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?

I'll take them off your hands for a good price! I love Sanctuary stuff!

For 7 years I have religiously bought chocolates for members of one of the teams and last year I wasn’t around (maternity leave and not local) and I was told “we missed our chocolates” so I will be doing them again this year. I would say though that these are people I know well- we have 4 teams but less than 20 of us.

I think the tubs of chocolate are fine if you actually are not that close to the person receiving it and chocolate is quite expensive now so they get eaten in my house by the teenagers and their visiting friends. Every year my two DC get a big tub each from a great uncle, I think it's nice of him as he doesn't really know them so what else is he supposed to get.

Or that it’s useful? I quite like getting it, saves me buying it.

I mean I'm sure my DD would prefer a thoughtful piece of jewellery from her favourite jewellery shop but somehow I can't see Great Uncle Robert venturing there anytime soon😄

Yes, I think shower gel is useful and I also ref handwash containers with it so it's good to have a stockpile.

I buy the chocolate tubs but not as gifts, we have 1 for home and I buy several for the office.

I don’t buy generic gift sets unless requested. My mum sometimes wants a Sanctuary one but I do sometimes buy the items she wants separately and wrap them nicely. My brother always asks for Lynx deodorant but he doesn’t use the shower gel.

We are a lists family and most of us ask for quite practical things. My Dad had a Fence Post Driver last year 😂😂😂

There are always about 20 of those plastic tubs bought in to my office in January. Only way they get eaten!

It saves time to buy gift sets rather than the items separately and then wrap them together. They are easy to transport as well.

They're not my favourite type of gift, but I've also been on the other end, feeling an obligation to give someone a present, but no idea what the give them because they already have everything they need or I don't know what niche items they want. You could give cash or a voucher/gift card (which is my preference over consumables, because tastes are unpredictable), but some people think that's too impersonal/transactional. And it's not always easy to opt out of gift-giving without looking/feeling rude or unreasonable.

I have sympathy for the toiletries/chocolate buyers of the world, but honestly, if they're shopping for me and have no clue what to choose, I wish they'd decide that cash is king.

Everyone around me knows that I can't use shower gel or bubble bath because I have sensitive skin. I can't use perfumed body lotion either. I have an egg intolerance and you would be surprised how many chocolates either have it or were made in a factory where egg is used. Despite knowing this I get mostly unsuitable presents every year! 😂

On the day of the office Secret Santa I always thought those that had grabbed a toiletry set to wrap obviously hadn’t given a fuck. Horrible generic present to give.

Deal

(but seriously, just goes to show that one person’s meh is someone else’s excellent gift, so I’ll change my view to “thanks for thinking of me regardless of whether the gift is to my taste or not” )

I ask for dove shower gel and moisturizer every year it's all I ask for whenever someone asks what I want. I like dove stuff but because it's not a good enough gift I never get it. I really want it. I buy my own dove stuff

That's true

A bit shit for the planet though.

They probably bought it before they drew out which colleague they buy for! Cue the Lynx for ladies and scented candles for men

And this is why I don't buy randoms anything! My adult dcs get money and a couple of gifts..... dh and I are extremely good at buying each other things.
All parents dead, don't buy for siblings or nieces/ nephews, don't buy for friends. Life is so much easier!

You can recycle the cardboard. When you think on it a lot of what we buy is unnecessary though.

YABU, just because a quality street toffee penny is the best! The fruit creams, coconut not so much (if they're still there).

I have a relative who buys me very expensive hotel chocolate twice a year every year; I hate them!! I'd rather have toblerone,m&s, a couple of bars from aldi, anything! I can't even sneakily return them because it is a consumable, and I dislike all of their chocolate! I wish people would try to find out what you like before spending large amounts of money. I find some people buy others what they themselves like, rather than the recipient.

I like to receive the chocolate and wine gift sets, but I love, but rarely get a gift card. My son used to get me a £15 iTunes gift card, I loved having to decide what to buy, even though I can buy anything I want at that price level. It just felt special when spending the gift. I would set time aside to search and decide. Now he us a bit older, he stopped buying them, and I do miss them.

@ButterCrackers , they usually have plastic inserts inside the boxes. Recycling is good but the packaging is just to make it more of a gift.
Sometimes the packaging is re-usable, which is great, but there are people who probably bin it.

I don't really use the stuff you get in the typical gift set, so other than it was nice that they wanted to give me something, it's clutter.

I do give smellies but only to people who I know like receiving them, and I pick brands I know they like, and usually individual items not a gift set. e.g. for the pp who likes Dove body wash, I'd probably buy 3 bottles not a gift set with one bottle and some tat in it.

My late great aunt used to knit hideous mohair jumpers. One bad example was mustard and jade green quadrants, purple sleeves and azure blue collar, cuffs and hem. Firstly I am allergic to wool and two omg who would wear that?

My DM kept telling her that I am allergic to wool. Plus its a family thing as my DM, grandmother (her sister) are allergic to wool.

Allergy aside ,I would wear that, I love bright colours and mad designs.

My DH would like that too. My DD would LOVE it, it's what she's drawn to in shops.