"I already said thank you, but should I say anything else? GENTLE READER: What would you say? Something along the lines of, I have no use for this, so I'm going to get rid of it? Countering generosity by mentioning what a failure it was does not make anyone's Christmas merrier. Not even yours, next Christmas, when this client will have been discouraged by the effort to please you and will give up trying."
"Yeah, I know, it's always for a good cause, but isn't that putting people on the spot, and not in very good taste? Nobody really wants to buy these things, but you always feel obligated, especially when the boss is standing right there! GENTLE READER: And a nice lesson that is for the children not in salesmanship, but in the use of power to intimidate. Miss Manners understands that you don't want to antagonize the boss, and hopes that you also want to avoid embarrassing the children. But that does not mean that you are obliged to buy anything you don't want. Group action is the safest, of course. Perhaps you can get your colleagues to protest this, making an official complaint if necessary. But you can also handle it on your own by treating the children as the salespeople they are alleged to be."
Accept gifts with gratitude even when items are redundant. Express simple thanks rather than announcing intent to regift or criticizing the gift. Avoid discouraging future generosity by emphasizing appreciation. Employees are not obliged to buy items sold by coworkers' children or by a boss. Sales pitched by a superior create pressure that should not force purchases. Collective action or an official complaint can address inappropriate workplace solicitation. Alternatively, deflect pressure by treating the children as salespeople and politely asking about the merchandise, its use, and its sturdiness.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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