To think this is a widely understood unwritten rule?

[GiftTag]

At a birthday party and as I was dropping off the present with the others another mum noticed we hadn't written on the gift tag. She asked if I wanted a pen so I could write on it and I politely explained I never write on the gift tag so the bag can easily be reused (this one was actually already being reused probably from my own child's party).

She thought this was completely bizarre and genuinely didn't seem to be able to comprehend that this was quite normal behaviour.

She continued to repeat of course you write on the tag that's why its there and how would they know who the gifts was from (I did say the card was in the bag). She seemed stuck on a loop even asking others nearby if they had heard of people doing this before. It not me is it? This is not weird, most people don't write on the tags so the bags can be reused?

We had this with our family at one point as we have a lot of birthdays close together and kept seeing the same bag go back and forth 😅

That's quite sweet. I love the idea of just a few bags continually passing between friends.

Just remove the tag when you want to re-use the bag. Simples as they say.

Totally normal to reuse gift bags and assume others may wish to do so.

Writing on tag or not is more divided. I don't as I think it encourages reuse of the bag. But I wouldn't be surprised or disapproving if others did. The tag is there to be written on so sooner or later someone will write on it.

The woman sounds like a total pain. Telling you off for not doing it her way, trying to encourage others to join in and going on and on. Not even the bloody host! What a rude narrow minded person!

YABBU. Her because of course people re-use giftbags, you because if everyone did it your way, the gift tag would never get used. It makes more sense for the first person to use the bag writes on the gift tag, it then gets removed but the bag can still be reused.

It's silly to not use things on the chance they might be reused later - if the gift bag goes into a bin, or gets shoved into a drawer and forgotten about, or gets too crumpled to use, then the tag has never been used so is a waste.

If I was giving a present to someone there and then at a small occasion - e.g. birthday meal with immediate family, I might not bother writing on the tag. But in a party situation where all the bags are on the table and the birthday person would never remember who gave what, I definitely would. Even with a card in the bag, it might fall out, the child might want to open all the cards first and then presents/vice versa, someone could nick it (unlikely but stranger things have happened!)

Not remotely weird. I usually write on the tag and assume the recipient will take the tag off and reuse the bag, but your way is also absolutely fine. It would be criminal if people didn't reuse those lovely bags.

What a fucking have-a- banana-palava

How you even have the bandwidth for this to be on your radar after the event is beyond me lol

get a job/life ?!

Rule ehm no. It's 50/50 here if we write on the tag. Who cares?

Maybe if it has bothered you to this extent just don't read it and bother replying?

It's not that serious.

I write the child’s name on the front of the birthday card and attach it to the gift .

Either way is fine and normal. The weirdest thing is people who can’t accept anything out of their own narrow scope of experience.

Best bit about a birthday party is getting a gift bag restock!

So they can't reuse the card?!

I mean the birthday card tells them it was from my child? What did you think I meant?

I do the same, unless it’s for someone i don’t know well (like a kids party I suppose!) but otherwise never write on them so they can be reused or just reuse with no tag.

My bestie and I had a bag that went back and forth between us several times a year for a decade or so until all our kids all got old enough to want cash for birthdays!

I'm with you. All my child's bag tags were blank, the gift bags circulate around.

I think not using the gift tag is a bit ridiculous if it has one - first person uses it, next person cuts it off and either puts their own on (we often do this instead of a card) or just puts a card in the bag. Keeping a tag unused on a gift bag is just pointless.

But another parent, who isn't the host, trying to insist you write on the tag is much more bizarre.

Yes……..and I’m going to lose sleep over this tonight! 🤣🤣🤣

It’s weird to not label a present as from you. How do they know who to thank?

If I wanted to re-use a gift bag, I’d just rip the label off. Job done. I must bin them though because I can’t think of any lying around the house. I’m not a user or saver of gift bags.

Exactly. A non issue.

Fair enough if she wants to use the tags on bags and didn't know some people choose not to, but to be so insistent and go on about it to make you look weird? That was rude and unnecessary. You told her there was a card to identify the gift giver. At that point, the conversation should have ended. She's a rude busybody.

They look at the card? Presumably that's what they would also do if you ripped the gift tag off and reused a bag?

Has the 1980s called yet, to ask for this misogynistic shitty insult back?

Nope you are the odd one - write on the tag on its first use, recipient then removes tag and reuses bag

I don't know, but second rate US scriptwriters called asking for their shite patter back from you..