Thrifting, regifting and bargain hunting: The etiquette of gift-giving on a budget
BNN Bloomberg
Five years ago, Julie Blais Comeau received a present. Then she learned the Christmas-themed apron and dish towel weren’t for her — originally.
“I got a gift from somebody that was intended for someone else,” she said, laughing. The gift tag hadn’t even been swapped for one with her name.
Regifting remains one of many fraught areas of trading presents with family, friends and colleagues, a holiday dance as delicate as a Christmas ornament. And as consumers grapple with higher interest rates and inflation, questions about how to juggle second-hand items, bargain hunting and personal expectations loom larger than ever.
An Equifax survey found that some 68 per cent of respondents plan to budget for holiday shopping this year, up from 57 per cent in 2022.