Easy... dad a crate of beer, mum chocolate flowers

Struggled this year for the first time actually but ended up with some decent little bits considering I was on a budget.

Mum got:

Weird little plants and pots from Etsy
Retro heater thing
Blu-ray
Joseph Joseph knife
Proper lovely little Orla Kiely/Fulton brolly

My dad is easy to buy for. But then he's been dead for twenty odd years..

Old dear gives a list every birthday/xmas so that's easy too...

Get some locally sourced presents. Support your local community. Everybody knows it's all about money, not thought



[Edited on 02-06-2016 by Generation]

Dad will find some obscure POS that he wants, for example for fathers day he has decided he wants a remote control that straps to his steering wheel for his stereo :lol:

i probably got him a £100 bottle of whiskey to go with it.

Wow you're so generous.

I bought my dad this

https://www.amazon.co.uk/STAINLESS-BARBECUE-CLEANER-GRATE-MATE/dp/B008CNY40O

Honestly the only thing i see him do with enthusiasm is clean the BBQ grill religiously, we are usually still eating and he'll get up and start cleaning.

He loves it, out of everything i have bought him over the years this is the only thing i see him use.

Another tactic which I've implemented with those who do the "don't worry about me" is to buy something knowingly for yourself, gift it to them, they don't really like it, eventually end up with it as your own. Works marvelously with alcohol if you discreetly choose something very specifically to your own taste.

My folks are the same, absolutely no hobbies or interests so I just end up just getting them a couple of bottles of wine and some fancy shortbread. We have a place called the food company near us and their wine specialist is top and makes really good recommendations.

If he likes wine go somewhere like the tasting house and just ask for recommendations and give a price limit. Worst case scenario do the same in Waitrose, when I worked there, to work in the Wine department you had to go on wine training days so you could give advice :lol:

I've tried that my dad always says "Oh don't worry about me" but we all know full well he'll be crying into his cornflakes if he gets nothing for his birthday.

I've given up completely; I just ask them what they would like as a small gift for birthday/xmas.

Does anyone else struggle when it comes to buying presents for their parents?

Its my old mans birthday on the weekend and as usual I was completely stumped! In the end I bought him some accessories for his Sonos setup as he seems pretty interested in that at the moment but normally he has ABSOLUTELY ZERO hobbies or obvious interests so buying him a gift normally results in vouchers or something pretty random.

He does like Red wine but I know fuck all about wine so as far as I know I could be buying him rats piss.

Is this a common issue or does everyone else find it a breeze buying stuff for their parents?