To think it's weird that my houseguest took all the guest-toiletries?

[SummerOfLadybirds]

We often have overnight guests so I keep a basket of spare toiletries in guest-room (in case they forget anything) and tell them to use whatever they need. Most people use a couple of things, some don't use anything, and I re-stock it between guests.
Recently my close friend stayed for 3 nights and when she left the basket was completely empty! AIBU to find this a bit cheeky and odd? Or did she think it was a basket of 'complimentary products' like hotels provide? I stocked the basket well (she's scatty and tends to forget things, so i expected a few products to be used but not for every item to vanish!)

Basket contained: new full-size pack of Olay cleansing wipes, mini bottle make-up remover, toothbrush, dental floss, lipsalve (all 3 in sealed packets), plastic comb, travel-size body-lotion, body-wipes, spray deodorant, some Clinique mini-products (free samples of make-up/creams that I collect and keep for guests) plus various sachets of moisturiser, BB creams, hair serum, facial scrub etc. Oh and a couple of individually-wrapped soaps, shower-caps and mini sewing-kits that I collected from hotels.

There is no way she could have used the whole lot in 3 days! If a friend provided a basket like this would you assume it was a gift for you to take home??

Klayden there' a difference between complimentary toiletries and ones to pay for. It's made very obvious which is which. We had a few bottles of water and complimentary minis at the last hotel we stayed in. In each room there was also big versions and more luxurious, the hotel were very clear and careful in labelling the latter as ones to buy otherwise people could and would walk off and the hotel couldn't charge for what's not advertised at cost.

Do you mean the B&B where the kids took the full sized bottles rather then the complimentary ones?

Maybe she thought it was a gift basket. Or maybe she's a cheeky bastard!

How very odd! But yes, you must ask her where the toiletries are! In a "where did you put them, I can't see them & wondered if anything had run out?" sort of way.

Not "oi, bitch, give me my lipsalve back."

If she's a good friend perhaps she misunderstood and thought it was a gift??

Very, very weird. I'd empty next time she comes to stay. If you ever have her again that is!

I would send a message: sorry, there has been a misunderstanding. The basket of guest toiletries was not a gift for you, it was for you to use what you needed. I need the items you haven't opened back please, for my next guest.

You have to text her to say you can't find the toiletries anywhere - did she put them away? because you have a guest coming tonight.

Then report back, obv.

You may have seen the thread where we are moaning about trolls and the answer is that MNs responses may have helped someone else? This has happened to me on this thread!

I spend hours walking around to find little toiletries (I have a blue guest room and a red one and the toiletries have to match so the Sainsbos ones won't do!).

Thanks to this thread I have researched on line and can now buy everything I need.

Thank you everyone, especially cozie.

Sod sending her a nice little laughing message!

"Dear Friend's Name,
Why on earth did you empty the basket of toiletries I leave out for guests? I am not bloody hotel, I was your friend. I am amazed you thought that was a reasonable thing to do.

You will not be surprised to hear I want neither those toiletries nor yourself back in my house/life.

Yours, angrily XX"

Thats crazy she took it!!! Treating you like a hotel

How on earth did she think this was an acceptable thing to do

Klayden The difference was, is that that person took full size bottles of stuff, not small barely-one-use-samples.

She must have misunderstood and thought it was a gift, that's the only reasonable explanation. Although, then she'd have expressed surprise / delight and thanked you for the lovely gift. How odd! I would probably ignore this time but wouldn't put any out if she were to stay over again!

OMG
the first text suggestion was the best. Just ask where she put the stuff cause you need it for the next guest. Even if I thought something might be a gift I would have checked it with the host in a very round about way

Why do you provide all this stuff?
Are your friends too stupid to bring their own things or are you very controlling?
If you set your guest room up as a B&B or hotel, you have to expect to be treated like one, which includes people helping themselves to whatever is left out.
I spend a lot of time staying in hotels for work, it is very rare that I actually take any of the provided stuff with me, let alone use it. I pack my own shampoo, shower get, body lotion etc.

Are your friends too stupid to bring their own things or are you very controlling?

What a fucking needlessly horrible thing to say, DuchessDisaster.

Wind it in, Duchess - OP is a nice person.

Good grief; the things people write on here but would never dare say in real life ...

I think your guest basket is a bit of an odd concept. Why all the stuff like lip balms and combs? People bring that stuff if they need it. Anyway she's a very strange friend and she was unreasonable to nick your stuff.

Do you have good friends Duchess?

I ask because you seem to be incapable of understanding why OP might do a nice, kind thing for her house guests.

It is also abundantly clear that OP is not running a B&B or a hotel.

I do the basket to. Samples from magazines dentist trial products etc cotton buds little scissors things they might not pick up or assume you have. There is a difference from a house guest to hotel stay, most have hand luggage so cant board the plane with some of these things. Nobody has swiped the lot!!!

Aklthough Duchess came across as a little harsh I kind of understand where she is coming from. Whenever we stay with friends or family we take everything we need toiletrywise with us and I expect most other people to do the same. Which is why it would never occur to me to leave toiletries out for guests. Besides I don't take them from hotels anyway as I prefer to use my own stuff.

I'm laughing so hard at Thingummy-jig's post... "Aim high... take the sofa" and more

I would just ask my friend straight out why she took all of those things. I probably wouldn't put packs of lip-salve into a samples basket though, avoids confusion - or lack of confusion at all amongst the thieving sort. It's just not necessary to provide so much.

I too think a 'guest basket' is a little bit affected, sorry. A friend will ask for something in the toiletries line if she's forgotten it. Tampons, cotton buds and cotton balls would be usual and things are probably most forgotten, I think.

Only put out for consumption what you will not count or dwell on later on if it's been used/taken, would be my advice but as for being unreasonable, no you're not - a friend is a friend and should not do this.

I don't have a guest basket, but I do have an assortment of full sized toiletries on the bathroom shelf in the ensuite in my spare room.

My elderly mother stays quite often and it saves her lugging a lot of stuff with her on the bus.

Tampons, cotton buds and balls would be in the bathroom for anybody to use is what I mean. I would also airily direct a friend to use anything else in the bathroom if she needed it - but check she/he has a toothbruth because I wouldn't want them using mine!

For us, it's simply a matter of how people use the house. We sometimes have family or friends staying spontaneously so it's good to know that they have the wherewithal to do so without pre-planning to the nth degree. We also have a roomyish old house and the odds are that they'd forget to borrow some particular toiletries from the main bathroom a way away - it's not so good being in the middle of soaping up only to realize that you haven't got any shampoo and it looks like the rest of the household has gone to bed.

I'll confess, though, that I don't have as extensive a basket as the OP. The toiletries are good quality and of reasonable quantity but perhaps more limited in type.