by Lina :-p
Member since:
May 11, 2006

What a bummer, my holiday gift surprise was ruined!!!

December 08, 2008 03:40 PM EST
views: 80 | comments: 31

My guy asked for a Tribest Yolife Yogurt Maker - YL-210 after seeing it in a homesteading magazine. He loves preserving food and making it from scratch. Anyway it was being sold though a catalog but I went looking for it on Amazon.com because I had just earned a gift card from them thanks to my gather points.

So I found it, ordered it on December 1st and today it just arrived. My guy greeted the UPS man and accepted the package. Unfortunately, the product name was plastered all over the shipping box and it totally ruined the surprise for him! He came in all smiley and said it was no big deal.

I am pretty bummed and kind of mad now. It is not like I have a ton of gifts to surprise him with this holiday since money is so tight... I just wanted what I was able to get him to be special and exciting for him on Christmas day. Now that is out the window with this gift.

During the holidays shippers need to use nondescript packaging, this is not a new concept. I am just amazed that some retailers still don't think about that sort of thing. Don't put the product name on a box when it could be a gift guys!

I left them seller feedback, there is nothing else I can do now except get over the ruined surprise. Has this ever happen to you? What would you do?
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Comments: 31

When Don and I celebrated our first Christmas I got him a robe and one day before X-mas I came home from work and he was sitting on the couch wearing it!!! You can't surprise them or hide stuff from them-I am sure he would have peeked around and found it no matter how hard you hid it!! LOL!!
Lesli B. Dec 8, 2008, 3:45pm EST
There is still a way you can "surprise" him. Don't give it to him with his other gifts. Lead him to believe since the surprise was ruined, you sent it back. Then give it to him late in the day, right before bed or something like that. I did that once to my then-boyfriend. He was just as surprised as if he had never known about it. By the end of the day, he honestly thought i had taken it back. The laugh was on him!
Lina :-p Dec 8, 2008, 3:53pm EST
Lesli, that is a great idea! I will do that. Thanks!
t w. Dec 8, 2008, 3:55pm EST
I like Lesli's idea!
another gift idea. get him a couple cases (they are less than $10 each) of the smallest Mason type jars to put his yogurt in, wrap them up and he won't know what they are!
Lina :-p Dec 8, 2008, 4:00pm EST
Doc, that is a great idea too! Thanks guys for all the ideas. I am glad I posted this now.
Leah Christensen Dec 8, 2008, 4:11pm EST
That really really stinks! I would not only leave seller feedback, but I'd write to the company too.

As for me, when I had an idea for a gift that I knew I could not hide from Walker, I asked Mom to pick it up, wrap it and put my name on it. I'd pay her back at Christmas.
I would have been a bit upset as well~
Jennifer aka Jenn B. Dec 8, 2008, 4:15pm EST
good suggestions above
j - Frugal Mom - r. Dec 8, 2008, 4:29pm EST
That is annoying, sorry to hear your surprise was ruined. It looks like you got some great ideas though.
Monica H. Dec 8, 2008, 4:31pm EST
My brother sent me a Hoover vacuum as a Christmas gift.......................and the exact same thing happened. He also told them it was a gift not to be opened until Christmas. It arrived with the entire pic of the vacuum on the outside of the box.

I am sorry about your husband seeing the gift.
Sandy (back in Ohio...blah!) Dec 8, 2008, 4:41pm EST
I have no idea why companies do that. Alot of them don't becayuse people will see whats in the package and take it.
Marianne R. Dec 8, 2008, 4:42pm EST
That's a shame.
Dagmara H. Dec 8, 2008, 5:59pm EST
I am sorry
Elaine S. Dec 8, 2008, 6:03pm EST
That's terrible
Jessie L. Dec 8, 2008, 6:40pm EST
I usually have packages shipped to another address if I want it to be a compete surprise for the hubby. But I can easily do that because I have other family around, so it goes to my mom's, in-laws, etc... but if you don't have that opportunity possible I'm not sure how else to make it a surprise.
Beth - Doing God's work Daily J. Dec 8, 2008, 6:51pm EST
That is a neat idea.
Mary Bee Dec 9, 2008, 7:46am EST
Well at least he liked it...
anne ( way 2 crazy of a life ) c. Dec 9, 2008, 9:05am EST
I am sorry (pif)
Elle L. Dec 9, 2008, 3:13pm EST
That is a bummer.

He was still surprised by it, he was just surprised today and not in a few weeks.
Mariana T. Dec 9, 2008, 9:51pm EST
Oh well, just smile and be glad it didn't show up broken! enjoy - life is short - and these things happen but anyway, sorry you're disappointed - I'm sure he's happy one way or the other! Salud
Debra H. Dec 10, 2008, 10:41am EST
Last year Hubby and I decided that rather than buy individual gifts we would buy one big thing we could both enjoy. We decided upon a 60 inch HDTV. Afterward I went back to the store and bought a HD DVD Player, an assortment of his favorite movies and Theatre Seats and ordered it to be delivered on Christmas Eve. The next day while I was at the Doctor Circuit City delivered all my gifts. I was fuming.
Carol B Dec 10, 2008, 10:43am EST
This has happened to me a few times. I know you are disappointed but believe me guys are not like us and they don't care. We like our little surprises on Christmas morning, my husband just wants what he asked for. And a lot of times he orders it himself cause he is afraid that I will get the wrong thing. So he was surprised at the door, just let it go, or it can ruin your holiday. Happy Holidays.
Donna S. Dec 11, 2008, 9:41pm EST
so sorry for you
Nellie (The Bad Santa of Gather) Dec 11, 2008, 11:55pm EST
that almost happen to me last yr but I was able to grab the package before hubby got to door, I was upset about it as it was something he wanted for yrs and I could finally afford it. (a special rack for his fishing rods.)
APE 131313 Dec 12, 2008, 1:10am EST
Here's some comments cause I like yer S S hat!! Thanks for helping!
Shannon W Dec 13, 2008, 5:21pm EST
Im' sorry :( That would be very disappointing and irking
Dove D. Dec 13, 2008, 6:29pm EST
oh no!!!
.* Sandi * Dec 13, 2008, 6:34pm EST
alot of companies do that, and i have emailed them too, they dont listen
Angella *ThePilatesLounge.com* H. Dec 15, 2008, 1:24pm EST
You never know when you do things like that if it will work out or not- I would have been bummed out as well.
Fran S. Jan 17, 2009, 5:09pm EST
it was still a special gift, of that I have no doubt!! Hope your New Year has started great and continues all year long the same way!!

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