OK, DH gave me the usual this year. Victoria's Secret undies, 2 bras and a set of Narnia books. I got a few other small things I was happy with, but I pretty much ran to the mall yesterday to return the books and the VS stuff and he was really mad at me.
First, VS stuff is good quality and lasts forever if you take care of it. He always gets me undies so I have plenty. All the same colors too - BORING! I'm picky about bras and he picked the wrong kind and I don't need them right now. At $45 each I'd rather have the cash, thank you. And since I had to go there anyway, I returned the undies for different colored ones.
Second, when I heard that the Lion the Witch & the Wardrobe was coming to theatres I was all excited and wanted to read the books and wanted to see the movie. So, I got the first book from the library and read it. I always read a lot but never this book. I assumed I would like it but I was dissapointed. I never told him that, so he thought I would like the books. He spent $55 on a hardcover set. Now I know I saw a paperback set at Target for $18, so even if I still wanted the books, I would rather have the paperback and $35 in my pocket to spend elsewhere.
He said he spent 3 hours shopping for this stuff that he thought I would like and was offended that I took it all back the next day. Well, I'm working all this week so I had to go to the mall yesterday or wait until the weekend, and I was hoping to get some good sales, which I did. I got 2 tops and new jeans for $50.
So my question is this - When you give a gift, you want to give something the person will like, right? If you get someone a gift that they don't like or don't need or don't want, wouldn't you want them to return it and get what they want? Especially if they could get a better price on it and then get themselves something else with the difference? I understand that when you get a gift you don't like, you should be polite and say thank you. But this is my DH. We share the same household and budget. To accept $150 in gifts I don't want/need right now is just nuts. He meant well, and usually he would have been right on. I love VS and he had no clue that I changed my mind on the books. We took a trip to WDW earlier this year and decided we would only get a few things for each other. To keep that much stuff I didn't want would really bother me.
When I buy gifts I try to get something I know the recipient will like or need. I bought my grandpa a new dustbuster because his broke. Not exciting, but he loved it! We often buy Pyrex for family members. It's useful and not too exciting, but at least it won't sit on a shelf and gather dust and then end up in the garbage. I use Pyrex almost every day. I'd rather get stuff I know people will use. DH's mom likes Christmas decorations so she buys us Christmas stuff. I have no use for it, but I could use a new frying pan. I smile and put the stuff in a box in the basement. I can't keep up with the laundry, never mind re-decorating the house for 3 weeks during the busiest time of the year, lol. I know she means well, but I know she spent her time and $ buying something that she would like, not something that I would like. I just can't wrap my brain around that. We used to buy her snowglobes and all that kind of junk. This year we bought her a snowblower. It was pricey but at least it was practical. She never would have bought it for herself. And it's better than us going to shovel her driveway, lol!
So, what do you guys think? Do you buy gifts that you would like to get, or gifts that you think the recipient would like? Are you offended if the recipient returns it? It's the thought that counts, but you can't read people's minds. You can't be close to everyone and always know what people will like. You can't assume that they will like what you like, or what you think they will like. I'm sure some people we gave Pyrex were disappointed. I would hope they returned it and got something they liked. Would you feel guilty if you returned a gift that you didn't like?
First, VS stuff is good quality and lasts forever if you take care of it. He always gets me undies so I have plenty. All the same colors too - BORING! I'm picky about bras and he picked the wrong kind and I don't need them right now. At $45 each I'd rather have the cash, thank you. And since I had to go there anyway, I returned the undies for different colored ones.
Second, when I heard that the Lion the Witch & the Wardrobe was coming to theatres I was all excited and wanted to read the books and wanted to see the movie. So, I got the first book from the library and read it. I always read a lot but never this book. I assumed I would like it but I was dissapointed. I never told him that, so he thought I would like the books. He spent $55 on a hardcover set. Now I know I saw a paperback set at Target for $18, so even if I still wanted the books, I would rather have the paperback and $35 in my pocket to spend elsewhere.
He said he spent 3 hours shopping for this stuff that he thought I would like and was offended that I took it all back the next day. Well, I'm working all this week so I had to go to the mall yesterday or wait until the weekend, and I was hoping to get some good sales, which I did. I got 2 tops and new jeans for $50.
So my question is this - When you give a gift, you want to give something the person will like, right? If you get someone a gift that they don't like or don't need or don't want, wouldn't you want them to return it and get what they want? Especially if they could get a better price on it and then get themselves something else with the difference? I understand that when you get a gift you don't like, you should be polite and say thank you. But this is my DH. We share the same household and budget. To accept $150 in gifts I don't want/need right now is just nuts. He meant well, and usually he would have been right on. I love VS and he had no clue that I changed my mind on the books. We took a trip to WDW earlier this year and decided we would only get a few things for each other. To keep that much stuff I didn't want would really bother me.
When I buy gifts I try to get something I know the recipient will like or need. I bought my grandpa a new dustbuster because his broke. Not exciting, but he loved it! We often buy Pyrex for family members. It's useful and not too exciting, but at least it won't sit on a shelf and gather dust and then end up in the garbage. I use Pyrex almost every day. I'd rather get stuff I know people will use. DH's mom likes Christmas decorations so she buys us Christmas stuff. I have no use for it, but I could use a new frying pan. I smile and put the stuff in a box in the basement. I can't keep up with the laundry, never mind re-decorating the house for 3 weeks during the busiest time of the year, lol. I know she means well, but I know she spent her time and $ buying something that she would like, not something that I would like. I just can't wrap my brain around that. We used to buy her snowglobes and all that kind of junk. This year we bought her a snowblower. It was pricey but at least it was practical. She never would have bought it for herself. And it's better than us going to shovel her driveway, lol!
So, what do you guys think? Do you buy gifts that you would like to get, or gifts that you think the recipient would like? Are you offended if the recipient returns it? It's the thought that counts, but you can't read people's minds. You can't be close to everyone and always know what people will like. You can't assume that they will like what you like, or what you think they will like. I'm sure some people we gave Pyrex were disappointed. I would hope they returned it and got something they liked. Would you feel guilty if you returned a gift that you didn't like?
and have never returned one.
