
As new immigrants they often cannot afford going back to med school (and it’s required even if you completed degree elsewhere) in US, because (besides school being rediculously expensive) they need to earn money right away. Nursing becomes to be the second best option.
Actually it doesnt seem like PUA at all, just the opposite. It seems like you cant get a chick any other way than by showering her with gifts. Most chicks pick up on that pretty quickly and even if they dont move on, they are already ingrained with the impression that homeboy is a little whimpy.
Whatever. I’m not showering the chick with gifts. It’s four friggin bits of chocolate with perhaps a ribbon on it. All it says is that you took a moment beforehand to plan something unexpected for your evening, and women like that.
If anything I’m saving money because I end up buying fewer drinks for the women I like. I’m both saving money and getting results.
Anyway, it doesn’t matter. You guys are slaying every night anyway. I don’t need to anymore.
I agree with former trader and others that bchad’s approach doesn’t seem like it would work, and truth is, for 99% of men it would result in epic fail. But we all know bchad is an outlier in many regards (WWBCD?) so I’m willing to take him at his word that he’s done well with this counter-intuitive approach. It could also be that bchad succeeds in spite of this mishap for other reasons.
For the rest of us, the appropriate weighting when dealing with women is more Skittles Man, less bchad (no offense).