Do people really think their friends don’t notice re-gifted toiletries?

[MoustachaNatasha]

I know this will sound ungrateful, and I know the obvious answers are “just stop doing gifts,” “be glad you got anything at all,” or “maybe that’s all they can afford.” I get all of that, but that’s not really my question.
I always put thought into gifts I think my friends will genuinely like, but every year I seem to receive a random mix of toiletries or odds and ends that I can’t use, and feel too embarrassed to re-gift. Some of them are literally the free gifts you get when buying full sizes. They go straight into a cupboard and today I’m bagging them up to donate to my DD’s Christmas fair. It even crossed my mind that I’ll probably end up receiving something back from there in the next round of gifts.
So my actual question is: if you re-gift toiletries, do you honestly believe the recipient won’t notice, or do you just not care if they do?
Genuinely curious how others see this.

I like Bayliss and Harding.

My stepmother does this..they are normally out of date Avon products aswell

I genuinely don’t think they care. I have a friend who has a complete stash of stuff to regift. I bought her son something once & then saw another child open the same gift at his party in front of me. She didn’t care enough to notice.

I once received a CD from a close friend that she had previously told me her sister had given her. At the time we both agreed it wasn’t our kind of music. I can only assume she was quite stressed that Christmas! Another time a gift I had given someone turned up as a raffle prize at a school event.

I don't understand it either unless it's something really nice. Last year I was given a mini travel kit that you get free on aeroplanes, a fake white company gift set and some out of date lush bath items. I threw the fake white company stuff away because I had no idea what the ingredients were, had to bin the lush stuff because they were so out of date and now have the travel set taking up space. Just give me a bar of dairy milk instead!

No. She was a horrid person. She was spiteful to a colleague who had time off after her thirteenth miscarriage, saying she was “swinging the lead”

A pair of hideous earrings was the least she deserved.

I give a normal present plus the free make up samples to the next generation down, all of whom are students and quite pleased to get them.

I wouldn’t mind my parents passing on presents to their friends as, presumably, they would be doing something for my parents in return eg a neighbour currently hands on her magazine each week. It’s all part of human relationships, no?

I have a friend, and she really is a friend, of 40 odd years, who buys literally everyone a tub of quality street, but skims off all of hers and her husband's favourites then reseals the tubs. She is blatant and open about it, everyone finds it funny and isn't insulted by it. She is a hilariously funny woman, as tight as anything, but we know her of old and her strange quirks.

My mum regifted me a steel tongue drum once. It came with some stickers you had to apply to it for the notes and she had stuck some of them on already. I never mentioned it, she never mentioned it.

She also gave me a free gift she had received when buying jewellery. I got excited when I unwrapped the box, only to find it was a keyring. She'd obviously bought herself some jewellery.

In my friend group/family we don't buy this kind of stuff for each other

I/We all buy our own particualr skin care, fragrance/smellies. We all like different stuff

Don't buy stinky shit for people ever unless specifically asked

We do random other things like if washing tablets are on offer, I'll get some and share, or anything like that, bog roll, kitchen paper, or a particualr spice thing I know they like

I never regift, but my charity shop does well!

I’m just a bit fed up of presents altogether. I get stressed wondering what to get people and most of the time they don’t wear/use it. The amount of money I used to spend as well, or just give money, only for me and my kids to be given some rubbish from the sale. Anyway I’ve packed it in lately, I haven’t sent anything for my nieces birthday last week and got blanked about it, well my daughter didn’t get anything from them for her 21st a few months ago 🤔 my friend will be getting a bottle of wine and chocolates for her birthday, last year she gave me a Santa in a phone box.. for my birthday
As long as I’ve got my youngest what he wants I’m not really bothering any more.

I will only regift something if I feel the other person would like it. I can’t do anything with a fragrance (makes me sneeze) so I regift candles perfume etc to people I know would appreciate. The rest goes to charity shops. Seriously it doesn’t bother me I know it’s regifted to me.

I don’t mind things that are regifted IF thought has gone into it. Like if someone got my sister something she doesn’t like, but she knows I’d love it - absolutely fine.
I would rather have nothing than thoughtless gifts - regifted or otherwise. Every year I say to people when they ask for Christmas ideas that I would be happy with a big bar of dairy milk or a bottle of alcohol free wine, and not to bother with toiletries because my skin is so sensitive that I can’t use them, and every year I get a flipping toiletry gift set. Why bother? I won’t use it and they know it. It bewilders me.

My hideous SIL actually regifted to our DM, she gave her the present my DM gave her at Christmas ,gave it to her as a Mothers day present! I can remember my DM laughing at it!!

It sounds to me like she had already decided she was snubbing you for some reason and the crappy gift was the first step.

Why would that be obvious?

honestly, if you think they would enjoy it more and it takes dust…why not? Is it less valuable because not out of the shop? Why would that mean « less thoughts ».

Then, if it is because the gift isn’t really great…I am notoriously difficult to give for so I received loaaaaads I just can’t be bothered and always is the first to « not want to add more giving » because I don’t want to receive loool. I love offering though…but sometimes it comes late or at all if I couldn’t find something I really want for the person. You probably wouldn’t like that either op! 😂😂

All in all. Say thank you, move on.

My best friend (not short of cash), has gifted me recently drinks gift sets (think 5ml of gin) with the alcohol missing from it so just a small mixer in a box…..then, a gift bag full of free beauty samples she got from work……

i didn’t say anything as a)I couldn’t be bothered and b) It would be rude to embarrass her.

But when I bought her some brand new gin glasses as part of her present (part!), she handed them back to me and said she had enough - how fucking rude! 🤣 Sometimes I think the rudeness is maybe a cultural thing, being blatant. Oh well! 🤣

It’s not the end of the world…..

For years a friend would give me random stuff like a decorative wall clock ( that didn't work) shampoo that was obviously counterfeit ( spelling mistake on the bottle - didn't use it, god knows what it would have done to my hair/scalp), chocolates that were turning white, you name it, I've had it. I always bought her decent stuff that I thought she'd like, and i came to dread the stuff she got me.

The friendship was a quite one-sided and when I didn't message her first I wouldn't hear from her, then the cheap & nasty gifts stopped thank god.

I think a lot of it was re-gifted, and yeah it's insulting, especially if you make an effort yourself.

Edited for typos!

I dont mind being given regifts and I dont mind baylis & harding either, I grew up without much and so appreciate any kind of gift someone gives me

I had to smile when I received a siver tray for our ruby wedding gift and tucked underneath was a gift card addressed to the couple who gifted it to me . I never told them though !

You weren't just referencing the workplace secret Santa so who are the other people you don't like who you regift to?

My MIL gave me a Boots make up gift box one xmas in my favourite colours/shades, and I was pleasantly surprised that she'd actually put some thought into it. The gift box came with No 7 vouchers included inside (presume MIL hadn't noticed those), and said vouchers were 3 years out of date 😂 It must've been gathering dust in her house for years - AND she's the type to complain about her friends giving her re-gifts.
So yes, I get it OP, it's the no thought that counts. I just give thoughtless people like my MIL vouchers now, zero effort.

XSIL. A total cow 🤣

I've regifted items that look nice but I wouldn't use (sensitive skin). I figure someone may get the benefit of them and I think there's way too much waste and consumerism as it is.