GREENSBORO, N.C. — Bad gifts. Most of us have gotten a few in our lifetime. There's a survey about bad gifting from the parent company of the e-commerce company "WISH". The survey asked more than six thousand people in the U.S. and Europe about bad gifts.
In the U.S., 72% of respondents indicated they have received a gift that was so disappointing or weird that they were confused why it was given to them at all.
Nearly 40% of those said they have received gifts so bad they felt insulted and another nearly 25% said the bad gift led to an argument.
Here's my favorite part of the survey, 80% believe they are good at showing fake enthusiasm when opening a bad present.
So, how should we respond? Culture and etiquette expert Sharon Schweitzer talked with 2 Wants To Know about that in early December.
“If you don't like the gift, you don't have to say I love it. All you have to do is say thank you so much for thinking of me. I can tell you put a lot of thought into it and your effort is really appreciated, thank you so much,” said Schweitzer.
Now the question is, do you regift the bad gift or do you stick it in your closet?
The survey found one-third of recipients felt obligated to wear or display a bad gift or post it on social channels to the gift giver doesn't feel bad.
Here is a list of the worst gifts according to the WISH survey website:
Amongst those surveyed, the worst gift ideas include:
- Defective items bought at a discount (28%)
- Fruitcake (23%)
- Weight loss items (21%)
- Political gifts (20%)
- Out-of-style clothing (16%)
- Cheap chocolates (13%)
- Christmas tie (13%)
- A scale (12%)
- Knockoff luxury items (10%)
- Gym membership (10%)
A majority of respondents say they receive at least two bad gifts a year, and that they would rather not receive a gift at all than be given one they hate. And to nobody’s surprise, the biggest culprit of bad gifting - across the globe - was a partner or spouse.