Weird gifts from customers

[Boozy]

Giving someone a gift is obviously not an example of sucky behaviour, but in the past I've been presented with some odd items that caused a great deal of awkwardness.

Examples:

Hideous pink and orange striped sweater in a child's size, presented to me as a "tip" from a lady whose kid had outgrown it.
Tickets to a Christian revival weekend.
Handmade candle that looked decent until I lit it and nearly set my home ablaze.
Five pounds of moose meat.

Somehow, saying "Thank you" seems inadequate in cases such as these.

Anyone else ever get presents from customers? Did you like them?

[BookstoreEscapee]

Moose meat?

We had a woman bring us cookies once after we had gone above and beyond for her. I forget what we had done but she was really grateful and it was Christmas time, so she brought us cookies (store-bought, sealed package, for any paranoids out there). We liked that. Occasional tips for gift wrapping, which I normally wouldn't take but some people (usually guys) insisted. One guy gave me 5 bucks for wrapping one book.

Weird gifts, no, can't say that I have...

[draftermatt]

Finished an addition for a restaurant. They sent us cookies, pies, and the like as a thanks. Got a fruit basket a few times too.

[Hobgoblin]

I had a regular customer bring me two 24-oz cans of Old English. It's a not-so-great malt liquor flavored like beer.

That's gotta be the weirdest thing I've ever gotten. He even brought it to me at work. Of course, drinking isn't allowed there, so I had to wait until I got home to consume it. Although, my city doesn't actually have an open-container law, so I could have drank (drunk?) the things while on my way home.

[BookstoreEscapee]

I had a regular customer bring me two 24-oz cans of Old English. It's a not-so-great malt liquor flavored like beer.

Gee, I thought Old English was furniture polish..

[Hobgoblin]

Gee, I thought Old English was furniture polish..

It sure did taste like it. Of course, I know better than to waste good (or bad) alcohol, so I consumed them both. What really amazed me about it was that while drinking them both didn't get me drunk at all (a mild buzz, but nothing significant) I was extremely hungover the next day. That's when I swore off of malt liquor forever. At least, the cheap malt liquor.

[BookstoreEscapee]

That's when I swore off of malt liquor forever. At least, the cheap malt liquor.

Yeah, I'm more of a malted milk kinda gal, myself. Love me some Ovaltine!

[RecoveringKinkoid]

We had a "customer" (and I write it like that cuz he never was made to pay anything...for reasons that will soon become obvious) who would bring us

Large bottles of booze
Deli sandwitches and pizza several times a week
Cool gifts from exotic countries (for instance, I once scored a handmade Bedoin pillow cover)
Large bowls of assorted candy and treats
Cans of assorted sodas
Wings
Did I mention large bottle of booze?

Needless to say, this guy rocked.

[yahurd]

aol discs
mandatory character lengthening

[Banrion]

Not me, but my b/f, got a housewarming party at a house he helped remodel. The customers were snowbirds, and living in FL during the remodel. Once the job was finished, they flew up to see and were so impressed, they hired a caterer and DJ, and told everyone on the work crews to invite their friends and family over for the housewarming party. Of course there ended up being a blizzard that weekend, and I didn't get to go, but b/f says they must have spent over $1000 on booze and everything was fantastic.

They were one of the very few customers he talks to me about. They are also very popular in the neighborhood, since then b/f has gotten 6 more jobs in that neighborhood by referral from these fine folks.

[ToasterQueen]

My co-worker managed to get some discontinued LEDs to a small-time customer in New York.

He sent her a cheesecake.

The great thing is?

She doesn't like cheesecake, and I'm her best work friend. :3

[skeptic53]

-Wooden inlaid replica of Da Vinci's "Last Supper", very badly done

-Huge (3 feet/1 meter tall) ceramic lighthouse with a little light inside, intended to be painted & glazed as a "craft" project. Instead it was just spray-painted with red glitter paint. Still have glitter in my area from it.

Best gift: a bottle of Laphroaig!! Woot!!!

[Pezzle]

I've only ever recieved normal tips from customers unfortunately; chocolate cake from a baker, ten bucks from a grateful stock broker, and I got taken to applebees by a businesswoman from Maryland on my break.

I thought the last one was weird -- all I did was transfer her files from one hard drive to another

[Boggles]

I've had the usual cash tips you get delivering newspapers (we do several rounds ourselves as can;t get paperboys). On the Big Round, we do 15 miles round all the farms and outlying villages and usually get bottles of wine, spirits and the like.

Last birthday, word got round the village and all the old dears came in to see me. I wound up with 17 assorted cakes, 6 ties and 12 pairs of socks.

The weirdest is probably the farmer who, to thank me for setting up his daughters computer at uni for her (she was cute, i wasn;t going to say no ) brought me a turkey to have for tea on the sunday. The problem was it was still live!

My favourite is the retired chap who ever month brings in some form of game he has trapped/hunted or whatever for me and the boss. We have had to ask him to bring it in well wrapped after he walked in clutching two rabbits by the ears just as we had several children in the shop.

[mrtauntaun]

- 1 Month of free Yoga lessons. The woman was some new age type that said "It looked like you needed them" (she actually came back with them after her purchase) and "Your job must be stressfull"

- A six pack of Sam Adams

- Gift Certificates to local eateries (always a favorite)

- A barstool. This one was really great, the guy hand made them for a living. It was padded, had a back, and was just the right height for our service counter.