What do you do when you’re given a gift you don’t like or won’t use?

2022-07-26

Many years ago a male friend gave me jewelry that I knew I would never wear. I asked him if he could return it and if we could pick out something I would wear. We did. I am still friends with him and I recently asked him about that experience. He said it stung at first but once he got passed that, he was glad I got something I liked. (I still wear the earrings we picked out together. Yes. My husband knows. No. He doesn't care.) But did I do the right thing? When I was in hig...

Many years ago a male friend gave me jewelry that I knew I would never wear.

I asked him if he could return it and if we could pick out something I would wear.

We did.

I am still friends with him and I recently asked him about that experience.

He said it stung at first but once he got passed that, he was glad I got something I liked. (I still wear the earrings we picked out together. Yes. My husband knows. No. He doesn't care.)

But did I do the right thing?

When I was in high school my dad made me return a stuffed animal a boy gave me because he (my dad) didn't like him (the boy). To this day I wish I had hidden it in my closet or even thrown it away instead.

The heartbreak on his face still haunts me. He was a nice kid and I liked him.

I wondered how other people handled receiving gifts. Diane Helbig, Dr. Rhonda Bompensa-Zimmerman and Philip Tate, APR, were kind enough to spend some time with me discussing this topic.

As with many things on Quick Hits, gift receiving is nuanced and fraught with pitfalls.

I think I need to do one about gift giving too.

What about you? What do you do when you get a gift you don't like?

Connect with the panelists:
Diane Helbig: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dhelbig/
Dr. Rhonda Bompensa-Zimmerman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-rhonda-bompensa-zimmerman-138aa3b/
Philip Tate: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philiptateaprfellowprsa/
Dr Robyn Odegaard: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robynodegaard/

Want a summary of the five Quick Hits I post every week, plus the links to the LinkedIn pages of each of the panelist to show up in your in-box every week? Just let me know where to send it: https://drrobynodegaard.com/quick-hits-notifications/

#QuickHits are designed to exercise your brain by letting you listen in on an unscripted conversation to get other people's thoughts on pertinent subjects. If you would like to join a conversation or have a topic you would like to hear discussed, please message me. https://www.DrRobynOdegaard.com

#gifting #difficultconversations

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