To think this is odd - gift giving

[BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz]

Four friends, one of whom had a big birthday. The remaining three decide to put in together for a gift. The planned gift has three items all costing the same.

To make things easier, we agree to each buy one of the three items and put them together. That way no money needs to change hands. We agree a day to bring the gifts in together (we all work at the same place).

On that day, three of us get together and A says she has already given her part of the gift. So the other two take the remaining parts and the card and A reluctantly comes along with to give the rest of the gift.

This is weird right? If you get together and arrange a joint gift, you give it over to the recipient in one go?

I don't see the issue, to be honest.

She probably didn’t see the point in “going in” on the gift together when you were each just going to buy and pay for 3 separate gifts anyway. I think it’s fair enough she bought her gift and gave it to her.

Well at least she bought her part of the present and didn't just let you two buy the rest of it and then one third of it was missing.
It is a bit odd, but maybe she didn't understand that you were all going to give the presents to the recipient at the same time.

Maybe the Birthday person walked in with her, and A just handed it over .

I think there was some miscommunication but it's done now. I hope the birthday girl was pleased!

Did her gift spoil the surprise of your gifts?

I can't fathom what the gift is that has three entirely separate parts which all cost the same but is really one gift, tbh. And maybe A felt the same.

But honestly, this is the kind of thing that does not matter at all and I never understand why people feel the need to post about. You all bought presents for your friend and gave them to her on her birthday. Job done!

It is weird op. I hope the birthday girl doesn't think the one thing is from her and she's also given 1/3 of the other two - or that this was indeed A's intention.

Did it spoil the surprise in some way? Were the 3 gifts all linked together or 3 totally different items?

surely, over the age of say 7, if you hold a party and people arrive with bags, you don't "demand your present", you wait for it to be handed to you at some point.

I'd find it odd, but depends on the actual gift - if hers is book 3 of a 3 part set, then very odd. if its 3 stand alone things, then fine.

It depends how interlinked the gifts were, was the functioning of the part she gave dependant on the part you and the other person gave ? Were they matching items or what?
If they were things that can be given separately then I wouldn't see it as anything other than slightly odd. If they are interlinked then it is rather strange as her gift would make no sense on its own.

Struggling to see the problem here.

Yes it’s weird

Sorry, been at work.

Not linked no, three individual things which yes could have been a gift in their own right. We do a fair bit as a foursome though so just all agreed that we would club together. It was coincidence then, that the gifts we settled on happened to be three items at the same price.

Don't see how it matters, if she paid for it then her gift, her choice. If they were different amounts, you all paid in equally but she had actually then purchased and given the more expensive gift (that she had only partly paid for), then that wouldn't be okay.