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December 2, 2004 11:19 AM

Regifting 101


Excerpt: Many Americans were shopping up a storm last week, picking out the perfect gifts for friends and loved ones. But the truth is your friends and loved ones may not love the gifts you've chosen. Or they might give you one you're not crazy about. Many people get gifts they don't want, don't need or don't like. Those people sometimes pass those gifts on to someone else. Call it tacky or call it rude, but the real name for this practice is regifting.


Many Americans were shopping up a storm last week, picking out the perfect gifts for friends and loved ones.

But the truth is your friends and loved ones may not love the gifts you've chosen. Or they might give you one you're not crazy about. Many people get gifts they don't want, don't need or don't like. Those people sometimes pass those gifts on to someone else.

Call it tacky or call it rude, but the real name for this practice is regifting. Here are 5 tips in case you're stuck with a recyclable gift this year:

1. No guilt necessary.

The etiquette and ethics experts we tracked down say the focus shouldn't really be on the gift itself, but rather what it represents.

According to Bruce Weinstein, President of Ethics at Work, "There is no reason to feel guilty for regifting. The purpose of giving a gift is to give pleasure, to bring joy to someone's life. And let's say you already own a copy of the 'Godfather' collection for example and you know that someone else would like to have it, what's the point in keeping it? It would be wasteful."

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Read all 21 posts in the same category of Spending:

Cell Phone Calls In Flight? - Dec 09, 2004
Holiday Tipping - Dec 09, 2004
Tunes Coming To Callers? - Dec 08, 2004
Electronic Ways to Pay Eclipse Checks in Number - Dec 07, 2004
The Trouble With Rebates - Dec 07, 2004
Customers Tire of Excuses for Rebates That Never Arrive - Dec 07, 2004
'Phishing' Attacks Surge In 2004 - Dec 06, 2004
Bush Signs Internet Tax, Special Ed Bills - Dec 05, 2004
The Wide World Of Online Shopping - Dec 04, 2004
Shopbots: Your Own Automated Shopping Assistant On The Web - Dec 04, 2004
Traveler: Know Your Options - Dec 04, 2004
Worried Merchants Throw Discounts at Shoppers - Dec 04, 2004
Health Costs Up 7.5% - Dec 02, 2004
5 Popular Holiday Shopping Scams - Nov 30, 2004
Slick Tips for Holiday Shopping - Nov 28, 2004
Give Gifts That Give Back - Nov 28, 2004
Tips For Stretching Your Holiday Budget - Nov 26, 2004
Meet The Bargain Hunters: Three Everyday Experts Share Their Tips - Nov 26, 2004
Smart Holiday Shopping - Nov 25, 2004
Some Shoppers Find Fewer Happy Returns - Nov 07, 2004