To not understand the trend for 'hampers' as presents

[Lockdownlumpy]

Am I the only one who doesn't get, or go in for this trend?
My Facebook is full of people selling or making 'hampers' but I'm not talking about a wicker basket and luxury food, these are a plastic basket with a few things from the pound shop wrapped in cellophane.
I just don't get it. Most contain pound shop shampoo and soap. For me those are essential items and therefore not a great gift, unless they are lovely luxury or special versions that I would never justify buying for myself.
If you and your family like these I am not knocking you at all, taste is individual after all.
I'm just wondering, am I the odd one out here? Or anyone else like me and just doesn't get it?

I think people might be buying affordable items and making them look nice. My SIL does this, I appreciate the effort really they dont' have a lot of money.

I think buying cheaper items, making a basket and then selling them to others at a higher price isn't right though but then nobody is forced to buy it I suppose.

Oh dear, these sound like all the facebook crap that people seem to go in to for some unknown reason!

We've done them before but as you say they've been more luxury food items - not shower gel! I think the best ones come in a nice F&M hamper that you can keep...

I'm in two camps, I think it's a good gift when done with proper treats and items i wouldn't usually buy as they're expensive but you're right when it's done with cheap things they just look tacky.

Largely they seem to be full of stuff I buy myself and dont really want others to buy, like shower gel and cheap chocs but I like good cheeseboard ones

I don't think you should give any animal as a present.

Hold on it's 'hampers' isn't it I thought it said 'hamsters'

A well chosen (alcohol heavy) F&M hamper, fabulous. Anything else, get in the sea.

I have one made up for my sd27. It contains

An oodie
Neom Xmas candle
Rose Prosecco
Lindt cracker
Vegan shampoo, conditioner, shower gel
Neom hand and body lotion
L'occitane cracker

Will add a book, tea and more food items.

@MysweetAudrina that sounds lovely and very personal, selected with love and care.
The OP was talking about cruddy ones on FB filled with junk from Poundland

@MysweetAudrina that isn't a cheap, tacky pound shop hamper though, that's a lovely hamper! I'd love one of those oodies for myself, they look so comfy!

I agree, some of the plastic basket cellophane wrapped Poundland shite people are selling on Facebook is just awful.

If you're going to give someone a hamper do it yourself, use nice/luxury items and personalise it for the recipient!!

I make them every year for a few friends (and have done before it became a bloody trend!!) and they all say the love them and look forward to them because of the thought and effort I've put into it, I didn't buy it for a fiver from Julie on Facebook FFS

You mean like this one?

Why do so many people use MN to bitch about the presents other people are kind enough to get for them?

I think any presents made with a bit of effort is nice, we’ve got fuck all else to look forward too 🤦‍♀️

Oh the fecking hampers! Every bugger on my local Facebook selling page is doing them. Not nice ones like mysweetaudrina has done (can I be your SIL please?) but cheap shit in cellophane for £20.

There's two sellers in particular who seem to be competing with each other, whenever one posts hers, the other turns up with the same hamper for 50p cheaper!

I also call shenanigans on using the word 'hamper'. To me, a hamper is a nice wicker basket type thing that can be reused. Not a shit plastic box.

Anything you like but wouldn’t buy yourself is good.
Normally that means luxury but if anyone wants to give me a cheap snack hamper including 10p Space Raiders and bacon flavour sub-Frazzles I will be very happy.
And I think someone on here was putting together a cleaning product hamper for her student child- wouldn’t bring much joy to the average parent but in the context was a truly excellent idea.

Apparently it's a "thing" that (mostly) women buy and sell stuff between them on FB to make a few quid, enabling them to hit the threshold for certain benefits, have a look on the £10 a day thread.
So it's just a way of moving money about mostly, they are veeery popular on my local FB tat groups.

Flaviaritt It's almost like we have freedom of speech here.......

We do. I just don’t get the actual reason for it. Basic ingratitude, maybe? It’s not very nice, anyway.

But we're not talking about actually receiving the hampers and being ungrateful. Just commenting on the ones for sale.

I'd use/eat all the stuff in the hamper photo posted, so whilst not 'luxury' stuff, I'm always grateful for chocolate and Pringles whether wrapped up in cellophane or not!

Dodgy hampers sold on facebook have been a thing for a while now. I think there has been a big increase this year because a lot of people have either lost their jobs, or are facing financial uncertainty, and are scrambling to find a way to make money. They probably wont (there seems to be much more supply than demand) but at least they are losing less in terms of time and money than if they were getting sucked into MLMs.

@MysweetAudrina

I have one made up for my sd27. It contains

An oodie
Neom Xmas candle
Rose Prosecco
Lindt cracker
Vegan shampoo, conditioner, shower gel
Neom hand and body lotion
L'occitane cracker

Will add a book, tea and more food items.

You see that sounds like a great hamper because it has luxury items that she probably wouldn't buy herself - perfect!

Verrrrry different to the pound shop stuff all over my Facebook!

I love hampers! I’ve always said “there’s nothing that doesn’t look better wrapped in cellophane”.

Yeah.. that’s pretty sad of me really...

I can remember being a single parent and any necessary item was a welcome gift, because it freed up a few pence I could spend on a loaf or a tin of beans. I look at my daughter now, in her five bedroomed house with two luxury cars on the drive and think "No-one would guess that you went hungry to bed, that our only luxury was a 17p packet of biscuits." I remember a friend used to leave 50p or so when she came round for a cup of tea, and that I would - when I saw a bargain - buy her daughter something to wear. I expect there are still people facing that kind of life today, who are very happy to receive a few essential items as a gift.

They’re obviously for sale because some people are buying them, aren’t they?

@RaspberryCoulis

You mean like this one?

To be honest, that looks a step above obes on my local fb pages. I will try and find a pic...