Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I work with a small group of folks in a call center. All of us are hired through a temporary agency, with the expectation of being permanently hired by the company after 90 days. Not a sure thing, so our jobs theoretically could end early next year. None of us are making more than $11 an hour. One girl from our group decided to start a Secret Santa and randomly passed out little folded slips of paper with co-workers names on them. I asked her what the price range was, and she said she'd get back to me. A few days later she told me it was 25-40 dollars. YIKES!
I don't want to be cheap, but it's not like we are making big bucks, and I have kids and grandkids to buy for this year. Plus, with the name I was given, I'm wondering just what do you get a 22 year old guy? I'm thinking a bottle since I overheard he was going drinking a few weekends ago, but that seems kind of inappropriate.
All the other office jobs I worked at the Secret Santa was $5 - $10. This is just another reason why I hate this extracurricular stuff in the workplace. If it's not the potluck, it's the begging for a donation for someone's birthday, Secret Santa, etc.
Do you think the price range is ridiculously high?? Is this the norm now?
Hate to be a scrooge, but she should have checked with people first. I'd tell her flat out, sorry I'm unable to participate, it's too much $ anyway when you're not even close longtime friends/workers. A friend did this to me years ago, stuck my name in the box on my day off and it was @20.00. I was furious that she took the initiative. To top it off, I received somebody I knew absolutely nothing about, and the person who got me proceeded to grace me with a hideous top in the only color I would never, ever wear.
Suffice to say, I utterly despise those things and prefer to gift discreetly.
I agree with two commas, you should have been asked first 1) if you want to participate and 2) if you did participate what your price range would be. I used to work in a bank, and one of the tellers was expecting, the assistant wanted to buy her a gift from all of us, which was fine with me. She didn't ask how much, after she purchased the gift, she informed us that we owed $35 each. I informed her I couldn't afford that much and gave her $10
Well ours is up to $10 for the first 3 weeks of December, and then up to $20 for the 4th week. Most people spend close to or a little over the max. So, ours, total, is around $50ish. If you all are just giving 1 gift, then $20 sounds about right for you and your colleague's salary range. If you're a good shopper, you can find great gifts that look expensive but are at or below the $10 mark. You just have to look for sales/clearances!
It's weird that she basically made it mandatory for you all, though. Ours is voluntary.
I have refused to participate in these types of mandatory events when I felt they were inappropriate and I feel that this is one of them. That amount is ridiculous. Tell this woman she is being unfair to these employees who don't earn enough to spend money on people who are neither friends nor family. She is being an insensitive jerk.
I just bugs the heck out of me that employees are extorted in money schemes like these because they are too afraid to speak up. I am talking about any type of office collection that goes way out of bounds.
this is why I'm glad I have a work from home job ..yahoo I don't get caught up in these things LOL . kudos to everyone who does this sort of thing it is just not for me .
Will never participate in secret Santa ever again. I got the person I picked a bottle of booze which they asked for. The person that picked me asked me what I wanted. I said a $12 pack of tube socks would be ok. She got me a pocket p***y! So embarrassing. Even more embarrassing was that I had to take it with me so I wouldn't hurt her feelings. I threw it away in the grocery store trash bin on the way home.
Am in agreement that one person doesn't make the rules for the group. However, if the OP and her coworkers don't speak up. . ??
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
