North Carolina woman goes to Goodwill. Then she comes across gift she had made for a friend: ‘My heart would break if I saw my work on a thrift rack’
A North Carolina woman and her sister sift through a rack of jackets at a local Goodwill. Her jaw drops when she realizes why one of the pieces looks so familiar.
In a video with over 8.8 million views, TikToker Emily (@emilychristineee1) thrifts with her sister. Her sister holds up a denim jacket with a painting of American Christian singer Anne Wilson on the back.
Her sister covers her face in disbelief and looks distressed. On-screen text explains her reaction.
“When your thrifting and your sister finds a jacket she hand painted for one of her friends,” the text reads.
“I’m calling mom,” her sister says, sounding defeated. Emily assures her that they’ll buy the jacket back from Goodwill to preserve her hard work.
Is it bad etiquette to donate handmade gifts?
Handmade gifts can take hours of labor to put together. So, some gift receivers contemplate whether it’s OK to get rid of ones they don’t use on the r/Gifts subreddit.
One man notes that his brother-in-law made an entryway key holder, which his wife told him they could toss. However, he can’t decide if it’s the right thing to do. Commenters on the subreddit weigh in on the tricky situation.
“It is technically rude but if you have no use for it, it has to go. Sometimes that’s the reality of giving thoughtless gifts. If you don’t want your feelings hurt, don’t give random gifts to people that don’t match their needs or [wants],” one suggests.
Another says, “IMO it is not rude to donate or regift. Once a gift is given, the recipient may do whatever they like with it. It is a burden to not only have to store an unwanted gift, but to pull it out and display it when the gift-giver visits!!”
“I believe regifting is perfectly acceptable- people have the best intentions and you can be genuinely grateful without having to clutter your space with things you dont need,” a third notes.
How should she tell her friend what she found at Goodwill?
Commenters suggest savage ways for Emily’s sister to call her friend out for donating the hand-painted jacket.
“I would’ve taken a picture of it on the rack, sent it to her, and say we’re not friends anymore. I don’t play that,” one writes.
Another suggests, “I would wrap it up and gift it again but before handing it to her I’d say ‘omg I found this while thrifting and just HAD to get it for you.'”
“This happened to me once. I just sent them a selfie of me holding the item at goodwill and said, next time please just use the dumpster so I don’t find it. lol,” a third jokes.
@emilychristineee1 Friend is a strong word #creatorsearchinsights #foryoupage #goodwill #meangirls #thrifting ♬ Mozart/Requiem "Lacrimosa"(1394506) – Mint
However, some insist that gift receivers can do what they want with their presents without informing the giver.
“It’s a gift. You give it , and that’s it . People don’t have to hang on to things forever b/c it’s a gift,” a viewer says.
“The best thing my mom taught me as a kid is that once you give someone a gift you loose control over what happens to it. Yah it’s upsetting that your friend gave it away but it’s no longer yours to decide what happens to it,” a second writes.
The Mary Sue reached out to Emily via email and TikTok direct message and to Goodwill via email for further comment.
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