Do people really think their friends don’t notice re-gifted toiletries?

My mum regifted me a steel tongue drum once. It came with some stickers you had to apply to it for the notes and she had stuck some of them on already. I never mentioned it, she never mentioned it.

She also gave me a free gift she had received when buying jewellery. I got excited when I unwrapped the box, only to find it was a keyring. She'd obviously bought herself some jewellery.

I have a friend, and she really is a friend, of 40 odd years, who buys literally everyone a tub of quality street, but skims off all of hers and her husband's favourites then reseals the tubs. She is blatant and open about it, everyone finds it funny and isn't insulted by it. She is a hilariously funny woman, as tight as anything, but we know her of old and her strange quirks.

I give a normal present plus the free make up samples to the next generation down, all of whom are students and quite pleased to get them.

I wouldn’t mind my parents passing on presents to their friends as, presumably, they would be doing something for my parents in return eg a neighbour currently hands on her magazine each week. It’s all part of human relationships, no?

No. She was a horrid person. She was spiteful to a colleague who had time off after her thirteenth miscarriage, saying she was “swinging the lead”

A pair of hideous earrings was the least she deserved.

I don't understand it either unless it's something really nice. Last year I was given a mini travel kit that you get free on aeroplanes, a fake white company gift set and some out of date lush bath items. I threw the fake white company stuff away because I had no idea what the ingredients were, had to bin the lush stuff because they were so out of date and now have the travel set taking up space. Just give me a bar of dairy milk instead!

I once received a CD from a close friend that she had previously told me her sister had given her. At the time we both agreed it wasn’t our kind of music. I can only assume she was quite stressed that Christmas! Another time a gift I had given someone turned up as a raffle prize at a school event.

I genuinely don’t think they care. I have a friend who has a complete stash of stuff to regift. I bought her son something once & then saw another child open the same gift at his party in front of me. She didn’t care enough to notice.

My stepmother does this..they are normally out of date Avon products aswell

I like Bayliss and Harding.

A friend gave me a gift someone had given her. I kneew because the signed gift card was inside.

One of my old friends used to regift for every occasion. Birthdays, Christmas! It was honestly just complete tat and actually quite insulting. She had clearly gone round the house looking for things to put in a box. I ended up having to take it all to the local tip, as was complete rubbish and I’d accumulated so much.
I’d spend ages looking and thinking about gifts which had meaning. I would much prefer not to receive anything, then a box full of tat which had no thought.

Regift or send to raffle or pop into charity shop: all are good options, don't know why you're being a bit funny about it. I'd rather someone passed it on if they didn't want to use it themselves and I never think any less of someone who clearly thought of me enough to bother bringing me something.
I tend to use up any small items for cracker fillers, stocking fillers or lucky dips. So rather than taking yet another giant tub of chocolate into nursery I'll find loads of mini things like toiletries etc and wrap them all and make a lucky dip instead.

I mean, this just makes you sound like a horrid person really.

Perhaps I'm very unusual, I don't buy Christmas gifts for friends and haven't since high school (in my 40s now). I usually buy for my parents, sister, wife and daughter and a few token other ones which are more 'end of year thank yous' for people like eg daughter's teacher etc, my assistant at work etc.

Also I would much rather receive no gift or one smaller / cheaper gift than a larger / more expensive looking item that is clearly a regift or from a 'present box' type arrangement where the giver has a drawer of items they've bought cheaply, but clearly aren't specifically for anyone. I have an aunt who will send 7 or 8 gifts that end up at the charity shop / for the school fair. I'd much rather a very cheap single gift eg a chocolate orange.

To be fair, I don't think I'd want any of her little samples as a gift either! Best save them for your GP

That’s the way secret Santa works in my experience. You cannot refuse on the basis you don’t like the person whose name you pulled. I guess you could refuse to participate completely but I really enjoy Christmas 🎄🤶

Why do you give gifts to people you don't like? If you haven't got something bad enough to regift do you deliberately go out and spend money on things to upset,insult people? That seems incredibly odd.

Yeah, like a PP, I regift to people I don’t like if it’s something I absolutely won’t use myself.

My favourite was a Secret Santa regift of a pair of hideous earrings to the work bitch. She didn’t even have pierced ears 🤣

I believe the idea of buying gifts is to actually put some thought into giving something the recipient would appreciate.

Well that raises several points, @Fluffyholeysocks The rituals, psychology and etiquette of gift exchanges go back hundreds of years and have been extensively studied. The purpose of gift giving is to maintain a relationship, for various purposes, and the idea behind the gift is to provide something that fulfils an obligation and satisfies the expectations of the recipient.

Clearly these objectives are not achieved on many occasions. And it’s often not true that “it’s the thought that counts”

@MoustachaNatasha your friends don't like you. I would stop all gift exchange. Just tell them you have too much stuff and don't want to take part anymore. I don't have anyone to buy me nice gifts either

This is brilliant!

I stopped buying presents for friends and most of my family years ago. We do experiences instead. We've all got enough stuff.

But I had one friend who uses to regift little samples to some friends that didn't want them. If I don't like a gift I'll donate it or give it away but not as a present.

I would have had to keep that going as long as possible!

Honestly @Pushmepullu imv you have to tell her it’s your worst nightmare and would she mind if you exchange

Just stop doing gifts!