#111 Gift Receipts

Another holiday season has come and (thankfully) gone, and people everywhere are returning gifts they received that they didn't like. I, however, had a more difficult time returning gifts this year because one side of my family decided not to include a gift receipt with their gifts given to me, which coincidentally happens every single year.

I don't get it. Why not include a gift receipt?! If I give someone a gift, I always include a gift receipt just in case anything is even slightly off with what I decided that person probably likes... why? Because I'm not right all of the time, and I would rather give them the receipt up front so they can deal with having to exchange or return it without having to ask me for the receipt later. That way, I can go about thinking that I picked out a good gift and I would be none the wiser that they didn't like it or it was the wrong thing. If they didn't like it, they wouldn't tell me, so I can just assume that they liked it and go about my merry way.

People's feelings are at stake here. Do I risk upsetting my mother-in-law by asking her for the receipt for a shirt that she bought me that is too small (bless her heart for thinking I wear that size)? No. I just go to the store she bought it from and buy something for my son instead. The problem is that I probably won't get back the money that she paid for it because I don't have the receipt. She likely purchased it at a higher price than what the price is after the holiday, so technically we're both losing and the store gets to keep the extra money. Besides, even if I asked her for the receipt later, the chances of her finding it are slim-to-none anyways.

Then there's the case of duplicate gifts. What if the gift someone gave you was so awesome that someone else decided they were going to give you the same gift? You probably don't need 2 of them, so you'd likely return one. However, if the only place to return it was to a store that you don't like to shop, you're stuck with a merchandise credit for that store and you end up having to spend money there when you'd rather have money to spend elsewhere for something you need rather than some frivolous gift you are forced to purchase for yourself or someone else.

I seriously would rather receive nothing at all than something I didn't want that I would have to go return to a store. I hate shopping. Perhaps I sound ungrateful that I am receiving gifts at all, but I would rather not do a gift exchange if that were an option. I'm SO OVER IT. If it weren't for people's feelings, I would simply opt out of these types of family functions altogether because I just don't like doing it anymore. It's more of a pain in the ass now than it has ever been before.

What it comes down to is this: get to know the person you're purchasing a gift for, so you know what kinds of things they like and especially what they don't like. This will save everyone a lot of hassle in the long run. But if you're not going to do that, at least include a gift receipt.