Friends\family that always give store bought soap & bodyvwash

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soapsydaisy

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Does anyone else run into this? I have a coworker that always gives me gifts from Bath & Body Works. I mean I appreciate the thought of the gift but I am aggravated that I always give her homemade soaps, scrubs, and lip balms and she doesn't get it. Now I need to figure out what to do with the stuff she gave me. Yard sale?
 
First, I'd stop giving her your stuff. If she wants to buy it, fine.
Second, you can try the BB&W products as a form of research and development. See what you like about them, what you don't like, etc. Then throw them away! Ha Ha!
 
You are right, she doesn't get it. My MIL gave me a gift cert to B&BW long after I had been making my own products, she really meant to be nice because she thought that was something I liked.

I agree, you can use them for research, but if you don't want them at all I am sure there is a shelter nearby that would LOVE to make someone's day with such a gift. And then you can write off the donation! Win-Win :)
 
I would totally re-gift something like that--do you have pre-teen or teen girls that need gifts to give to their girlfriends for birthdays (that way you don't run the same risk of your co-working finding that you've regifted it)? Chicks love that stuff ;)
 
I would sell them in ebay at a very low price just to give them away.
 
I'd send them off to Clean the World with my next box of rejects and scraps. Or give to the local women's shelter. or take Marilyna's idea of research and at a later date share with this co-worker. Even if she does not "get" that yours is better, she can at least "get" that you do not want the B&B stuff.
 
I get a lot of B&B stuff as gifts too. People think "Chay really loves this kind of stuff, it's the perfect gift." I usually give it to a teenage girl or toss it.
 
Is there something that you want? Let's say a nice bottle of cabernet? If so, maybe you could find someone's failed homemade batch...give a bottle. That way she may think you like wine and voila! You are set...LOL.

Seriously, I get it. I was at a wedding shower a few weeks ago and the "favors" were liquid soap from the dollar store. We stayed a little late since we are family and the guest of honor kept wanting to give me the EXTRAS...., I make soap, I don't need anymore. As a matter of fact, you could probably give my favor to old Aunt Mary who would be delighted to go home with an extra soap favor.

I like the idea of donating it to the shelters. Every year my friend gets donations together and makes Christmas bags for a short term domestic violence shelter. They would love to have ANYthing like this. In addition to anyone who is looking for a donation for some type of auction.
 
My family does this too (my friends know better)- BBW makes me itch which is why I began making my own soap to begin with. You can probably get good money for that stuff on Ebay.
 
I just think it is funny. It is already in my next Goodwill bag. I only give her my products for Christmas and other events when everyone is buying gifts. I am a special ed. teacher and there are 15 other teachers in our dept., plus everyone has at least one aide. So at Christmas time a bar of soap and a tube of lip balm is usually the least inexpensive gift to give (and I like the feedback). She asked me to make her a custom soap not too long ago. I think she is probably the type of person that stocks up on generic gifts when BBW has a sale. She thought enough to give the gift but didn't think about me, lol.
 
I know this is an older post but I was reading it and had a thought! Does she always give you the same type of item or the same scent? If she is mixing it up maybe she is trying to “help” you with R&D by showing what is out there for sale. Not sure, but it makes it seem a little nicer. We make homemade wine and love it when people pick up bottles for us from different places.
 
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