Tubs of chocolate & toiletries gift sets - show no thought

[notedbiscuits]

Now shops have aisles full of gift sets - mainly toiletries. Plus tubs of chocolates

To me, they make me think they are bought by people who give no thought. Plus some gift sets are more expensive than buying them separately. Take Dove, 2 bottles of shower gel and a body puff thing. Cost in shop £6. Go to a shop and can buy the bottles for £1.50 and body puff thing is 75p-£1 (though doesn't have the Dove tag on it) You are paying £2 for a box! Card Factory do sell gift bags for that size for about 75p. For me also, there are things in gift sets which I don't use such as bubble bath and bath salts - have shower. Last week I had a clear out of the cupboard which has medications, toiletries etc and put some of these into food banks and the posher brands, to those charity shops that do sell (unused) toiletries.

Those tubs of chocolate, which get smaller each year, There's always one chocolate families don't eat. Quality Street- toffee finger and penny - due to fillings, Heroes - Eclairs (they cheapen it by adding Eclairs) again due to fillings.

Remember being behind a woman buying 50 odd tubs of the same chocolate. Said to the cashier "Oh that's my Christmas present shopping done in one shop". Glad I am not related/friends with her. As she would give each member a tub.

If you have no idea what to buy someone, don't buy anything. My family have not sent each other Xmas presents for many years. Why waste time, money and stress?

Some charity shops do, where I live anyway.

Lots of people buy tubs of chocolates for employees, the Food banks appreciate them and they're a treat for some families so YABU.
Likewise toiletries can be donated if they're not your cup of tea. Some people like giving gifts to others so I choose to think they're given with good intent usually.

I asked in my nearest charity shop and the manager said they offer them to the volunteers. It's a national charity one.
Also the boxes tend to be quite bulky, so they would take up space.
I haven't got space for them.
I get given so many that I wonder if people are trying to tell me something.

I loved toffee pennies until I managed to pull out a temporary crown with one

Well I will always appreciate chocolate because it's chocolate but I agree that shower gel etc is a rubbish present.

Even the expensive stuff is pointless IMO. SIL gave me and DM a hand lotion and handwash gift sets from an upmarket brand. I can't stand the feel of hand cream and get eczema from sodium laureth sulpahate, and DM didn't realise that it was £££.

I know it seems ungrateful but it was something she wanted to give, not something we wanted to receive.

I agree it's senseless to buy unnecessary tat.

I suppose tat is in the eye of the beholder.

As I said, I'd hate to get hand cream or body lotion, but would use a shower gel, even if I wasn't that keen on the scent.

I managed to pull a filling out twice - from the same tooth - with M&S Devon toffies.

I finally learnt my very expensive lesson the second time and haven't eaten them since!

Yes I did the same.

I suck sweets now carefully

I would love for someone to buy me chocolate or shower gel. Bliss.

Completely agree with this (also in my 50s).

I find the vast majority of gifts a big waste of time and resources and quite often a lazy way of keeping in contact.

We have someone in the family who genuinely thinks they are great at buying presents and prides themselves in this. I'm afraid the opposite is true. They may have popped round several months before and noticed me unpacking some new wine glasses (replacing the old ones that went down the charity shop with ones I really like)...so next Christmas they'll buy me wine glasses (just like the ones that went down the charity shop and I don't need more wine glasses anyway!). I may mention that I have never been in a particular shop (as I have zero interest in anything they sell) - I'll get a gift voucher for that shop on my birthday. DH has had a new wallet at least every two years from them, and hasn't used wallets for years. Yes, thoughtful but...anything beyond a standard gift item I would much rather choose myself (or simply not have more stuff).

Would much rather have a tub of chocolates (that I can take into work if I don't want them) than a 'thoughtful' gift. Better still - let's not bother, and let's just meet up and spend some time together.

My love language is definitely NOT gifts - that is bottom of the list. Acts of service/quality time mean much more to me.

Tesco Essentials Shower Gel Lightly Fragranced 300ml - Tesco Groceries
Go on, treat yourself.@cadburyegg

I completely agree with PP saying they prefer gifts that consumable and not cluttering the house.

Chocolates, shower gels etc are perfect presents for me.

Body wash is a very useful gift!

For a lot of people it will be a like a side present or something for the neighbours

Depends on the person and who they are buying for.

Close family members buying those things for me, it would be thoughtless since I am not keen on chocolate and don’t want to spend the time trying to find a use for it nor want to consume it just to get rid and am particular about body washes due to skin issues.

Saying that, I rather receive body washes because they are easier for me to donate due to the Hygiene Bank being a few minutes walk from me.

What I really like is when someone asks me what I would like. I hate the way asking someone is portrayed as lacking imagination or care. It's really lovely to have someone just ask me what would make me happy rather than spending ages trying to guess.

I love getting shower sets and chocolate. I'm not fussy or snobby about brands so any are appreciated,used and eaten.

Me too. I now ask people not to buy me gifts now because of years of being given things I had to donate as I couldn’t use them, ie perfume which gives me migraines (anyone that’s known me longer than a day knows I have a perfume allergy assume it’s regifting or laziness), things that wildly not my taste, etc etc, and then I’d have to buy them a reciprocal present. I’m actually really good at buying presents as I remember things that people mention they love so it’s annoying to get crap in return.

Those gift sets are my worst nightmare, I have to use things like cetaphil, so anything like that goes straight to our local food bank. My partner gets a bunch of those from his family, he uses all organic, his family know this but buy stuff like lynx anyway. Think it’s just buying things for the ‘pile’ for them, even though they know he won’t use it. Weird.

Thank god someone else doesn’t like chocolate, me either. Rarely tell people that or I get odd looks 😅

Who the fuck leaves the toffee fingers & pennies out of the quality street?

Clearly no one eats the coconuts.

This.

Give me a bottle of wine / tub of chocolates or sweets any day of the week over something the giver prides themselves on 'choosing specially' which I am never going to use.
I'm trying to declutter, and hate people wasting money on something I'm not going to use or get any pleasure from.

Another vote for this from me. I dont bloody want a "thoughtful" gift that I dont want, need and didnt ask for and then have to display in my house so they can see it hasn't been thrown in the bin which is what I really want to do with it.

I've had some truly fcking hideous "thoughtful" gifts over the years and whilst the intention is kind, they got it completely and utterly wrong. Either ask me what I would like or get me a generic present like shower gel stuff- I will always use those and they are much appreciated.

I always think the mark of a good relationship is someone you can split a tub of chocolates with. I’m all about the toffee pennies and nutty brazils, so if a guy likes the strawberry and orange creams, we’re a match made in heaven.