Article: Most Commonly Returned Presents

[mbcdefg]

In a nutshell - unless you're gifting cash, you're screwed.

mentalfloss.com/uk/christmas/36075/the-6-most-commonly-returned-christmas-presents



The 6 Most Commonly Returned Christmas Presents



In an ideal world, Christmas shopping would be easy. You’d easily find the perfect something for your friends, family, and even that guy at the office you don’t really know but somehow got landed with in the Secret Santa draw. Unfortunately, we don’t live in an ideal world, and the sad truth is, despite the smiles on Christmas morning, a lot of carefully selected presents will end up getting carted back to the shop and exchanged for something else.



Now, while we can’t tell you what you should buy for the people on your list, we can tell you the types of presents most likely to end up traded in for store credit. If you’ve bought any of these things, be prepared never to actually see the recipient with it again after December 26th…



Clothes and Shoes



Wearable presents are always a risky buy. The first hurdle is choosing something you know the recipient will like – personal style is, well, personal, and it’s unless they’ve specifically asked for something, it’s tough to know if they’ll really like that dress or shirt that you can imagine suiting them so well. Then, even if they like whatever it is, there’s the risk that you’ll have picked up the wrong size, or that, even if those shoes are the right size, they actually pinch a bit, or that jumper is just really unflattering… It’s a total minefield. It’s not surprising, then, that in a survey carried out by MarketTools, a massive 62% of people said they’d returned clothes or shoes they’d been given.



Toys and Games



Buying presents for kids can be even more difficult than buying them for adults, especially if you haven’t got children of your own. What do three-year-olds like? It’s a mystery. And children’s tastes change fast, so something they loved last year might seem hopelessly out of date this year. Throw in the fact that you’re never going to keep track of what they’ve already got and their grandparents may well have bought them the same thing you have, and you’ve got a recipe for a New Year trip to Toys R Us for their parents. Surveys say 16% of people have returned toys and games.



Kitchen and Bathroom Products



Got a friend who’s a bit of a foodie? Don’t be tempted by the gift sets of spices that get rolled out ready for Christmas – they’re unlikely to be up to scratch for serious gourmands. Toiletries, too, can often be a disappointment. Do you know what brand of moisturiser your friends use, or what kind of deodorant they prefer? Those kinds of things might seem useful, but people tend to have strong opinions on the stuff they put on their bodies, and might well just take your well-meant gift back to wherever it came from – 13% of people say they’ve returned kitchen and bathroom products.



Cosmetics or Perfume



If it’s difficult to buy clothes for someone else, it’s even more difficult to buy makeup or perfume. It’s just such a personal thing that you’re virtually guaranteed to buy something that won’t be appreciated – a lipstick in a colour they hate, an eyeshadow palette they’d never consider using, or a perfume that reminds them of an old colleague they never got on with. Just don’t do it. In surveys, 10% of people admit to having returned beauty or fragrance gifts – and a chunk of the rest have probably donated them to charity shops or re-gifted them at the earliest opportunity.



Gadgets



You’d think you were on safer ground with electronics, right? Turns out: nope, not even slightly. 14% of the people surveyed had returned the consumer electronics they’d been given as presents – anything from iPads to smartphones to hair straighteners – and swapped them for something else.



The problem here is partly redundancy; hardly anyone needs more than one tablet or phone. But it’s also partly that we’ve come to see our choice of gadget as a kind of identifier. Apple devotees won’t appreciate Android devices, and woe betide anyone who buys an Xbox One for someone who wanted a Playstation 4 (and vice versa)!



Jewellery



Yup, the last thing on the do-not-buy-unless-you’re-really-really-sure list is another wearable.



Jewellery, like clothes and cosmetics, is something that people tend to want to choose for themselves, and it’s very easy to get it wrong. Even an apparently classic piece of bling can turn out to be wrong – many people are allergic to certain metals, or just prefer silver over gold. If you give someone jewellery, make sure you keep the receipt; 10% of people have exchanged presents of jewellery or watches.



So what does that leave in the category of presents people actually like? Well, a recent survey suggests the most exciting present is a ticket for a surprise holiday. Mind you, the survey was done by a travel agent, so maybe take that with a pinch of salt. If you don’t know someone well enough to know what they’d really like, maybe the safest option is a gift card – or even just cash.

[5thofjuly]

So...all of them?

[konapoppy]

Nov 24, 2015 8:54:32 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

So what does that leave in the category of presents people actually like? Well, a recent survey suggests the most exciting present is a ticket for a surprise holiday. Mind you, the survey was done by a travel agent, so maybe take that with a pinch of salt. If you don’t know someone well enough to know what they’d really like, maybe the safest option is a gift card – or even just cash.

Of course it was. 

[raangoli]

Nov 24, 2015 10:04:53 GMT -5 konapoppy said:

Nov 24, 2015 8:54:32 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

So what does that leave in the category of presents people actually like? Well, a recent survey suggests the most exciting present is a ticket for a surprise holiday. Mind you, the survey was done by a travel agent, so maybe take that with a pinch of salt. If you don’t know someone well enough to know what they’d really like, maybe the safest option is a gift card – or even just cash.

Of course it was. 

But what if you don't like the location selected for the holiday?  

[konapoppy]

And to add, a surprise holiday sounds worse than any of the gifts they listed, and much more difficult to return. I have had a few close friends give us a night at a hotel. It has worked out, but there is definitely some stress of finding the right time to go and the travel to and from.

[konapoppy]

Nov 24, 2015 10:06:00 GMT -5 raangoli said:

Nov 24, 2015 10:04:53 GMT -5 konapoppy said:

Of course it was. 

But what if you don't like the location selected for the holiday?  

You have to suffer through it!

I am clearly riled up about this LOL. 

[audette]

Nov 24, 2015 8:55:55 GMT -5 5thofjuly said:

So...all of them?

Booze. They didn't mention booze.

So, apparently that is the ideal gift!

[lagom]

Holy shit. I would be pissed about a surprise trip.
Merry Christmas! Here's a bunch of stress and logistics for you to deal with!
I'm not at a point in my life where I can just get up and go somewhere.

[irene adler]

Nov 24, 2015 17:46:27 GMT -5 @crackhabit said:

this is why I stick with good, old fashioned fruit cakes.

I'm a popcorn tin girl myself. 

[patbutcher]

Nov 24, 2015 17:51:32 GMT -5 irene adler said:

Nov 24, 2015 17:46:27 GMT -5 @crackhabit said:

this is why I stick with good, old fashioned fruit cakes.

I'm a popcorn tin girl myself. 

Lol that's what I'm thinking of giving my Bil. (With a giftcard to the movie theatre).

[AAM2012]

Nov 24, 2015 11:45:04 GMT -5 audette said:

Nov 24, 2015 8:55:55 GMT -5 5thofjuly said:

So...all of them?

Booze. They didn't mention booze.

So, apparently that is the ideal gift!

This is pretty much all we give and get to/from family.

 

[winnied]

This is why I'm having my family do Elfster lists this year.

[compassrose]

WTF. So no presents for kids ever. Well, books. (except I have always been a big reader, but I like to pick out my own books)