[HIDEK6]

You people who return gifts don’t have the courage to tell the giver, “You know, I’d rather have the money.”

[9YearLurker]

Or just be appreciative and give away something you can’t well use.

[Sacajaweau]

I tell everyone to donate to St. Jude's Children's Hospital.

I'm 82...Danny Thomas is a fond memory...and he left us a spectacular legacy.

[Dartoid]

Miss Manners would raise an eyebrow—and then dismantle that sentiment with exquisite calm.

She would say that returning a gift is already a breach of etiquette, but demanding cash instead is a double offense: it insults the giver’s thoughtfulness and treats a gift as a financial transaction. Gifts, she reminds us, are expressions of regard, not vouchers.

In Miss Manners–speak, the proper responses are limited to:

Gracious acceptance, regardless of personal taste

Quiet regifting or donation, if the item truly cannot be used

Never, ever instructing the giver on what you would have preferred

As for “lacking the courage” to ask for money, she would say this is not courage at all, but rudeness masquerading as honesty.

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“You people who return gifts don’t have the courage to tell the giver, “You know, I’d rather have the money.”