Christmas present Fail!

[rufuz]

I need some advice or at least your opinions... :/

My SO told me some weeks ago about a perfume he really likes a lot but that it's too expensive for him... so it came to my mind directly that I'll go and get it for him as christmas present... Unfortunately he posted on FB if anybody wants to buy it for him for christmas... more in a fun way... but his uncle answered that he will send him his christmas money earlier so that he can go and buy it himself... As my SO was moving to another house to live on his own I thought he won't go and buy the perfume right now because he also needed a lot of money for all the house stuff... I bought the perfume for him a few days ago... and yesterday he told me that he got his uncle's money and that he has bought the perfume I haven't told him that I bought it too... Now I'm very helpless and don't know what to do... I don't think I can give the perfume back to the store and I also neither have any idea what I could buy for him instead nor time to buy something else because I have to work a lot and will be leaving for mexico in one week...

What do you think? Shall I at least try to find something else? Or shall I just give the perfume to him too? I mean... at least he would have another bottle then if the first one gets empty.... I'm just sad that it won't be a big surprise then Do you think he's going to like it anyway? I need help

[kayla_622]

This is why I tell my SO to not buy himself anything after Thanksgiving. lol That eliminates the threat of him getting himself something I already bought him for Christmas.


Try to return the perfume and get your money back. If you have your receipt and it isn't open they should take it back and just buy him something else. If they wont give you the money back but will offer an exchange then get him another perfume by the same maker that he might like.

[Ejoriah]

Oh man I feel for you. Something similar happened to me earlier this week and yes, it is very frustrating. I agree to try to return it if you haven't opened it yet, although I don't know how returns work in general in your country. Does he visit you often? Maybe you could keep your gift at your place so that when he visits he doesn't have to bring his other bottle of perfume?

[Yaaamiii]

Is the reason you can't return it because your week is so busy with work? Or does the store not allow any returns?

I'm sure he'll appreciate the effort . Even if you don't have time to get something else, at least he'll have a second bottle, like you said. Maybe you can take him to dinner or something when you're there. Don't overthink it, I'm sure he'll love your effort, and he loves that cologne so it will be ok!

[CanadianGirl]

Cosmetics/fragrance return policies are usually pretty good where I am. Have you called the store to be certain? If it was me, I'd give him the second bottle. It's sort of a funny story and it's not like the thing was an MP3 player or a game, where he really couldn't use two. Maybe you can get him one of those perfume atomizers too, so he could travel with it? Or just wrap it up in a silly way?

[piratemama]

Well, I wouldn't mind having more than one bottle of my favorite perfume for Christmas. That way I'd know it would last a long time, and I wouldn't worry about running out. In fact, I'd love two or more of anything I love and like to use often. It will appreciate the love behind the gift, too. Maybe you write a note explaining what happened to go with it.

[rufuz]

Thanks for the answers

This is why I tell my SO to not buy himself anything after Thanksgiving.

I was thinking about telling him something like that too but I thought it would be too obvious then

Does he visit you often? Maybe you could keep your gift at your place so that when he visits he doesn't have to bring his other bottle of perfume?

Unfortunately not As you don't earn much money in Mexico the flights to Germany are very expensive for Mexicans and my plan is to move to mexico in February if everything works. So this does not make sense at all


In general you can almost return everything here as long as it isn't open. The problem is just that a friend of mine works in the store and she got it for me with a 20% discount. I guess I can't take the receipt and return it because they know that I don't work there and I don't want to give her more trouble by returning it for me shortly after she bought it. But I'm thinking about posting in the internet if somebody needs it because I can also give it away cheaper than it is normally. But then there's still the question what to buy instead

[rufuz]

it's not like the thing was an MP3 player or a game, where he really couldn't use two

That's exactly why I am thinking it's maybe not that bad to give the perfume to him too.

Maybe you can get him one of those perfume atomizers too, so he could travel with it? Or just wrap it up in a silly way?

Maybe you write a note explaining what happened to go with it.

These ideas are really good the perfume atomizers look interesting. I was thinking about buying a frame and put photos of us in it but if I don't find a good frame the next days I will think about buying one of these maybe... and the idea with the note is awesome! I was thinking about just telling him before he opens the present that this was a big fail... But maybe putting it in a letter would be nice if I tell him to read the letter first, that's maybe more personal and he can keep the letter afterwards.