Farewell gift from work - best and worst

This is a bit off-piste but I worked in a school around 15 years ago, just for a year temporary. At the end of the year, I left alongside a woman who had been there about 30 years, let’s call her Anna, but the head teacher had really turned on her and basically pushed her out, made her last year or so living hell.
No formal collection was done for us, but a couple of nights before our last day, we went out for tea after work with a bunch of staff who we got on well with, we’d all clubbed together to buy Anna a handbag, and they bought me some lovey flowers and wine. It was a really nice evening.
Anyway fast forward two days to our final day, and final assembly, where the head teacher wanted to do a bit of a leaving fuss for Anna. She went around all the classrooms asking who had done a collection for Anna and who had her gift, as she wanted to take it to present it to Anna in the assembly. One of the other teachers told her we’d already given Anna her gift at the pub the other night. I’ll just throw in here as well that the head teacher hasn’t contributed to Anna’s gift, or mine. Apparently the head was furious, saying “well what am I supposed to present her with in assembly? This is mortifying!” and the teacher she was talking to awkwardly pointed out that they didn’t realise that was the heads intentions, the collection had been done by the teachers and they wanted to give it to Anna in a personal setting, they hadn’t realised the head was going to make a fuss of her in assembly etc. Anyway in the end, the head went in another teachers room, saw a lovely bouquet of flowers that one of the pupils had bought (it was last day of the year so children often bring gifts for their teacher) and demanded she take the flowers and present them to Anna in assembly.
The whole thing was just a mess, she got Anna up in assembly and gave her the flowers that were meant to be for someone else, she said loads of fake lovely words about her, even though everyone knew she had treated her horribly over the last year and essentially pushed her out of her job. And even though I’d been there a year and it was my last day too, there was no mention of me whatsoever 🤣

I’m due to retire after nearly 40 years - I expect I’ll get a well meant generic ‘gift basket’ because I’ve worked remotely for most of that time and although I’ve got some lovely colleagues they don’t really know what I’d like, which is a bit sad.

The worst retirement gift I can think of was DHs uncle who was given a briefcase. It might have been useful when he was working but no use at all as he’d stopped. He gave it to DH so it wasn’t totally wasted but it seemed incredibly thoughtless.

Best gift was a large vase and 4 x fancy cocktail glasses and 4 x fancy champagne flutes, I left that job 18 years ago still use them now.

Worst gift was that I got nothing.

Worked there 12 years. Got absolutely nothing from my department, although two of my friends there gave me a bottle of champagne separately. I was gutted that they just let me go (leaving for another job, not fired or anything!) without so much as a card.

An enormous bouquet of flowers and a bottle of champagne was the daftest.

I had been telling EVERYONE for weeks that I was going straight from work to Heathrow and onto a long haul flight! The flowers went to the lady in the shop next door, and the champagne was carefully bubble wrapped and squeezed into my hold luggage. Fortunately it survived ok and we drank it in Zanzibar!

(I actually received them whilst stood next to my suitcase…and yet they still didn’t twig!)

If it’s not too outing do you mind if I ask if this happened around 2007 in Edinburgh?

Worst was a fluffy Gromit backpack. I was 26! Took it back and bought some Chanel eyeshadow instead

Best was when they had a whip round and a colleague took me to Selfridges to choose something, I picked a red Vivienne Westwood purse that I still have 15 years later

My role in a big company was to be the link between many depts so my collection was impressive. I’d been there about 10 months but got a silver necklace with a diamond chip (completely my style/beautiful), massive bouquet and a pair of Darlington Crystal wine glasses. I moved to newspapers and when a reporter left the local paper to be a tabloid “3am girl” the editor bought her an expensive and lovely dictionary… she was terrible at spelling but was tall, slim and pretty (apparently that was what the Mirror was after for their celeb journalists because she couldn’t write). Editor thought it was a lovely gift but the 22 year old party girl was confused and we were all rather bemused by the choice. He wasn’t allowed to buy future presents 😂

After 20 years in a medical clinic as a professional I got one of those big bottles with plants in. At the time I didn't think much of it but now it's vast and has turned into a rainforest. I haven't watered it all this tim. it is an eco system all by itself as long as you keep the bottle sealed. I do get a lot of pleasure in it.

Worst because it just was so not what I like. They gave me a bottle of reisling, my least favourite wine by a long shot, and we had Black Forest cake, again my least favourite (hate cooked fruit, and hate fruit and chocolate). I hadn’t been there that long so it was nice they did anything tbh. What would have been funny, and what I was half expecting, was if my boss had given me an alarm clock as I was consistently five minutes late (I’d have been five minutes late even if I lived in the building).
The best was a very generous gift voucher to an interiors shop, the kind full of beautiful things that you can never justify buying for yourself. Really enjoyed that and have a couple things on display that I bought there that I love looking at.

My husband was given a solid wooden chopping board/bread board that is still going atrong nearly 30 years later.

A kind but ultimately useless gift! I had a £200 hotel voucher given at the Christmas before lockdown that had a two year warranty. It was extended by 6 months after lockdown but I was unable to go anywhere as I had ill parents at that point. Still makes me sad now!

I worked at a big beauty company that owned loads of prestige brands. When I left for mat leave each brand gifted me a bag of their bestselling products - I was kitted out for a good 2 years! And lord knows I needed them on mat leave

I never got any. I don't think anyone I know did unless they were retiring.
Actually one woman was given an iPod. She was over the moon. But her new job only lasted a few months when the place went bust.

My best was a specially designed and 3D printed globe with a picture of my special product I'd developed on it. Its just a little sphere on a rough wooden base with LEDs attached (so it lights up) but it meant the world to me that the guys had taken the time to make it for me

I've always been really touched by mine.

Personally I'd rather they weren't a thing, I begrudge feeling obliged to contribute and I'm dreadful at thinking of ideas when I need to buy one.

Then I feel bad when they come up with something perfect for me.

At my last job they gave me £250 😮 voucher or a shop selling equipment for my hobby and previously I've had an expensive piece of equipment for the same hobby and hospitality tickets for an event they knew I loved.

Best - a decent rucksack at the end of my placement year. I'd only been there a year (obviously) so didn't expect much, but that rucksack not only saw me through to the end of university but lasted another 15 years.
Worst - nothing

Worked there for a year and a half
Regularly had to pay for childcare to cover shifts last minute so earnt basically nothing

A bunch of flowers

I'm allergic to flowers and they knew this

Also have an ongoing saga where they will not give me my portion of the tips for the last 7 months of work

Vouchers - a couple for weekend aways. Once strangely at Summer Job that I was at for three month a designer handbag and a voucher for a bookshop. That was a bit of a shock and I did not know the majority of people who signed the card.

It is rare that anyone leaves the place I work now but if they retire/leave we get them a voucher for a particular chain of hotels and take them out for a meal.

The last place I left got me a voucher for a jewellery workshop.. I went and made a silver ring of my own design. I loved it.

Best - a digital photo frame when they were a thing
Worst - nothing 🤣

£50 Love to Shop voucher, chocolates and an equestrian magazine which was very thoughtful.

Another place gave me £50 money which I used for buying a horserug!

A collection that was donated to a charity of my choice. I hate presents and that was respected which is the greatest present

Best - I work a lot with maps and historic photos of land use. Before the age of Google maps, I left a job and was given a book of aerial photos of the whole uk.

Worst - a handbag. I’ve never used a handbag. I think the lady who did the whip round was probably trying to “girlyfy” me. It was a nice colour. Dark red, i’ll give them that.

I'll never forget the woman on here a few years ago who was apparently given a 'wand' that was claimed to cost about £100, so all the money in her collection, but was visually indistinguishable from a stick that a dog or child might pick up in the woods.

Unfortunately I don't think there was ever any explanation as to whether it was a gag gift and she was eventually given her proper gift or if someone had been ripped off somewhere, but on the face of it, it appeared that someone had thought that it was a good leaving gift for that poster.