To buy baby gifts in the sale?

[Mylittlesandwich]

A colleague I'm friendly with had a beautiful baby girl recently. Once I knew baby was here safely I went to buy a gift for her. The supermarket I went to had a big sale on baby clothes so I used the budget I'd set to buy nice things in the sale and managed to get a fair bit for my money.

I mentioned to a friend that I'd been lucky and hit the sale and she seemed almost shocked that I'd bought sale items as a gift. I don't see the problem but maybe it is bad form? I didn't buy anything seasonally inappropriate. Sleepsuits and an outfit with long sleeves. I also got a gift receipt so if she doesn't like things she can take them back. I did take all the sale tickets off but that's because they had prices on them rather than because I didn't want her to know they were in the sale.

AIBU to buy clothes in the sale for a new baby gift?

Why wouldn’t you?
As you said, you’ve ended up with more for your money. I’m sure I’d have done the same.
Your friend is being weird.

Personally I don’t think there is any problem with that at all!

Completely fine. If there aren’t alternatives, I’d try and size up a bit, but I’d probably do that whether it was full price or not to avoid parents having to exchange.

You got more for your money, that makes you smart in my book! It’s not like you got just any old thing for less! Ignore your ‘friend’!

Not at all - who wouldn't be happy for more gifts? Unless your friend thought you bought a couple of cheap sale items and spent much less than planned? But even then, there's no rules.

I often do, I have a box of nice baby things. I'll buy boden or jojo maman or John lewis and spend what I usually would at Next or somewhere. I like buying nicer bits for babies. I just get the bits I really like though

Who cares whether you bought it in a sale? It's the same clothes.- I wouldn't buy seconds as a gift, but regular clothes on sale is fine.

I always get baby gifts in the sale. Totally fine.

This friend doesn't have children. I have no reason to believe the person I've bought for will have anything against supermarket items. Shes Disney daft and I was able to get some lovely things from Asda. I mostly bought in 0-3 or 3-6 but there was one wee outfit in first size that I couldn't resist, she's a dinky wee thing so I think it'll fit fine.

Sorry weary my friend isn't the parent in question just a friend I was talking to about what I'd bought (because I thought it was really cute).

I had this with wedding gifts years ago. Due to a sale, I bought two expensive photo frames rather than one (their list asked for two, but my budget covered one and I was an evening guest invited in a group from work and several were picking individual items). I mentioned to a colleague that I was able to afford two as on sale and she told the bride - bride says sarcastically later to me that it was great to hear I'd only spent half the money.

I was fairly new and learnt at that moment two colleagues to avoid. I have worked for the same organisation for two decades and these shortsighted colleagues surprisingly haven't progressed.

OP, getting value for money is fine, but some people think incorrectly equate 'sale' with shoddy, or just like to bitch.

Nothing wrong with sale items! The quality is no less than if it was full price

Yanbu

Nothing wrong at all! I would be pleased my friend had managed to get bang for their buck when buying my child a gift!

You did the right thing in buying in the sale. Most people would have but there are a few that look down their nose at such.
The only thing you possibly did wrong was telling your friend who clearly did not share your view. But never worry, just think how much more the baby benefits.

Years ago before I had children a lovely baby boutique with gorgeous stock had a big sale and I bought half a dozen white outfits that tey wrapped for me and I was good to go for a year.

I thought I was very clever.

@Mylittlesandwich

This friend doesn't have children. I have no reason to believe the person I've bought for will have anything against supermarket items. Shes Disney daft and I was able to get some lovely things from Asda. I mostly bought in 0-3 or 3-6 but there was one wee outfit in first size that I couldn't resist, she's a dinky wee thing so I think it'll fit fine.

yanbu however it really isn't relevant tbh that your friend doesn't have children. I bought baby clothes for friends before I had kids and do now. Your friend is likely just a bit odd in her views on this and if she were to have a child is unlikely to miraculously change her view overnight lol.

Sorry i don't mean to weird and sound triggered but as someone who was childless not by choice for a while it is just something I think is worth people thinking about.

@Newmumatlast I'm so sorry! I didn't mean it like that I was just trying to clarify to the poster who had conflated the two that the woman complaining about my sale purchase wasn't the same woman receiving the gift.

I think it has more to do with your friend being a snob that in does her lack of experience with motherhood OP. Absolutely nothing wrong with buying a present in the sale, there would have been nothing wrong with it even if you had spent half as much and taken them as being their full price, it's a gift, not a loan payment. I really wouldn't overthink it any further and am sure it will be appreciated, as you say you chose seasonally appropriate items thoughtfully and with best wishes.

I really hope nobody reads this and feels shamed about shopping in sales for future gifts. These are hard times for many and the pressure to gift something impressive and worthwhile and what that means can be very toxic.

Why wouldn't you?
Does your friend just leave sale items there then?
I love a good sale for DS goes right in my basket.

Thank you everyone, I was the first of my friends to have a baby so I haven't bought many baby gifts so I wasn't sure if I'd committed some kind of faux pas.

That's like saying you shouldn't buy Christmas presents from sales but I'm sure a lot of people wait for Black Friday sales for big or tech presents so don't worry about it

Why wouldn't you?? I've fallen on sales when buying gifts before and same as you have just spent the same budget on more things!

Very odd of your friend to think otherwise.