A burial plot and a toilet seat top the list of the nation’s all-time worst Christmas gifts, according to research that suggests one in five Britons receive an unwanted present in their annual haul.
More than 2,000 members of the public were polled by Which? about what they were given at Christmas last year, with 21% saying they had received an unwanted or unsuitable gift. The consumer champion also asked people to tell them about the “worst present they had ever received.” Among the other duds were the secondhand tumble dryer a 19-year-old received from her boyfriend, roast beef given to a vegetarian, and regifted shower gel from the year before.
When asked what people did with unwanted gifts, three in 10 (31%) admitted to getting rid of them: one in eight (12%) took them to a charity shop, one in 10 (10%) gave it to a friend or family member, and 5% sold it on an online marketplace such as eBay or Vinted.
Lisa Webb, a consumer law expert at Which?, said it was hard to think of less appropriate gifts than a gravesite or toilet seat but charitably suggested that “anyone can struggle to get it right when buying for friends and family.”
The good news is that many retailers extend their return policy during the festive period, so it may be possible to get a refund or exchange the gift for another item or a voucher. You will usually need to provide proof of purchase, such as a receipt, Which? said. Some retailers do not allow refunds to credit or debit cards unless the original cardholder is present. Depending on the returns policy, they may, however, offer a gift card, voucher, or credit note.
“It’s always worth getting a gift receipt so your loved one has the option to return their gift if needed,” Webb said. “Sometimes, for online orders, only the buyer can request a refund or exchange. But if the item was marked as a gift when ordered, the retailer’s returns policy may enable a recipient to return or exchange it.”
Research by the Post Office found that Christmas gifts worth £232m were returned in early 2023. The average price of each gift was £74. Returns cost retailers about £7bn, and an estimated £42m worth of unwanted Christmas presents end up in landfill every year. Also, there is an environmental cost to returning gifts. The British Fashion Council found that clothing returns generated 750,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions in 2022.
