Ungrateful MIL - absolutely LIVID

[Lipbalmstrawberry]

It’s MIL’s birthday today and we went out for a meal at lunchtime. I gave her her gift which was a blouse from River Island and when she opened it she just was like “Eugh, I don’t think this will suit me. It probably won’t fit me either.” “Have you got the receipt? I’ll go in and change it when go into town on Friday. If not you can keep it I don’t like that.” all with a scowl on her face. I was completely aghast and fuming so I just lied and said I don’t have the receipt and put it back in my bag. Not a word of thanks! I felt even a bit humiliated to be honest.

The rest of the lunch was completely normal and she was talking to me as though nothing happened but inside I was absolutely seething and I still am to be honest. I wished I’d have told her to not be so rude! And she never even said thank you for the cake either!

WIBU to not bother with a cake and present next year? I’m thinking of not bothering after that reaction.

Leave the gift buying to her child, I’d definitely not make the effort again.

Buying your MIL a blouse from River Island is an oddly personal gift
At least she was honest, you can get a refund and your money isnt wasted.
Why dont you have a receipt? Regifting or shoplifting?

Where does the cake come into it?

She was rude but it does sound like an odd present

She was rude but I wouldn't buy someone else clothes unless they'd said they actually liked it. She could have pretended to like it but shoved it at the back of her wardrobe and never wore it and it would have been a waste of money. Just take it back and get a refund.

She's rude.

But also she's not your mum, so why isn't your DH sorting her birthday?

@HarrogateHouseSale But she was so rude about it. She reacted with disgust rather than “oh thank you. I don’t think it’s for me but thank you anyway”. The cake was her birthday cake.

Did you pick the present
I would never get involved in that ,up to DH

Wow, that's some reaction 😳 YANBU to be annoyed. Your MIL should have quietly asked your or your DH about a receipt, rather than spilling out all that disgust.

@AnnieBuddyHere We got the present together and she mentioned a few weeks ago she could do with a couple of blouses. I usually do the cakes in my family.

One of the first rules of receiving gifts is to smile and say thank you, even if you’re disappointed in the gift. The dc were primed from an early age not to be ungrateful for gifts, even if they were given duplicates of toys or books they’d already got, as they knew we would swap them or re-gift them later and give them a replacement. Your MIL must have been dragged up!

Separately she was extremely rude x

The very first time I met mil(to be) was to treat her to a birthday meal... Obviously we paid. Well I did actually.. She ordered a huge steak. Then processed to wrap it up to take home for their bloody ddog. Never spent another penny on her.
Needn't gve worried. We went nc a year and a half later!!

Weird gift, best to give clothing with a receipt anyway just in case it’s not to taste. Or give a clothes voucher

Very rude. It doesn't matter what the gift is, her reaction was awful.

If I bought clothing I would always enclose the receipt or a gift receipt and I would say if it doesn't suit or fit please exchange it. The recipient can then say thank you its lively and do whatever they want. She was rude but you were quite thoughtless.

YANBU

Most civilised humans would smile and say thank you even if they thought the gift was awful. There is no need to be so rude. She could have taken it home and pretended it didn’t fit before asking for the receipt. Making faces and saying it’s ugly is totally unnecessary.

Wow, that was really rude of her.
Even if it wasn’t to her taste it was unpleasant of her to make a show of disgust like that. I think most people with manners smile and say thanks, even if they have a chuckle about it afterwards. She sounds ungrateful and unpleasant.

Wow just soo rude !!! I can’t see the problem with the gift at all . She’s a rude ungrateful woman . And just bad manners not saying thank you for the cake too . Don’t bother making an effort of her next year

I do have the receipt but I just said I didn’t in the moment out of shock. I’m going to get a refund anyway when I go back into the shop.

Omg I can’t believe the replies saying you shouldn’t have got her the blouse! It’s a GIFT! Just accept it and say thank you. If she’d have really disliked it this much she could have donated it to a charity shop and you’d have never known. I’d be appalled if someone I knew reacted like this. Have you talked to your DH about it ?! What is his opinion??

MIL was rude

However it was an oddly personal gift and no gift receipt seems VERY strange

I'd dislike to be given clothing which I hadn't specifically asked for and without a gift receipt I'd be quite bewildered as to why the giver thought they'd know what I like to wear

I know AIBU is known for being arsey but accusing someone of stealing (twice!) is a new low.

Very rude. She could have said thank you and then contacted you later to say unfortunately it didn’t fit and ask if you had the receipt.
op said she lied about not having the receipt so the comments about regifting/shoplifting are unnecessary and also unpleasant.

It was rude, she should have said Thankyou. However I wouldn't wear anything from River Island - those days are long gone it's quite high fashion - would shop for my children there ( though our store is now closed!