I have these really beautiful shawls that I got from Pakistan uhmmm around the time I got married…so from time to time, when the weather and mood strike, I wear those instead of heavy winter scarves…anyways, so I wore them a few times to work, and some all of my female coworkers have fawned over them…they asked me if I could somehow get some for them and since my parents are coming from Pakistan I thought sure..why not…they gave me some money to get them a few scarves…I warned them that I bought tehse a few years back and there’s no guarantee that they’ll look like that…well one lady said: “Ugly in Pakistan is unique here..I just want something from Pakistan!” :hehe:
Well I told my mom to go buy some and she wasn’t happy that I took money from them..lol…she said with ppl u work with, give them a gift, NEVER take money from them. I tried to explain to her but she was like “tumhe abhi tak yeh cheezon ka nahi pata” :@:
Anyways, so I’ plan on giving the money back and give it to them as a gift…cz really these ladies are very sweet and I loved working with them…I have no complaints about them at all so..yeah…the thing is, one wanted FOUR and another wanted 2..I can gift one each but 7 would be way too many…
but whaddya think? was I wrong in accepting money in the first place? I don’t think so but my mother says it wasn’t nice to do that.
I think goray don't tend to see it like that. =/ It's more of an Asian thing. So, I don't think you were wrong in accepting the money. They'll probably appreciate it a lot though, if you get them the shawls as gifts.
If you liked something that a colleague bought from another country, would you expect her to give it to you as a gift next time she visits?
Unless you have received similar gifts from colleagues, and it's part of your team's culture, I don't think you did anything wrong. Professional relationships in the west are pretty direct and more formal than desi ones. So I'm sure you haven't offended anyone by accepting money for something they asked you to get in the first place.
However, there's no harm in making a gift of it if you can afford. But don't feel guilty for accepting money if you decide not to :)
Did any of them ever gift you anything? If yes then you can do either
1.... Gift them 1 shawl and get the money for rest of it
2..... Gift them all of it although I think 4 is a lot
LOL noooo! tehse are other women at my job…and like I said, no issues with them at all…well one of the girls who fussed over the bill, she wanted four. but I really don’t like her and don’t wanna give her anything any way…but I figure if I’m gifting the other two, i might as well get her ONE too since she asked.
Well i’ve been working with them since january, and it’s a contract based job. I don’t think Ill ever see htem again after we finish working…
I don think that you should return the money. You asking your mom to buy for them from Pakistan is a gift enough for them as they know that you are putting your mom at inconvenience already.
Do not gift any and do not return the money , if this job becomes contract to perm then you can think of gifting something then.
^ This.
You've been working with them barely 3 months and this is a temporary situation. As stated earlier....the "gift" thing is a Asian mentality. Outsiders don't think like that and are not offended at you taking the money to get them something they specifically asked for.
it's too much hassle working out what you should give back/giving them one free.
Just charge em and bring in asian food if you get made permanent, or just. White people always like free curry :/
keep the money since giving it back will be awkward now, no?
or give the money back and gift them one , which is more then enough for a gift .. and since your being so generous, i wouldn’t mind a new shawl either
