Is it really the thought that counts?
No. really, you-shouldn’t-have. We’ve all been there, gripping an object so personally offensive that but for the presence of the giver, it would be dropped as if on fire. The Deloitte Christmas Spending Survey for 2012 indicated that 44% of gifts bought by Irish revellers were probably on sale.
Perhaps that explains the singing trout wall hanging or the crimplene toilet roll skirt handed over with such a flourish. The average spent per household on presents was predicted at €499.60, making us the biggest festive spenders in Europe. According to online classifieds site Gumtree, the main culprits in the deluge of ghastly gifts are mothers. Sorry mum. Well, having acknowledged the effort and thoughtfulness with seamless gratitude, it’s time to subsume the polite tension and recycle the worst of the invaders back to hard cash or feelgood.
Tricky, but not impossible, and many retailers will honour a return if the original packaging is undamaged, however most will demand that you have a receipt or a very firm proof of purchase. Now, this places you in the excruciating predicament of asking the giver for the receipt. Dodgy. Try to find something skirting the truth, but preserving their sense of accomplishment in selecting what you wanted.
Lean on size, colour, model, something that says it was almost perfect and you’re inspired to just tweak the detailing. If the item was bought online you will need a copy of the invoice or some communication forwarded to your email and onto the seller for verification.
At least in this instance you don’t’ have to tackle the offended expression of your gifter. If there’s no receipt, invoice or dispatch notice, or if you’re unable to muster the cheek to ask for it, check the packaging for any other identifying marks tracing it to the store. Be prepared to accept the compromise of a swap or store credit rather than a cash refund, as retailers are under no obligation to take back goods fit for purpose.
It’s worth picking up a gift receipt next time you buy something for someone else, and many large retailers are happy to provide these discreet little escapes. Online purchases will cost you the price of their return. Serves you right, you ungrateful object.
A political mine-field for the disorganised. My stone-faced, maternal grandmother would regularly give us back presents we had given her years earlier. The only response was shouts of unbridled joy and backward flips across the Axminster. No-one opened their foolish beaks in even a giggling reproach to Nana.
Obviously, you should pour over the item to ensure there is no tender dedication scrawled on it anywhere from the original giver. All gift cards should be removed and don’t be tempted to pick open the packaging and re-seal it. Women are especially alert to this perceived cheapness and the deception will go down like a house brick at Valentine’s.
If you double up on one toy for the children, simply put it away for the obligatory ransom booty demanded by the next party to which they are invited. The crucial thing about re-gifting is to have a suitable time lapse and to carefully note where the blasted thing came from in the beginning.
Giving to charity might seem like a slap in the face to your kind gifter, but as the present cost you nothing, in moral terms, it’s really the safest course. There are many charities with a high street presence, selling second hand and new goods when they can get them. Barnardos, Help the Aged, Oxfam SVP, Gorta, Enable, Simon and many others will accept everything bar enormous lumps of furniture, (although the Irish Cancer Society shop may) large electrical goods and perishables.
The pieces should be in as near to perfect condition as possible, easy if you haven’t even used the item. Consider a small cash donation for their trouble. For a full list of Irish charity shops throughout the country go to the Irish Charity Shops Association at www.icsa.ie. The listings will also give hints of the type of items the individual outlets are looking for that week. A quick call will confirm if they are happy to take your goods.
You might want to go out of area if there’s the slightest chance of Auntie Uptight seeing her pansy print dishcloths in the shop window while out buying you a matching rose printed set, as you seemed so thrilled with her taste.
Could you stand to profit from selling on a gift? Well of course you’re just liquidating the kind gesture back to hard cash to re-direct it back to something swell. Still, discovery in this case could be politically explosive. Skip the local classifieds with your identifying telephone number emblazoned on the goods, and try the anonymity of an online auction site.
Ebay is ideal as it’s a wide sea of millions of goods and you can shelter behind a user name that will only be revealed to a potential purchaser.
You will need internet access and a digital camera to take a well exposed, focused, close up shot of the item. Have the piece weighed in any necessary packaging at your local post office to establish your postage costs both for an Irish sale or to say Britain.
You can decide to sell just to Ireland, to , to the European Union or Worldwide.
Set up a PayPal account (it’s free at www.paypal.ie) to accept payment when the item sells and don’t get caught up in demanding wire transfers, something frowned on by Ebay.
Listing is free if you have a starting price under 99 cent and no reserve. For more information go to www.ebay.co.uk/sell/basics/start.html.
I bought a computer printer on sale that I found to be incompatible with the operating system on my machine. I did open the box, but the printer is unused. I feel the clerk gave me the wrong information.
If the printer is not fit for the purpose as described to you by the retailer, it’s very likely they will take it back, and you do have some rights in this respect. Your rights are not affected by it being on sale. If you’ve just popped open the box, I wouldn’t worry.
What’s the best thing to do with an old Christmas tree? I want it out of the house this weekend.
You can bring it to your nearest civic amenity and they may take it for composting. Alternatively, find a shaggy corner of the garden and let it break down there. A dead tree will provide a host area for biodiversity, sheltering insects and other small creatures that will attract and support your garden birds.
I impulsively bought some curtains online over Christmas that I don’t think I can afford having looked at my finances for the rest of the spring. When they arrive, can I return them?
If the goods are new, and not made to measure, you will be able to return them as you have a seven-day ‘cooling off’ period under the Distance Selling Act after you have received the goods. However, the postage charge to return will probably be yours. Contact the website and see if you can head off the dispatch.
Take an old reasonably sized bottle or jar and create a café-style bespoke container. Crowded on a shelf in the kitchen with their contents hand written, a cheap steal for style. If you don’t have corks for bottles, pare back a suitable wine cork to fit.
* Glass bottles. Green or blue wine bottles, or nice green olive oil bottles are ideal. Even sizeable jam jars will work.
* Acetone nail remover or rubbing alcohol to take off the label
* Chalkboard paint. Available at any large DIY outlet.
* Painters tape (blue or the green Crocodile variety)
* Chalk, softened with a little use
1. Clean the bottles thoroughly in hot soapy water, allow to dry.
2. Remove all traces of the original label by wiping over with nail polish remover or rubbing alcohol. Work off with the blunt end of a spoon.
3. Generously mask the area you want to paint as your label.
4. Tape over the top of the bottle to avoid over-spray. (Vertical panels or even the entire base of the vessel are easy as they follow a long upright shape).
5. Apply the chalkboard paint avoiding drips. If using spray, use long even strokes and keep moving.
6. Allow to dry.
7. Remove your masking tape.
8. Age the label with a soft rub over of white chalk. Work it all over the label, blowing off the excess.
9. Use white or coloured chalk to spell out contents.
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