We kick in about $10 a piece for an office gift to the bosses here, but it's a tiny close-knit office where most of the workers are relatives or personal friends of the owners. And they occasionally do stuff like fly people to conferences we're not strictly needed at so the different branches can socialize and get taken out for pretty nice meals.

eta: The person doing the organizing and buying clears the gift with everyone first, and I'm sure we'd go to Plan B if anyone objected to a gift being too expensive or what have you.

It's funny -- minion is in her second job out of college, I think she's 24? so I feel this huge responsability to teach her how things should be, in case she ends up at a fucked-up job later.

I second (or fifth) the oh, HELL no.

ok a few things:

1) who is deciding what to buy 2) who made this a mandatory thing 3) without consent to what it is and how much per person NO WAY!!!!

Oh, and I have bought presents for bosses, but only when I wanted to, not because someone made me! So crazy!!

Yeah, that's totally nuts.

In mememe news: Netflix has Waitress on short wait so I'm NOT going to get to see it this weekend. Pouting now.

Do these people understand that their boss makes so much more than they do? Is this just some sort of group ass-kissing exercise?

Not enough WTF....

Oh, and I have bought presents for bosses, but only when I wanted to, not because someone made me!

This. I've also contributed happily to group gifts, when the terms are "whatever you want to/are able to donate, and then we'll see what token little thing we can get" rather than "this much is Your Share".

rather than "this much is Your Share".

ESPECIALLY if you had no input into what to buy or how much to spend.

Seriously, though, won't the guilt-tripping people just give up eventually if you don't back down. Or maybe there's one you can take aside and be very frank with?

last time they just tag teamed me until i gave up(almost in tears because i literally didn't even have money to buy my family gifts that year). there is not a reasonable person in this place and i'm not kidding.

No. WAY. Is too much.

I just asked another co-worker if i was mis-remembering about the $20 and she said no, i was right. it was $20 last year and all the previous years. a $20 increase in one year?! give me a fucking break, people.

Because that shit is BANANAS.

I am SO GLAD i'm not alone in thinking this. i was beginning to think i was just wearing my frugal panties.

I'd be very tempted to state mournfully, "Oh man, that'd mean I can't afford my [name some highly contaigous nasty-ass, airborn disease. Oooh or rabies!] meds this month...."

*snerk*

1) who is deciding what to buy

umm...mostly the office manager and her minions yes-men.

2) who made this a mandatory thing

I have no idea. it was in practice when i came here 5 1/2 years ago.

Do these people understand that their boss makes so much more than they do? Is this just some sort of group ass-kissing exercise?

not only do these bosses make SO MUCH MORE than us(they are literally millionaires), they almost always don't even appreciate the gifts except when they give specific instructions for something they want. it's a definite ass-kissing exercise.