As the holidays get closer, and you start to think about gift giving, you might want to explore the website From Everyone:

How it works: An organizer goes online to From Everyone and selects the store and creates the group. The service then e-mails everyone in the group, collects the money, and sends the gift.

Contribution amounts are private and all the time-consuming coordination is handled for you. People in the group benefit from the convenience of the service, and the recipient benefits from the group gift! From Everyone even wraps the gift for you. The service is simple, uncluttered, and efficient.

The list of participating stores is pretty extensive and covers a wide-range of industries. You can learn about the companies supported here.