Returns & Re-gifting

by ashley behn

Is it ok to return the gift that Grandma spent so long looking for? How about keeping gifts only to give them to someone else later?

Many "etiquette experts" say that it is wrong, rude, and tacky to re-gift. There is the occasional expert that says, "go for it" and recommends not letting a good gift go to waste. Sometimes the gift given is great, but the recipient may have no use for it. So, why let it sit in a closet and collect dust?

Perhaps the more polite response to getting an unuseful gift would be to return the gift to the store. No gift receipt? Seems like Wal-mart will take back anything from opened toliet paper to the vaccuum cleaner that is actually sold at Target. Speaking of Target, for those of you who haven't been banned from returning there yet, please note that you may return items without a receipt with strict restrictions. If you have returned a maximum of three items without a receipt, you are tapped out and never allowed to return items receiptless again! The store keeps up with your returns via your driver's license. Sneaky.

Should you choose to re-gift, just don't mention the received item in your list of "what I got for Christmas" to your friends. Take CAREFUL note of who gave you the gift, so as not to re-gift to that person.

Should you choose to return, politely explain why the gift didn't work to the giver and let them know that you are loving the item you got instead. Surely, love will resolve everything, right?

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