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Original poster

The etiquette of a price sticker?

41 replies

ThisWildHedgehog · 24/09/2026 15:01

Can anyone help me settle this debate?

Is it necessary to remove the price stickers on gifts and cards before you give them to someone else?

YABU - Leave the price on, it doesn’t matter.

YANBU - Remove the price sticker, it’s the done thing.

OP posts:
InfoSecInTheCity · 24/09/2026 15:09

It’s not “necessary” because the item will function with a sticker on it. It is polite and best practice though, you generally don’t advertise to the person how much they’ve cost you.

sesquipedalian · 24/09/2026 15:11

No way should you give a card or present with the price sticker on!! I have a drawer full of little stickers to put over the printed price on books for just this reason.

Original poster
ThisWildHedgehog · 24/09/2026 15:13

That’s a brilliant idea! I’ve always felt books were the exception because of the printed price. Thank you for a clever solution.

OP posts:
Reproician · 24/09/2026 15:14

I don't suppose it "matters" but the "ettiquette" is definitely that it should be removed.

purplecorkheart · 24/09/2026 15:14

Always remove the price sticker. I tend to tipex out the price on books.

DoAWheelie · 24/09/2026 15:16

Leaving it on gift bags always feels like a brag to me. "Look how much I even spent wrapping your gift". Like I'm meant to be extra grateful for the extra £3.99 spent. It's always left on the expensive bags IMO, never the sub £1 ones. Same for cards.

The actual gift feels a little different, that comes off more passive aggressive "I want you to know exactly how much I value you".

Catza · 24/09/2026 15:28

Price stickers should be removed. Although, I never bothered t cover up the price of a book. Chances are, I probably got it at a different price than advertised as there is usually some difference depending on where you purchased it.

Backedoffhackedoff · 24/09/2026 15:29

Yes always remove, not really the end of the world if you can’t or forget though

Isittimeformynapyet · 24/09/2026 15:33

sesquipedalian · 24/09/2026 15:11

No way should you give a card or present with the price sticker on!! I have a drawer full of little stickers to put over the printed price on books for just this reason.

That's nothing, I have a whole WARDROBE full of little stickers for this purpose.

Boomer55 · 24/09/2026 15:36

Best remove it.

fluffblue · 24/09/2026 15:39

Always remove, unless it's a present for my brother which I got on a massive discount, as we both share a love of getting a bargain and it's an in-joke now Grin

TheFishFish · 24/09/2026 15:40

Obviously, removable price stickers should be removed.

Actually putting something over a printed price on a book or something though is a little batshit crazy.

malmi · 24/09/2026 15:41

Etiquette comes from a French word which means a label such as a price label. Doesn’t really answer the question but I thought it was interesting. The “etiq” bit would have been “estiq”, the same origin as sticker.

godmum56 · 24/09/2026 15:42

fluffblue · 24/09/2026 15:39

Always remove, unless it's a present for my brother which I got on a massive discount, as we both share a love of getting a bargain and it's an in-joke now Grin

my late DH and I used to put a sticker over the price and put a more expensive price on it.

PrettyLittleRose · 24/09/2026 15:43

It's a bit tacky and thoughtless to leave the price on. I never do it.

Hollowvoice · 24/09/2026 15:44

Isittimeformynapyet · 24/09/2026 15:33

That's nothing, I have a whole WARDROBE full of little stickers for this purpose.

Show quote history

Only a wardrobe? How lax. I have a whole basement room dedicated to this.

5289843DM · 24/09/2026 15:44

I always remove the price tag as also think its rather tacky not to.

Did you win the debate OP?

pippistrelle · 24/09/2026 16:04

Remove the price sticker but do not tippex over the price on a book - that's some kind of vandalism or something.

honeylulu · 24/09/2026 16:11

Yes remove price tag.
Though I've been caught out by shops who put the price on in two different places (as a sticker and also a tagged label), so I think I've removed it and then my mum/sister says sarcastically "oh you wanted me to know how much you spent, eh?"

FfsNotNow · 24/09/2026 16:13

Surely the printed price on a book is the RRP not necessarily what you paid for it? What sense is there in covering that up?

thisismeithinkorisit · 24/09/2026 16:14

always remove removable stickers but I'd be really annoyed if you defaced my gift with tippex!

SatinHeart · 24/09/2026 16:17

I've never bothered doing anything with the price on books. As pp have said it probably doesnt reflect what was actually paid for a book these days because of places like Amazon, The Works etc.

Isittimeformynapyet · 24/09/2026 17:17

Hollowvoice · 24/09/2026 15:44

Only a wardrobe? How lax. I have a whole basement room dedicated to this.

Show quote history

😂

Mulledjuice · 24/09/2026 17:25

sesquipedalian · 24/09/2026 15:11

No way should you give a card or present with the price sticker on!! I have a drawer full of little stickers to put over the printed price on books for just this reason.

i always remove a price sticker but it has never occurred to me to cover the printed price on a book!

Isittimeformynapyet · 24/09/2026 17:29

Price stickers should be removed from everything once they've served their purpose, regardless whether it's a present or not.

Especially pot plants that are expressly purchased to look nice - why would anyone leave a socking great bar code on them?!

I'm looking at YOU Patricia!

(I'm not talking about the plastic thingy with the care information on)