Have you ever received a present so shity saying thank you made you cringe?

[BlueMoonAndRedNose]

I turn 50 at the beg of Sept. A friend asked to meet me for coffee yesterday and gave me a gift, she asked me not to open it there and then, but she didn't mean to wait for my birthday either.
This friend of mine turned 50 2 years ago and I gave her a stunning Becksondergaard scarf which she has worn a lot, I see her in photos wearing it all the time.
Got home, opened the present, it is a plain little milk jug. No tag on it, no label, looks unused but old, has a small chip on the handle.
I am not usually materialistic but I think that this is a thoughtless present and nothing, or a £5. bottle of wine would have been more appropriate.

A friend's MIL gave her a Botox voucher. It had expired.

A calendar is no good to me even at Christmas. I start filling in my new calendar around July (dental 6 month check ups etc), and even free Calendars are given by magazines in November!

Seriously - just send a gift of interesting food (cakes etc) from independent on line companies if stuck for ideas - they will be eaten by them or their visitors, no house cluttering aftermath!

But a broken milk jug? 😱

I got a car battery charger for my 30th from my parents. I'd just bought a new car battery anyway and my dad used the charger more than me........

My best friend gives me things that she has bought for herself and decides she doesn't like or a random DVD that she would have watched first... One year I got a Micheal Jackson dvd ( never said or indicated I ever liked him) and the most ghastly stick on nails ( not a girl who ever does my nails) and another year a god awful pink frilly handbag ( not a girl who goes for handbags, like a good over shoulder bag). Was her colour, and probably decided she didn't like it. But of a cop out really when she gets money every year off at her request!

When I was a kid my Uncle and Auntie were always much more well off than my family (my Dad did 70 hours weeks on a low wage) meanwhile they were had homes abroad in Italy and France. My Mum always took alot of effort picking out nice Christmas presents for their three daughters. They always used to give me really crap presents. Some shower jells used to give away those plastic exfoliating poufs with shower gels in the 90's. They just gave me the free plastic pouf thing, not gel or anything. I didn't even know what it was. Hurt me big time at the age of 11 - no thought or care.

My mum once for DH a cook book for his birthday, he doesn’t cook at all, is absolutely rubbish at it. DM thought it would encourage him but he’s never used it.

I think I'd have to say something unless she was very financially strapped and struggling then I'd just forget it. If she was in a decent job etc and was just being a tight arse I'd have a think about where I was going with this friendship really.
if she was a decent nice friend apart from this then I'd keep her but tell her that I was just sticking to cards for all other celebrations in the future.
Its not the money that's the issue its that she doesn't give a shit.

Yes, second hand shit for every birthday and Christmas from MIL. And 100% not an affordability issue. I'm beyond the point of caring anymore but it's just such odd behaviour.

I feel your pain. My aunt and uncle got us crystal glasses as a wedding pressie but they didn't match the pattern that we already had so I took them back to the shop where we had our list and asked if I could change them. Was told 'no problem' until I took the box out the bag and the assistants face fell. She took them out the box to have a look and then looked really embarrassed and told me that this particular pattern had stopped being made about 3 years before!! I was mortified! My cousin had got married around then so I reckon they were an unwanted gift of his! Have never said anything to them though.

That would annoy me. I used to make an effort for friends' birthdays but it was never reciprocated so after a while I stopped bothering. I live overseas so I think it was too much effort for people in the UK to figure out how to get things to me but it still felt a bit disappointing. My mum and her friends still buy each other nice gifts for their birthdays and it's a bit sad to think that I won't have that when I'm older.

Ooh we got given a microwave fish steamer - it's amazing!

We do most of our veggies in it really quickly and it was fab when I was making baby food.

BuzzShitbagBobbly that diva thingy is adorable.

We were given one of those displays you put on gravestones as a wedding present. Hhhmmm...

I have received fire lighters, mouthwash and a clock shaped like a frying pan (with egg) 🍳 all from MIL

My DH received a Mrs Browns Boys gift set contains 2 mugs, a tea towel, 2 teabags and 2 biscuits. I’ve no idea why she thought he would like it.

An omelette maker. Basically a sandwich toasted but with crescent shaped plates. It takes ages to warm up and the omelettes are a bit rubbish. I can make a perfectly good omelette in half the time in a frying pan!

A body...(the tops that fasten under the crotch)...in brown,wrong size too...from C&A...(the shop that no longer exists)....with a reduced label on £2.99...that was received years after the shop went...
From mother in law from hell 😤

For my 18th off my dbro, a utensils set.

For Xmas I once received a pair of tracksuit trousers from a member of my in-laws family, which had clearly been worn & washed!

I also had a bar of soap once for Xmas from my brother in law. I always buy them all really thoughtful gifts. And generally seem to spend more on them than they do on me.

I only mention this to my DH obvs. It's hard not to be offended but what can you do? 🤷🏼‍♀️

Oh and someone we went to uni with got us a large plain white candle (no smell) for a wedding present. I found this a bit odd.

When I was at university I once spent Christmas with my boyfriend's family (his Dad was a vicar) and his very prudish mother gave me a really frumpy Marks & Spencers petticoat! It was so obviously intended to make me as unsexy as possible so that I wouldn't corrupt her precious boy

Well I didn't have to thank 'them'on my birthday because I got nothing.

Why don't recipients of crap presents regifted them to the donor?

I get really offended. I struggle to understand the lack of thought. It smacks of narcissism. Brother left it to sil once they were together. Sil never could be bothered to get nice gifts. She went out on Xmas eve to get a cheap plant for my mother as she’d not got round to buy anything. She didn’t work at the time and had no kids. The same for dh and us. One year we got nothing. The second year we got nothing. The third time I got a cheap scarf and dh some crappy gloves. It really hurt giving them a wedding gift having given them a bunch of well thought out gifts. Even when I dialled it down to token gifts, it was stuff like a dvd of a favourite show.

Iklboo A Val Doonican jumper has Christmas shuttlecock written all over it. Just think of the fun you could have!

In fact quite a few of these crap presents can be the source of great amusement if a little imagination is used 😀