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Next year, don't bother buying presents...
stoatie
Posts: 78,106 Forum Member
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...just donate half as much as you would have spent on them to charity.
Seriously, I work in a charity shop, and today was ridiculously busy dealing with donations that were clearly unwanted gifts.
Or maybe people who live round here are just ungrateful, I don't know. Either way, if I'd given some of these presents I'd be gutted to see them all back on sale in a charity shop four days later!
Of course, some of it was people doing a post-Christmas clearout- but you can tell the Christmas presents, because they're all brand new and unopened. And half the time the donors TELL you they're unwanted gifts.
I'm not complaining, mind you, it's all good money for the charity...
Seriously, I work in a charity shop, and today was ridiculously busy dealing with donations that were clearly unwanted gifts.
Or maybe people who live round here are just ungrateful, I don't know. Either way, if I'd given some of these presents I'd be gutted to see them all back on sale in a charity shop four days later!
Of course, some of it was people doing a post-Christmas clearout- but you can tell the Christmas presents, because they're all brand new and unopened. And half the time the donors TELL you they're unwanted gifts.
I'm not complaining, mind you, it's all good money for the charity...
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Fair point, and an interesting conundrum... I bought pretty much all mine there! That said, I'll be the first to spot it if anyo of my mates decide to redonate them.
"Well I thought about buying you something, then decided I couldn't be bothered."
A special thanks goes to whoever donated season 1 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, unopened, to charity, because I received it as a gift and was definitely pleased.
So, unfortunately for charity, I won't be donating any of my Christmas gifts, but I am thankful to those people who donated beforehand, because I received some awesome items from the lady who frequents the shops.
Oh, of course. As I say, I'm not complaining at all- we LOVE getting awesome stuff donated. Always better to have the proceeds going to charity than just chucking the stuff away. Maybe it's not even people being ungrateful- maybe people round here are just rubbish at choosing good presents!
People could come to an agreement, though- "I was thinking of buying you X..." "Ah, no, that would be rubbish. I'd just hand it in at the charity shop. How about you just give them half as much as X costs anyway, cut out the middle man?"
I am, of course, not entirely serious. Just an observation I made today while completely snowed in under the weight of other people's unwanted presents!
I WANT MY GOAT!
I'll get me goat then.
I've also been checking out Ebay - the amount of unopened presents on there is unbelieavble! (I know this is spelt wrong, but I couldn't find the spellcheck on the screen when writing this). So far, I have found some lovely items at good prices on Ebay - already have purchased 2.
I should warn you now, we don't accept goats, so if you bring it into our shop, you're gonna have a long walk to the City Farm.
Mind you, I'd love a goat. We had one as a pet when I was a kid. They're vicious and unpredictable little buggers, but they're wicked cute. If only I had a garden...
Not Scroogey at all. People who are earning TONS have bought me stuff from charity shops before, and the presents have been great! I don't really care where it comes from, or how much it cost... it may be a cliche, but it's the thought that went into choosing it that counts. Or something.
I suppose some people feel a bit cheeky telling others what to buy them. It just seems a shame to be stuck with a gift that isn't ever going to be used. Luckily, I wanted all mine.
I buy a number of gifts from Oxfam Unwrapped - so I know my present finds it way to a good cause.
Sounds horrid, but we don't need anything. We raised about £250 for a lung charity this xmas by asking family to make a donation.
Yeah, mine were all cool too!
Oh, I'd be a hypocrite if I'd meant it seriously- but (serious hat on) that IS a great thing to do; well done! I just wish I was selfless enough not to be excited about presents. I like getting stuff.
Unfortunately I think we're all too busy playing it
Just out of interest (and I am nosey)
Some people just buy gifts for the sake of it, my sis in law sends us socks every single year, the socks she sends me are too small, she sends white sports socks to my husband which in all the years I've known him, he's never worn white socks ever and this year she sent my 8yr old son Thomas the tank socks meant to fit a toddler. No thought goes into buying these socks and if I had the guts I'd tell her to save herself the bother of buying all these unwanted socks and donate some cash to charity as that's where the socks always end up anyway.
I bought one of the Twilight hardback books in my local chariy shop as a gift for my daughter, she was well chuffed and had no idea it was second hand as it looked as good as new. Saved myself a few bob too.
Clothes (a LOT of jumpers), books, DVDs, kitchenware and "novelty presents". You know, the kind of stuff that you KNOW your mates will piss themselves laughing at but will never take out of the box. Pants for squirrels, that kind of thing. Oh, and decorative stuff- ornaments, vases and the like.
Even if a present isn't exactly what I was hoping for I try to use it/wear it etc.
I donate my old things to charity and I sponsor a child (and a meerkat too now thanks to my sister, lol!), as well as working for a charity so I do my bit too:)
I like you.