Son Gifts Dad a Second Hand Jumper Much To His Disgust

A young man is asking if he was wrong to gift his dad a hoodie he bought from a thrift shop. Instead of being grateful, the son says his dad freaked out and called him ‘gross!’ Do you think it’s okay to give a gift that’s second hand?

Writing into Reddit, the son says it all began when he gave his dad a second hand jumper as a birthday present.

“So yesterday was my dads birthday. Everything was fine, I went to his house we celebrated and I gave him his present.I am a high school student so I don’t have money for expensive gifts and I got him a nice thrifted hoodie.I am a fan of thrifting as you can get nice clothes for cheap and you also don’t hurt the environment.

I told my dad that I thrifted the hoodie and he freaked out. He said that it is disgusting to wear clothes that other people have worn and that I could get him something cheap but new or nothing at all.

I even washed the hoodie before I gave it to him even though clothes are already washed and disinfected at the thrift store. He still said that it was dirty and that I am an asshole because that hoodie could be harmful to his health.

I find it ridiculous but some of my relatives agreed that I should not have gifted him used clothes as it is unsanitary.”

Now the son is wondering if he’s the a**hole for gifting his dad something from the thrift store.

Opinions were mixed on this topic. Some people sided with the son and his reasons for buying second hand while others could see the dad’s point of view and agreed the hoodie was unhygienic.

Here are some of the comments: 

You tried to find something nice within your means. There is nothing wrong with used clothes (FYI, not talking about underwear). It’s vintage, it’s ecologic, it’s economic. His reaction for your effort was WAY out of line. Also, if he thinks you’re an asshole for gifting second hand clothing (as you don’t have the means to buy new), then maybe your dad is the A H for not upping your allowance.

Yes! And unless he has extreme and very sensitive allergies to something like cat dander that could be embedded in the fibers even after washing, he has no argument. Your gift was thoughtful and within your means, and you gave him something nicer than you could have otherwise. If he doesn’t want it, that’s his deal.

A birthday is about the birthday person not about the giver. If he knows his dad has an aversion to second hand clothing, and some people do for various reasons. One of my relatives had a big problem with bed bugs and that’s why they won’t and you could talk to you are blue in the face that clothing has little risk but not based on their experience.

If a kid is Young and relies on an allowance, a parent would be much more appreciative of the children doing chores that they are never asked to even to do, to write a heartfelt card or poem, take their parent out, etc then they would want something expensive

I wear thrifted clothing all the time but I would never give it to my relative who won’t touch it with a 10-ft pole. There are places like t.j Maxx you can find more expensive things on clearance if it’s about money, or just do something nice for that person bake them a cake.

One commenter had an interesting question when they asked: Did you know how your dad felt about second hand clothes before buying the gift?

The son answered with: We hadn’t discussed it before but his cousin had given him some of his clothes that didn’t fit him and he was OK with that.So I thought he didn’t mind.

Hmmm, what do you think? Would you be okay with receiving a gift from the op shop?

Images: Pixabay