Fashion

[lovesrecess]

Why does OP care what kind of bag anyone else carries? I see women who I know can't afford them carry thousand-dollar bags but that's important to them....they either go into debt or do without other things to get them.....who cares? I have a couple of Kate Spade bags and they are plenty good enough for me......because I have family who live in France, I have received a few LV bags as gifts over the years.....but I don't carry them very often...one is too big for my taste and one is very small....the other seems too heavy to use very much ....handbags are very individual......forget your rude "friend" and move one!

[domel]

I wouldn't't spend that much either but I am not a handbag girl. Maybe she spends the money she does to make herself feel better about herself. Maybe living with her parents (not sure if she is/was married or has children) makes her feel bad or lonely and spending money/shopping fills some sort of void.

[Sooner]

On 1/5/2015 loveshoes said:

She didn't spend her own money........she accumulated gift cards, etc. to pay for the LV bag she wanted......how cool is that!!!!

Really! I can't see any response other then the one above. Especially from a FRIEND! What fun! How happy for the recipient! How great to have a gift like that. How much fun was it to shop for it, etc.

Disdain for someone usually come across louder in tone and body language than mere words when expressed. It is hard to be belittled.

[pugsmom]

If your friend is 54 and lives with her parents, I assume that she isn't married. Does she have children? Perhaps she just wanted to treat herself. If she is living a lonely life, perhaps she really deserves a special treat more than just about anyone you know.

Personally, I think that we all work hard and spend our money for practical items daily. When we receive a gift, it should be fun and frivolous. A person should never receive something practical for a gift. The gift should be something luxurious that a recipient would never buy herself. This bag seems to fit this description. She probably would have never bought the bag with her own money, but in this situation, she was able to get something really nice. Good for her!

[tough_kitty]

Technically, it IS her own money.... taxable income just saying.....

[sidsmom]

On 1/5/2015 tough_kitty said: Technically, it IS her own money.... taxable income just saying.....

Granted, this is total assumption on my part but....if an employee is acting in this manner without practicing at least a 'personal' Code of Ethics, there's a greater than zero chance said employee is not declaring this income.

[house_cat]

All my best girlfriends are very well off financially. I am not. They frequently boast about purchases, vacation plans and home renovations. I just smile and tell them that it sounds wonderful. Sometimes it makes me feel bad, but it doesn't do me any good to let them see that.

[KarenQVC]

If the purse woman works in a private club, such year end gifts are often encouraged by the board. They are just a way to make staff feel appreciated. Each individual would report their own gifts received to the IRS.

[tough_kitty]

On 1/5/2015 house_cat said:

All my best girlfriends are very well off financially. I am not. They frequently boast about purchases, vacation plans and home renovations. I just smile and tell them that it sounds wonderful. Sometimes it makes me feel bad, but it doesn't do me any good to let them see that.

They are your BEST girlfriends?? I choose not to hang out with people who love to talk about "me, myself, and I"....

[NYC Susan]

On 1/5/2015 Kimi-Eliz said:

Perhaps you made her feel crummy when you didn't share her excitement and shifted focus to your own bag. It sounds like an awkward situation that hopefully won't affect your friendship.

That's what I think too. But I think it's more than that. She probably picked up on the reference to a less expensive bag being perfectly fine. I'm sure feeling she was judged led to her going into defensive mode.

It's completely up to the friend to spend anything she has - money, gift cards, anything - the way that she chooses. The OP probably thinks she hid her true feelings about it, but it sounds as though she didn't.

IMO, gift cards should be used for splurges! Isn't that pretty much what they're intended for? If she saved them up for so long, she obviously really wanted this bag. A simple, "It's beautiful!" would have been the only appropriate thing to say. With a smile.