Borrowing Items from a friend?

Just wondering how you guys "handle" ( for want of a better word) these type of situations.

So you are asked by a friend if she can borrow some baby items for a relative who is visiting from out of town. It will be for a few weeks. Items are stroller, car seat with base and bouncy chair. You say no problem but you will just have to get them out of storage and clean them etc as its been awhile since you used them. Friend says "great". You get them ready and coming up to the holidays you are plenty busy with other stuff so this is an added chore for you to do. You do it, drop them at her house and its done.

Fast forward to today when she drops them off on my doorstep( I was not home) ...she bumped into me at school and tells me she dropped them on my door step earlier. So I get home and there they are.

My question is if this was you would you have dropped off a $10 bottle of wine or cookies for the kids or something as a way of saying thanks for doing me this favor and for going to the bother of cleaning them etc.

I personally would have as I really appreciate when people do things for me but there was nothing....now I wonder am I in the norm or out of the norm?

I am not annoyed just curious as DH tells me I am OTT sometimes as I always bring gifts no matter where I go etc etc.

Thanks

Re: Borrowing Items from a friend?

Honestly, I wouldn't have thought about dropping off a gift too when returning the items. I would make sure that everything was washed and cleaned so that the owner could just put them away without having to re-clean everything and drop or ship them back directly. I've had people borrow baby items and not give me any sort of gift when they return the items (months later and in some cases dirty! ). Never thought anything of it (except the dirty part which was very annoying!).

Re: Borrowing Items from a friend?

it is a nice thing to do but not 100% necessary.

i threw a sprinkle for my sister at my home the week before Christmas and that following monday, she had delivered a beautiful arangement of flowers to my workplace

makes you feel appreciated, KWIM? like you took that extra minute to really think about a way to go a step further for all she did

Re: Borrowing Items from a friend?

You are making me feel bad - a friend GAVE me a infant car seat when my DD outgrew hers and I was not yet ready to be rid of the snap-n-go...I never gifted her anything to say thanks. I feel awful now.
BUT at the same time...the condition she gave it to me in was DISGUSTING. I have never seen anything filthier in my life...I hosed this thing down so many times to get it clean...had to wash the insert - literally had to bleach some spots to get it clean...I sort of skeeve at other people's mess though. She didn't care to clean it for me - just gave it to me and said sorry it's been in her basement and is dirty. So now maybe I don't feel so bad about a gift given the hours I spent cleaning this thing.

I would be more bothered she just left it on your doorstep than no gift. Someone could have stolen them.

Re: Borrowing Items from a friend?

Posted by maymama

it is a nice thing to do but not 100% necessary.

Re: Borrowing Items from a friend?

Posted by bicosi

Posted by maymama

it is a nice thing to do but not 100% necessary.

Ditto..

Re: Borrowing Items from a friend?

Thanks Ladies...it was actually fine leaving it on my doorstep as its really safe here. I guess its just my upbringing - my mom gifted for EVERYTHING so I guess I inherited that from her.

Re: Borrowing Items from a friend?

I wouldnt have thought to get a gift- a thank you card definitely though

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Re: Borrowing Items from a friend?

Re: Borrowing Items from a friend?

I would not have thought about it either. I will say when my friend loaned me her maternity clothing I gave her a gc for a restaurant. When she had a new baby I gave her my bijorn and tons of clothing (As well as a present) but she did not give me a present back. It slightly bothered me, but it was ok....

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I wouldnt have thought of that. I might reciprocate in a different way like treating her to dinner, babysitting ect.

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Re: Borrowing Items from a friend?

I wouldn't be offended or even think to give a gift. It's always a nice gesture, but not expected. I don't mind doing stuff like that for a friend and I know the feeling is mutual. We always repay each other in one way or another!

Re: Borrowing Items from a friend?

I think that there are other ways to show appreciation aside from gifting. I think if it was me, I would like to get a verbal thank you and maybe some recognition that it required effort on my part, but that is all I would expect. Anything else would be icing on the cake IMO.

Re: Borrowing Items from a friend?

I wouldn't necessarily have dropped off a gift when dropping the items off.

I always "pay back" in one way or another.

Re: Borrowing Items from a friend?

We lent an infant seat and base, bouncy seat, and a couple baby toys to a friend of my Mom's who had a grandchild visiting.

I didn't expect anything. When it was returned they sent a small gift for DD, a thank you note and a couple scratch off lotto tickets.