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Re-Gifting: the ultimate in recycling or the ultimate in bad taste?

Nov. 26, 2009

A third of Canadians polled admit to re-giving gifts they don’t want or like

As the holiday season approaches, are you tempted to search your bottom drawer for a present that costs you nothing to give? Once considered rude, unacceptable under just about any circumstances and the ultimate in bad taste; the dubious practice of re-gifting is, according to many experts, actually quite acceptable today—providing one follows the re-gifting rules.

What are those rules?

1. The item must be brand-new—no hand-me-downs.
2. Make sure you remove the original gift card and take the time to rewrap the gift.
3. Be sure the person who gave you the gift doesn't know the person to whom you’re re-gifting it.
4. Never re-gift something you've had lying unused in your closet or basement for years.
5. Do keep track of who gave the gift to you first. There is nothing more embarrassing—and tacky—than re-gifting a present back to the person who gave it to you in the first place.

According to a 2008 poll by Harris/Decima, only 36 percent of Canadians polled admit to having re-gifted at least once in the past. When Canada Post polled Facebook users in 2009, asking “Have you ever re-gifted” the answers were decidedly different. Twenty-two percent chose “Loads, but who’s counting?” and another 25 percent chose “Only when I’m broke”. Fifty-three percent said “I’ll never tell.” The Facebook poll received responses from 6,749 users.

This year, Canada Post is getting into the spirit of the holiday season by inviting Canadians to participate in an entertaining online contest: “What kind of re-gifter are you?”

To enter the contest, people complete a fun survey that classifies them as either a re-gift “Guru,” a re-gift “Jokester,” a re-gift “Revenger” or an “Anti-re-gifter.” Once the survey is complete, entrants have a chance to win a truly ugly holiday sweater that is sure to top anyone’s “re-gifter list” next year. In true re-gifter tradition, however, entrants can re-gift the chance to win a sweater by sending it to a friend—and become eligible to win $5,000. Visit c anadapost.ca/regifter to complete the survey and enter the contest.

The telephone survey was conducted by Harris/Decima with a representative sample of the Canadian population. This sample represents a total of 1,218 interviews, gathered October 9 through October 12, 2008. The survey’s margin of error is 2.8 per cent, 19 times out of 20.