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?

@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.

How very, very lovely.

@Ddot sounds lovely! My nana loved port, sometimes too much as she was a bit confused being 99. And had a few glasses a day!

I watched the Welsh news earlier and a 103 yr old lady was celebrating her birthday. Her secret? Whisky in her morning tea! See, its alcohol that keeps them going!

Last year just before New Years DHs step Grandmother dropped off a hamper that she was given from her Granddaughter.

There was a tin of biscuits from Bath because they had visited the spa there that summer, a local jam from a farm where they went fruit picking, handmade soap from a lavender farm where she likes the tea room and other personal thoughtful things.

She dropped it to us because she said she didn’t want it and she knew dh would eat it all.

All that time and effort the poor girl put in was not appreciated at all.

All hampers are essentially a waste of money, they wrap items you can buy cheaper individually but if it based on a theme you know the recipient will like and you don’t have the time to source the items yourself from what could be many places, they make a convenient gift.

Everyone knows a hamper is not a bucket. I was lucky enough to receive a really nice hamper in September. I am a foster carer and the agency I work for sent them to all their carers to thank them for caring for children during lockdown. I got 2 good bottles of wine, Lindt chocolates, Yorkshire hand made crisps, dips, large almond and cherry cake, expensive shortbread, cheese twists and a few other bits I can't remember. It arrived by courier and it is such a strong wicker basket with leather buckles. We took it to a cricket match with picnic in. I sometimes make a little hamper for my in-laws who are really hard to buy for. I put a book each, puzzle books they like to do, a jigsaw puzzle, Thornton's chocolates a jumper for mil and wiskey.gor fil and nice coffee beans.

@kissthepastrycheg, definitely lemon drizzle cake my absolute favourite, fudge is so yummy too. For Xmas maybe s chocolate Yule log and cupcakes with Xmas themed toppings.

My ma Gets gout, well I think its gout couldnt get doctor because of covid. Port not good idea so I will have to watch her with it, pate too but I will cut up and freeze. Mam loves cashew nuts and can eat her own body weight in crisps. Cheese ok and so is gin. At her age she really doesn't want anything but does enjoy a tipple

I actually make up, but not sell, fairly cheap hampers for the new, and especially first-time, mothers in my income-assisted apartment complex. I buy one of those small, plastic baby baths, and fill it with inexpensive, every day needs...diaper rash cream, powder, baby shampoo, a towel with a hoodie corner, all manner of small items that can be hard to remember to stock up on ahead of time for a new mother, and that wouldn't ordinarily be considered a "gift." But no, I'd NEVER charge for something so...pedestrian. I will say that the mothers seem quite grateful to have so many "nickle and dime" items taken off of their list of things to buy.

@Mamanyt that is kind of you. The time saved and ease of having essentials in one go with a pregnancy/ newborn make your hampers far more than pedestrian!

[quote Enough4me]@Mamanyt that is kind of you. The time saved and ease of having essentials in one go with a pregnancy/ newborn make your hampers far more than pedestrian![/quote]
Thank you so much. I've been doing it for years now. I can often buy case lots far cheaper than individual items. I have one closet stuffed full of non-perishable baby items!

@Mamanyt your hampers sound like the real spirit of Christmas - bringing happiness, which is not about expensive items but the thought and kindness that have gone in for the recipient.

Not everyone can afford F&M. I'd quite like a hamper as long as its stuff I can actually use

@bluebluezoo

Like this. Christmas for your mates in one go, wander round picking a different scent each, get your tissue, and the person on the till would cellophane it all up for you.

Can’t remember if they charged for it?

They should go back to it. Even if the cellophane is anti planet they could do pick your own gift boxes or something.

Oh the memories!

I don't like the sneering at 'cheap' hampers. Ok...not F and M maybe but most people are quite skint especially at Christmas and this is a way of creating an inexpensive gift.

Tbh id prefer an aero bar and deodrant to a random pate i will prob not eat.

@TheCountessofFitzdotterel

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.

Haha! Never mind to the joy it would bring to the average child! That's like my Mum who would always give me presents as a subtle criticism... I cut a fridge she didn't like, so got a lot of weird hairpins for Christmas so I can pin it out of my face! Or I was wearing "too short skirts" so got an over the knee one in the 2000s when you would never wear that... I presume the student was "not clean enough" and therefore being sent things to clean up her act!

I wish people wouldn't feel so compelled to continue gifting for adults or even children outside their own actual family when money is tight. Such a stress. We gave up exchanging gifts with anyone that doesn't live under our roof soon after DC1 was born and we were skint. Never looked back, such a relief. Everyone is more relaxed, despite both us and extended family now able to easily afford more generous gifting. Feels good to have stepped off that particular hamster wheel.

I think some of 'good' hampers people are describing are kind of stretching the definition a bit. They're filled with a pile of stuff that I would wrap up separately and give as individual gifts: a jigsaw, full size spirits, jumpers/hoodies, jewellery, etc. I wouldn't downplay that as 'a hamper' - they'd be 'your Presents'.

In principle I think food/toiletry hampers are great gifts. I'm very happy to receive things I'd buy anyway and will use up. Unfortunately, as I've got older, the list of things I avoid eating/drinking for my health expands as if in competition with my ever-growing list of allergies. I can't touch 75% of most hampers these days. Still - I'd rather have extra food/drink to feed guests and stock the food bank, rather than physical things to take to the charity shop.

I don't like the sneering at 'cheap' hampers. Ok...not F and M maybe but most people are quite skint especially at Christmas and this is a way of creating an inexpensive gift
I've no idea what F and M hampers are, but have filed it away in the category 'expensive things mumsnetters buy'

But looking at a lot of these generic cheap ones on Facebook, most of them are a waste of money in my opinion.

Instead of paying more so a random person on Facebook can wrap a few quid of things in a basket (that will probably be binned) and cellophane, they could have bought a couple of nicer, still affordable items and wrapped them themselves.

There's always a markup buying hampers, but a quick glance on Facebook market place has thrown up:
£5 worth of Harribo for £15
A colour themed cleaning one for £25 (I could have died, £25 to give someone Domestos!!)
£5 worth of chocolate for £15

If someone wants to spend £15 there are so many options of nice gifts, that doesn't mean 2/3 (of your gift price is for the privilege of 10ps worth of cellophane.

The people who make them to sell on facebook are usually desperate to make some spare cash to buy presents for their own children.
People buy them because it looks more festive/more like they have made an effort than just handing out a few chocolate bars. Or they buy them to support their neighbours.

You may not like them, but it seems a bit disingenous to feign lack of understanding.

It's the inflated price that gets me. £10 for items that cost 3, that's an expensive roll of cellophane and plastic tub. The sweet ones are notoriously bad.

ravensoaponarope
True, but if you're wanting to budget for christmas then spending £15 on a hamper where £10+ covers the fact someone has put cellophane on is a waste of money.

You're right it looks more festive under the tree, but it's not £15 for a Facebook hamper or hand over 4-5 bars of chocolate. Not paying £10 for the privilege of some plastic wrap would give £15 to spend on a gift.

That's what makes no sense to me. When money is tight, the last thing I'd be doing is wasting a tenner on plastic wrapping. I'd want to spend the full £15 on a gift.

I agree with daisymaze.

It's not a gift I would want to receive myself, but if a family member made me one, I would graciously accept it and put it to good use.

If the same family member bought me one of those '£5 worth of products sold for £15' ones, they would get an earful from me about wasting their money.

My mate gave me this on my birthday. Full of munchies I love, and jokey essentials such as a loo roll and pasta. Really made me chuckle. She’s self employed and struggling, and I really appreciated her making an effort. I don’t however like hampers that are being sold for 3 times the price of the contents.

Sending hampers for holidays/events/occasions is a long standing tradition. It’s not a trend. What you’re noticing is the use of social media as a selling platform as Facebook made changes to how selling can take place on their platform - so you just happen to see more of it. Hampers are not new and not a trend