Topic: Is it wrong to gut than re-gift Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition ?

[AV]

I was thinking of buying this for my older sister for Christmas, but I doubt she would care about the music cd, the history booklet and the club nintendo registration. So basically I would be giving the  dvd case with the disk and I keep the extras. I don't care about owning the game since I have all the games. I still have a DS lite and Mario 2,3,World cartridges for GBA and Mario Lost levels and 1 on Virtual console so all the games are easily played for me. I'm just thinking if this would be a shady move by my part?  oh yeah I also have 3 classic controllers because goldeneye so I could toss in a classic controller that I don't need into the mix.
Is this a bad thing? I bet she won't even know the mario collection is coming out so she will be clueless to all the contents of the package.

[BeautifulShy]

Yeah I would say it would be a bad thing. I bet no one took out anything from your christmas presents in the past.

[TJ Spyke]

I have to agree. If you give her the gift and ask her if you wants them or if you can keep them, that is fine. I don't think it is right to give someone only part of a gift though.

[UncleBob]

I have to agree. If you give her the gift and ask her if you wants them or if you can keep them, that is fine.

ewww... that sounds even worse to me.

[Morari]

I don't think that it's right either. I mean, forget about all of the consumerism. No one really wants gifts anyway!

[Adrock]

I don't think it's a bad thing. You don't have to give her anything at all. That's the nature of gift giving. It isn't an expectation or privilege.  You can always supplement the game with something else if you want to ease your conscience.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Forget what most everyone said in here. It's no less of a gift just because you took part of the package and re-gifted it to her afterwards.
All she is gonna want is the game and all you want are the stuff that comes with the game, so it's a win-win situation and both parties are happy.

Do It.

[Adrock]

Exactly. At least you're not giving her the gift she gave you last year....

[Ian Sane]

If you have to ask then deep down you know it would be wrong.

The idea of gift giving is supposed to be you giving a nice gift to someone you care about to make them happy.  Are you buying this because you think it is something she would really like or are you buying her this so that YOU can get the extras?  The priority should be her, not you.

[Caterkiller]

Give her the game and keep the extras! No harm done.

[greybrick]

Adolf, a quick jump to your profile reveals your age. Assuming your age is correct in your profile, and acknowledging that you are talking about your older sister, I would say that you can't pull this kind of crap.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Adolf, a quick jump to your profile reveals your age. Assuming your age is correct in your profile, and acknowledging that you are talking about your older sister, I would say that you can't pull this kind of crap.

He's 27 and his older sister would be 30?
why would that make you think that his older sister has any interest in the extras that come with the game or that she would even care or know that she didn't get them?

His gift to her is the game, not the Anniversary Package, but the Anniversary Game. Seems perfectly fine and reasonable to me.

[UncleBob]

Yeah, the idea of gifting the game isn't *that* horrible.  But giving someone a present, then saying "if you don't want that..." eww.  Since you just gave them the present, they're going to fill obligated to give it to you even if they want it.

[ejamer]

Hmm...
 
My first reaction was that maybe it's not so bad.  As long as you still give a shrinkwrapped game to her, maybe it's excusable if you clearly know that your sister only wants the game and nothing else.  Maybe it's reasonable if you are including the game as part of a larger gift package and it's not the main attraction.


But reading more carefully made me change my opinion.


You are proposing that it's acceptable to open someone else's gift and remove all the parts you want before giving the "leftovers" to them?  You are assuming she doesn't want the whole package... but don't know that, and still have no qualms about decreasing the value of the package before giving it?  You're even planning on opening the actual game and taking out the Club Nintendo code?  This game isn't even that expensive to begin with.  And no, tossing in a spare classic controller - either used or from an unrelated game - simply because you don't need it doesn't begin to make up for the shadiness.


This all sounds terribly selfish, like something a spoiled child would do instead of a full-grown adult.  But maybe your traditions and feelings about Christmas gifts are different than mine.




Do what you want, but since you asked for opinions I don't mind sharing mine.  If you really want to keep the goodies for yourself, then it's a much better idea to buy the package and just trade or sell the game disc afterwards.  Surely Gamestop will offer good value because it's got Mario in the title.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Honestly I forgot about the game code thing, but she should give that up willingly(after SHE opens it) assuming she most-likely doesn't have a My Nintendo Account.
If you open the box and give her the game, it MUST still be shrinkwrapped. Undisturbed in anyway, but you can take the rest of the stuff out of the box (it comes in a box right?) as long as it doesn't require you to open the actual game.

[ejamer]

Honestly I forgot about the game code thing, but she should give that up willingly assuming she most-likely doesn't have a My Nintendo Account.
If you open the box and give her the game, it MUST still be shrinkwrapped. Undisturbed in anyway, but you can take the rest of the stuff out of the box (it comes in a box right?) as long as it doesn't require you to open the actual game.

Yeah, the Club Nintendo code is what really set me off.  If the game is still in shrink when you give it, then it's hard to complain too much.  Kind of scuzzy to keep half the present for yourself, but maybe understandable.  But removing the shrink to use the code was just too much.


If you do that, might as well keep the game out and play it with your buddies before gifting it.  Maybe loan it to some poor children before Christmas and claim that as a charitable act - or even better, rent it to them!   

[DAaaMan64]

Just buy 2 copies and stop risking whether you'll hurt your sister or not.

[broodwars]

Honestly, I don't really see the problem.  You're giving a gift, freely given and it's the thought that counts and all that so long as you put some modicum of effort into making it look nice.  That said, if it bothers you enough to ask on the forums about it, chances are that you think it's wrong to do this or you wouldn't be asking.  In that case, you shouldn't do it.

[Adrock]

I disagree. You can ask someone's opinion on something with a neutral stance or even to just out of curiosity. I've asked people's opinion on videogames I knew I was buying just to see what they thought.

Gifts aren't a measure of love and if his older sister doesn't realize that, the only thing he should be giving her is a backhand to the jaw.

I used to work at a video store. People would buy stacks of "previously viewed" movies as gifts. Is the gift any less of a gift because they aren't brand new?

And you know, he could always trade the game in or sell it on ebay. Instead, he's giving it to someone who he knows will enjoy it.

[Ian Sane]

Honestly, I don't really see the problem.  You're giving a gift, freely given and it's the thought that counts

Well if it's the thought that counts then that makes it all the more inappropriate.  If you're busy trying to think of a way to strip all sorts of items out of your sister's gift without her noticing then there is no thought at all.  The thought is "how can I benefit myself and give my sister a Christmas gift at the same time?"  That's not the right thought.  Plus would you tell her?  "Oh sis this originally came with some extras but I kept them for myself because I figured you would content with just the game, which I don't need."
 
While a gift is not an entitlement I feel if one chooses to give a gift then certain expectations fall into place.  There are situations where giving a lousy gift due to laziness, cheapness, indifference, or intentional malice is arguably worse than not giving a gift at all.  Part of the thought behind a gift is the intentions and effort involved.  Let's say a friend gave me 20 bucks for my birthday.  He didn't have to give me a gift at all and 20 dollars is certainly a good thing.  But he isn't giving me 20 bucks because he's such a nice guy and money is awesome.  He didn't feel like putting any effort or thought in the gift so he just reached into his wallet at the last minute and pulled out a 20 for his gift.  In such a context the gift is rather insulting.  I would rather have it than nothing at all I suppose but it suggests that the friend doesn't give enough of a **** about me to put any real effort into getting me something more personal.  Ironically he could have spent less money on something that was really up my alley and I would have appreciated the gift more.
 
A "stripped" gift where the giver clearly used the gift as an excuse to buy something he wants certain parts of is in most cases insulting.  I would only consider it an exception if doing so had some specific significance to the giver and receiver, like a private joke or the other person very specifically stated that they want some piece of a bundled item but has no interest in anything else.  If Vega's sister bought this and specifically gave him the extra elements he desires while keeping the game herself it would actually be a very thoughtful gift.

[Caterkiller]

I say it depends on the relationship you have with your sister. If it were my sister or any of my lady cousins older or younger they wouldn't mind just the game even knowing that the extra's were taken out. Mainly because they don't care about those types of things. If your sister is into those things leave em and get 2. If not just the game and throw in a few other gifts to go with it.