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

I agree I don’t like regifting and put thought in to presents I give friends and family. A member of my family does it and it’s so obvious the present has been stashed in a cupboard for months with no thought and is a generic item. The ONLY time I use high end small samples or an unused candle is when school need gifts for raffles/tombolas

YABU if you continue with this farce. Either regift them toiletries (or other crap) or stop exchanging presents.

Agree about environmental impact and just posted similar- I think the importance is the the thoughtfulness if gifting and otherwise donate

Depends what the thing is. If you get something you know someone else will like, why not give it to them?

But I agree if you are just dumping stuff on other people there's no thought behind it.

Yes that makes sense- I am just thinking re gifting can be a bit like up/recycling but completely agree has to be thoughtful- I think the thought is more important and a regift could still be thoughtful. Just passing on things no one wants not good agree!

Edited typos!

I'd say it depends what they are. If it says "free sample" on it, that's a bit of a clue the person giving the present didn't buy it.

But if it's a gift pack or something decent you won't use, why not pass it on?

It's difficult with something like perfume - I don't use it but it's a really personal thing, so I do just tend to tip it down the sink (unless it's something really expensive, eg last year I had some in a goodie bag so I donated to a school tombola). But anything else, I give away if I a not using it.

It's interesting that people think it's mean. What about the environment and not buying stuff unnecessarily?

Because it’s more anonymous and the person who buys it has a choice

it shows a lack of care about a person you are buying for imo

Is it regifting that is the issue per se, or just if it is done randomly, thoughtlessly? I think there is a difference.

Genuine question why is regifting rude but donating better?

I don’t regift toiletries at all. If I receive any I don’t want (rare) I’ll donate them to the church fair. I always put a lot of thought into gifts.

I've regifted booze that's not to my taste - flavoured spirits, that kind of thing - to friends who buy those types of booze themselves. No point wasting a £35 bottle of unopened Mason gin, is there?

One year I gave my birthday present from MIL to my SIL because MIL mixed us up and bought me the perfume SIL likes.

But random regifting is a bit weird.

"Keeping for best" is very common in the older generation. My husband has just had the sad task of clearing his mother's house after she passed away, and found lots of unused items like cushions, scarves, gloves etc that she had received as gifts over the years and kept for best, only to never use them. In latter years we gave her plants (she loved gardening etc) as they can't be kept for best.

When my sister got married she received a set of silver-plated coasters from a neighbour. Inside was a gift tag reading "best wishes to Fred and Edna on your silver wedding." 😆 We certainly realised that was a regift.

This is what my MIL does I always get some lovely candles after her birthday and Christmas she gets so much she just couldn’t use them all. SIL gets the alcohol that she doesn’t like. Works out good for us!

Spot on

I don’t buy gifts for many people.
We tend to give our DCs money or they tell me exactly what they would like including the website or shop I can buy it from.
I would not appreciate random regifts.
We tend to buy specific things or even buy events such as theatre tickets, meals etc.
I buy things people actually want not regifted B&H gifts sets.

If someone gives me a present that they’ve clearly not thought about then all bets are off. I literally do not want a gift that isn’t considered. Give it to someone you give a shit about. Any gift I give a person, small or large, has thought behind it. If someone gives me a paperback from a charity shop for a quid that they thought I’d like, fantastic. An unwanted regifted toiletry set costing £30 quid. Bugger off.

The card thing is really nice though.

My sil does this. Gifts things that were obviously bought for her that she didnt want. Most obvious one she got me was a personalised monogram bag. So, my name begins with M, hers with P. She gifted me a primark canvas shopping bag with an obvious P on it 🤔 (I inwardly rolled my eyes but wasn't going to say anything) when my husband, totally cluelessly and innocently asked "nice bag, but what's the P for?" ....awkward silence.... Sil clears her throat and replied awkwardly "...primark?" and my husband frowned and said "hmm. Ok. Or Polly (her name)? You should've bought one for yourself really!"

Husband totally naive and not getting it. Sil looked like she wanted the ground to swallow her up.

My dad and his wife do this. Every year. They seem to think it's better to give loads of crap stuff than just 1 thing the person wants. Instead I got a milk jug in the shape of a milk carton (I don't even drink tea so that was useless) and 2 years running I got potato storage sacks 🫠

If people are at regifting stage I'd just agree with them not to bother any more.

They don't care as much as you. It's not good enough for them but good enough for you.
I don't re-gift presents, I like most things, if I did not like a gift I'd pass it on as a freebie not a gift.

This reminds me of my mum and my aunt who sent the same Christmas card back and forth to each other every year. They used paper inserts when their was no more room left to write on. They did it for about 40 years 😁

This is hilarious because in my mind she knew exactly what she was doing and the re-regifting was passive aggressive. You should keep tradition going and continue the exchanging of the soap until you’re both very old and can laugh about it

The only thing I regift is wine as we don't drink. People know this but it doesn't compute for some reason. I save it and give it to friends who do drink.

I've never regifted anything else or been given anything regifted, as far as I know!

SIL gifted me some toiletries one year which still had the "To SIL from Bob and Jenny" Christmas gift label on it. (Bob and Jenny being friends of SIL). I'm pretty sure she didn't realise the label was still on it. But I was quite surprised, as the previous year, when other SIL had suggested that we no longer do presents at Christmas, regifting SIL had replied "but I just love choosing presents for everyone " - seemingly everyone didn't include me!
We thankfully no longer do Christmas gifts between the siblings, in-laws and adult siblings.