Pharmacy Secret Santa, max $50.00 ?! What the...?!?

[swatchgirl]

My pharmacy is doing the Secret Santa thing and I drew the name of one of my technicians. The maximum is set at a whopping $50, not by me or our pharmacy manager but by the technicians themselves. They are all wishing that I had drawn their name, because the technicians all assume I get paid well. I think they are ignoring the part where I still have to pay back my tuition debt? Do I have to get a $50 gift? I have never bought my own parents or even myself anything that expensive before...🙁 Is $50.00 a common cost for these "Secret Santa" activities??

Anyway it feels like quite the culture shock. My technician whose name I drew from the basket wants something from Sephora or Forever 21... I am afraid to even step into Sephora myself because of how overpriced that place is, therefore I have never been inside that store in my entire life. My own mother doesn't ever wear makeup, and even if she did and asked me to get her something from a Sephora store, I would never do it. It's WAY too overpriced. So should I get a $50 gift card from Sephora for my tech? What would happen if I don't? I am a staff pharmacist at our store, btw. My technicians are pretty hard working. I've worked here for 6 months now so I am still in the process of getting to know them.

Should I bite the bullet and shell out $50.00 for my tech, when my own mother and father have never received that much pampering from me? I feel so bad spending that much money on someone I barely know on an overpriced product I don't endorse for a holiday I barely believe in, but I'd feel just as guilty if I didn't meet the hefty $50.00 price tag set by my techs. 🙁

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[waiter]

Yes, personally, I would. They are not paid enough for what they do.

 

[trailerpark]

Is this a joke? Having a moral crisis over $50?


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

 

[swatchgirl]

Yes, personally, I would. They are not paid enough for what they do.

Should I buy something for every tech, or just the $50 gift for that one tech whose name I drew from the basket? How do other pharmacists treat these "Secret Santa" activities? This is my first one. Should I buy a gift for my pharmacy manager, too? I did not draw his name, but should I still buy him a gift, too? That's $200 right there, for all 4 people.😱😱 I'm a new pharmacist, I'm really not that financially confident yet.

 

[swatchgirl]

Is this a joke? Having a moral crisis over $50?


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

Do I look like I'm joking. $50 is a lot of money. I just can't believe people ask for such expensive gifts from each other. I am willing to buy my tech the gift, I just don't feel too comfortable about it since we never exchanged anything that extravagant among my immediate family members, and now all the sudden I am buying for an almost complete stranger. It's weird!

 

[trailerpark]

If 50 is the max spend 40 bucks. Buy them one of those nice portable battery packs to charge a cell phone on the go. Can't handle 40 bucks? Buy them a cheaper one then throw in a little box of Christmas truffles. Or regift something you already have and add a few smaller things. This isn't a big deal.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

 

[mentos]

Lol stop being stingy. Welcome to America.

But seriously you've never had dinner with your parents and offered to pay? I pick up the $100-$200 bill for my family on several occassions. It's the least I can do. I've paid most of my loans off.

 

[swatchgirl]

If 50 is the max spend 40 bucks. Buy them one of those nice portable battery packs to charge a cell phone on the go. Can't handle 40 bucks? Buy them a cheaper one then throw in a little box of Christmas truffles. Or regift something you already have and add a few smaller things. This isn't a big deal.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

Well we all have a gift list written down. I put down a knife sharpener. My tech put down anything from Sephora, Forever 21, or Victoria's Secret Pink. I don't shop at those places. I have NEVER EVER shopped at those places, the stores smell too good and stores that smell good are usually very expensive and I am nervous to step inside them. But this Christmas is apparently forcing me to go inside stores that are outside of my comfort zone. Just the thought of it is making my pulsatile tinnitus go into overdrive. Not fun.

 

[Leper Messiah]

I've dropped more than that on a first Tinder date. Although that did have a better outcome than you can expect from your tech.

 

[Ackj]

Should I buy something for every tech, or just the $50 gift for that one tech whose name I drew from the basket? How do other pharmacists treat these "Secret Santa" activities? This is my first one. Should I buy a gift for my pharmacy manager, too? I did not draw his name, but should I still buy him a gift, too? That's $200 right there, for all 4 people.😱😱 I'm a new pharmacist, I'm really not that financially confident yet.

The point of Secret Santa is so that you don't have to spend $ on everyone. If you were going to get everybody a gift, you wouldn't pick a name, you'd just shell out for everyone. It's probably going to save you $.

 

[swatchgirl]

Lol stop being stingy. Welcome to America.

But seriously you've never had dinner with your parents and offered to pay? I pick up the $100-$200 bill for my family on several occassions. It's the least I can do. I've paid most of my loans off.

We rarely eat out. The few times we do go, it's because of Groupon deals, which will bring the total down to $40 or less for 3 people's meals with tips included; no Groupon, no restaurant visits, that's our house rule. My parents criticize people who spend more than $12 on a single serving of food. They've gotten a lot better, it used to be capped at $8, but I've managed to convince them that nowadays $8 can't even get you a bowl of pho noodles in most restaurants.😕

 

[owlegrad]

The problem here is that you are not buying your parents nice enough gifts. 😉


You are way overthinking this though. If you don't want to spend $50, don't. That is high for a Secret Santa, $20 is more normal, but honestly $20 buys mostly crap gifts. Maybe the techs want to get stuff they actually want?

I usually give booze. No one has ever complained to my face.

 

[swatchgirl]

The point of Secret Santa is so that you don't have to spend $ on everyone. If you were going to get everybody a gift, you wouldn't pick a name, you'd just shell out for everyone. It's probably going to save you $.

Got it. Thank you.

 

[trailerpark]

Why don't you just give them a 50 dollar gift card (purchased online) to one of those stores and then you ask whoever got you that you want a 50 dollar gift card to a local grocery store. Then you'll basically break even. Or ask for something that costs 50 bucks and return it for store credit to get something you need.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

 

[swatchgirl]

The problem here is that you are not buying your parents nice enough gifts. 😉


You are way overthinking this though. If you don't want to spend $50, don't. That is high for a Secret Santa, $20 is more normal, but honestly $20 buys mostly crap gifts. Maybe the techs want to get stuff they actually want?

I usually give booze. No one has ever complained to my face.

Ok I see your point. Yeah, I do want to give people gifts they will actually use, wear, etc. My parents are Asian. They act upset instead of happy when I offer to spend money on them. It's hard to explain. But, maybe deep down, they do wish to get a Mercedes-Benz, or a BMW from me or something. Why else would they insist on their kid to go into pharmacy, right? Guess I've been the idiot here.

 

[swatchgirl]

Why don't you just give them a 50 dollar gift card (purchased online) to one of those stores and then you ask whoever got you that you want a 50 dollar gift card to a local grocery store. Then you'll basically break even. Or ask for something that costs 50 bucks and return it for store credit to get something you need.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

I actually do like groceries! My passion is the fresh produce section. Anything leafy and green that's 99 cents a pound, is on my dinner list. Thanks for the suggestions. 👍

 

[bp2313]

$50 is not going to break your bank. Buy a decent gift for your tech, YOU will be the one who be grateful later.

 

[ldiot]

Buy them a $50 CVS/WAGS gift card lmao

 

[Dr Wario]

I (and the other two pharmacists) get all of the techs $10 equivalent gifts, if they want to do secret santa among themselves it is fine, but pharmacists are not involved.

Oh we have about 15 techs so it is a bit more than the $50 you are worried about but that really is not a problem.

 

[mentos]

Imagine if you were invited to a bridal shower, wedding or baby shower. Oh the humanity!!

 

[gwarm01]

You can swing the fifty.

 

[swatchgirl]

Imagine if you were invited to a bridal shower, wedding or baby shower. Oh the humanity!!

I don't need to imagine. I opted out walking at my graduation ceremony because of the rental cost for the cap and gown. They mailed my pharmacist diploma to me in the mail and that was that. I'd skip out on my own wedding too if the future hubby is okay with it.

^I'm totally joking.

 

[swatchgirl]

I (and the other two pharmacists) get all of the techs $10 equivalent gifts, if they want to do secret santa among themselves it is fine, but pharmacists are not involved.

Oh we have about 15 techs so it is a bit more than the $50 you are worried about but that really is not a problem.

I will get a $50 gift card to show that I am sincere, most likely from Sephora since that was the first thing the tech listed on her wish list. Hopefully I'll get to see her wear the makeup she buys with it. The techs wear scrubs to work so if I buy her a Forever 21 gift card I won't be able to see her wear her new clothes. The thing is, I would not buy myself fifty dollars worth of makeup since I have never worn makeup... I suppose this can be a good way to fulfill my dream of looking expensively pretty by living that dream vicariously through her.

 

[KARM12]

I've never done a Secret Santa with a $50 gift amount. That is a lot. Usually the limit is $20 and everyone is expected to spend the same. I would never expect a tech to buy a $50 gift. Did you know the amount when you decided to participate?

 

[ldiot]

Happy techs = happy pharmacy

I've never heard of a $50 secret Santa either but it's nothing but some cash, no big deal. One of my friends who actually got me into pharmacy buys every tech a $50 gift card every year. He says it's a business investment and the payoff is well worth it because the techs are so important (and underpaid). If the techs were lazy and stupid I probably wouldn't do it though.

 

[Momus]

I get them $25 gift cards for all, double down on the best performing techs (the crappy ones don't know) .

 

[Momus]

Since you are so cheap with your tech (once a freaking yr), while you are at it, get her something she wants on the list worth $50. Right now, it will be a good time to shop around BF deals and cyber Monday deals, they don't know you get the gift less than 50.

 

[Amicable Angora]

I think the OP has strung you guys all along for a massive troll fest.

 

[Amicable Angora]

Except for trailerpark

 

[lord999]

I think the OP has strung you guys all along for a massive troll fest.

Not necessarily, my dad's pennywise/pound foolish like that (but in his defense, I've seen his INS picture when he entered the US as a refugee, 65 inches and 85 lbs), so I get it. I have some personal bad memories of being in the rich Catholic high school) being the scholarship altar server student having to dodge that pederast Vicar Fushek and obviously poorer than even the "middle class" students, while discovering later that our household income was (and is) in the top 4% when having to do FAFSA. Then again, I'm not at all worried about the six digit pension each of my parents are drawing nor if they become expensive long term care patients as they have the LTC Insurance, and the funds to hire permanent help.

Considering your health interests, real food and real equipment to prevent injury is not cheap, but it is worth the investment. Consider your tech part of the real equipment you need to do you job, and I'd honestly think of it as a investment in professional insurance rather than a Christmas gift if you really want to be that cynical about it. In addition, consider this against what your hourly salary is, this isn't 2000. If two post-tax hours of my salary will keep a tech that is working with me all year happier, it's a very small investment although seen as generous. I guess you've never heard about "being kind to the waiter", which it really doesn't matter to me since we don't have professional contact with each other, but even harboring these thoughts on calculation on a petty amount (and it is) is not thrift, it's material possessiveness to the extent that your money controls you. Try to let go of that, if only for the cynical reason that cheapening the present not only wastes the money but also leaves a bad memory in the tech's mind. Do at least what the amount is said to meet the expectation, but if I were you, I'd go beyond the expectation if you want to set a new one for them to work even harder for you next year.

In contrast, I bought my secretary something equivalent to 1 day's take-home wages with my wife's explicit permission. A good secretary in the modern day isn't someone who sleeps with you, that isn't particularly useful. A modern good secretary contacts the right people, arranges the hotel room, reminds me to go to my therapeutic appointment, bills the university budget under the "professional services" portion of my budget, sees to the financial arrangements with the right people's company, phones my wife saying that I'm due home at 8:00 PM but possibly longer while I'm in therapy, and has an excuse ready if I need to "work" overnight. A good secretary being helpful is your co-conspirator, and you should reward her as such for keeping the faith. She has definitely saved me much more time than the insufficient gratitude I am giving her, but I really do appreciate her savoir faire in dealing with my agenda. I only hope that your help will ever be this good as mine are.

 

[CYP-0]

I will get a $50 gift card to show that I am sincere...

...and a person of integrity in that regard, assuming you knew the terms prior to participating.

Moreover, if the tech in question is among the "good" ones (i.e. good work ethics), then focus on it as an act of appreciation. If that fails, then look at it through a different lens: an investment in further positive team spirit/bonding. Both the latter and former paradigms are not mutually exclusive though. Thus, a win-win situation for you either way.

 

[gat3way1]

My pharmacy is doing the Secret Santa thing and I drew the name of one of my technicians. The maximum is set at a whopping $50, not by me or our pharmacy manager but by the technicians themselves. They are all wishing that I had drawn their name, because the technicians all assume I get paid well. I think they are ignoring the part where I still have to pay back my tuition debt? Do I have to get a $50 gift? I have never bought my own parents or even myself anything that expensive before...🙁 Is $50.00 a common cost for these "Secret Santa" activities??

Anyway it feels like quite the culture shock. My technician whose name I drew from the basket wants something from Sephora or Forever 21... I am afraid to even step into Sephora myself because of how overpriced that place is, therefore I have never been inside that store in my entire life. My own mother doesn't ever wear makeup, and even if she did and asked me to get her something from a Sephora store, I would never do it. It's WAY too overpriced. So should I get a $50 gift card from Sephora for my tech? What would happen if I don't? I am a staff pharmacist at our store, btw. My technicians are pretty hard working. I've worked here for 6 months now so I am still in the process of getting to know them.

Should I bite the bullet and shell out $50.00 for my tech, when my own mother and father have never received that much pampering from me? I feel so bad spending that much money on someone I barely know on an overpriced product I don't endorse for a holiday I barely believe in, but I'd feel just as guilty if I didn't meet the hefty $50.00 price tag set by my techs. 🙁

I seriously hope this is a joke... you are making pharmacist money and these techs are making nothing compared to you. Don't be stingy and just show some appreciation for your tech who does most of the work for you. It happens only once a year.

 

[mentos]

I seriously hope this is a joke... you are making pharmacist money and these techs are making nothing compared to you. Don't be stingy and just show some appreciation for your tech who does most of the work for you. It happens only once a year.

Seriously, life is too short to worry about $50.

 

[wagrxm2000]

Um just pick up an extra shift and spend the money. I spend about $500 each year on my staff.

This is only a one time a year event.

 

[ChalupaBatman86]

This is a zero sum transaction. Give $50 get $50. Ask for cash. Maybe splurge on some $2 per pound produce, just make sure to hide it from your parents.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[radio frequency]

I can relate to the poster. I hate giving and getting gifts; it feels like a totally pointless waste of money on both ends. I'd rather get a nice and thoughtful card any day of the week. Clearly we're not the norm though, so try to play within society's rules to keep the others happy if you can. And consider it a lesson for the future -- maybe help set the parameters of the exchange next year. Thoughtful notes may be helpful too, if the technicians value that.

 

[swatchgirl]

Seriously, life is too short to worry about $50.

Try growing up under my dad's shadow. You'd think and behave otherwise. My dad got chased down by a bunch of restaurant people one time for not tipping a waiter. That was when he was 58 years old and he was already a PhD at the time. He learned his lesson and started tipping one dollar for $30 dollar meals (for serving a party of three). I said to him, "hey dad, when are you going to treat people more like human beings and tip them proper? 15% is the minimum, so that should be at least a $4.50, not one measly dollar". My dad answered, "when those waiters get accepted into law schools, medical schools or pharmacy schools, then they can come back and talk to me about what tip money they think they deserve". Stingy is an understatement for this man that I call my dad. You can't talk sense into him, unless you want to get slapped, choked, beaten up and spend the night negotiating with the police, appearing in front of a judge, to bail him out of jail in the morning, when you actually have a pharmacology exam scheduled at 10AM!!! Uggghhh the timing could not be worse! I'm not even kidding. The man is arrogant, cheap and obstinate beyond comprehension. But thankfully I am not my dad, I might not be fully free of his negative energy yet, but I am slowly detoxing now that I am living on my own. I'm not even gonna go back home to see him this Christmas. Nor the next Christmas, nor the next. That's what he gets for putting the importance of money above everything else in life.

/ends rant.

Kk time to close this thread. I said I'll buy the $50 gift card like I promised. I'll probably get two more $50 gift cards for two other techs if that's the proper way for a pharmacist to treat their hard-working technicians. I'm all for it and I do believe my techs deserve it. If they don't appreciate my friendship and good feelings towards them, then so be it. I would have at least done my part. I've nothing to be ashamed of.

 

[hpamazing]

My pharmacy is doing the Secret Santa thing and I drew the name of one of my technicians. The maximum is set at a whopping $50, not by me or our pharmacy manager but by the technicians themselves. They are all wishing that I had drawn their name, because the technicians all assume I get paid well. I think they are ignoring the part where I still have to pay back my tuition debt? Do I have to get a $50 gift? I have never bought my own parents or even myself anything that expensive before...🙁 Is $50.00 a common cost for these "Secret Santa" activities??

Anyway it feels like quite the culture shock. My technician whose name I drew from the basket wants something from Sephora or Forever 21... I am afraid to even step into Sephora myself because of how overpriced that place is, therefore I have never been inside that store in my entire life. My own mother doesn't ever wear makeup, and even if she did and asked me to get her something from a Sephora store, I would never do it. It's WAY too overpriced. So should I get a $50 gift card from Sephora for my tech? What would happen if I don't? I am a staff pharmacist at our store, btw. My technicians are pretty hard working. I've worked here for 6 months now so I am still in the process of getting to know them.

Should I bite the bullet and shell out $50.00 for my tech, when my own mother and father have never received that much pampering from me? I feel so bad spending that much money on someone I barely know on an overpriced product I don't endorse for a holiday I barely believe in, but I'd feel just as guilty if I didn't meet the hefty $50.00 price tag set by my techs. 🙁

There's still some black friday deals at sephora and forever 21. You can pick up a couple things for $50 total

 

[ChalupaBatman86]

@Grover, we need a consult please


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[sosoo]

$50 is a lot to gift a stranger. but when u are at work, u are at someone else's house. as such u play along with their house rules. buy the victoria secret's gift and they may let u open the present (in private). ^^

 

[BenJammin]

Max of $50 does not mean a min of $50. Every year my gaming friends do secret santa and our max is $20 for a game on your wishlist. Sure enough, the past two years I've bought my person a $15 or $19 game while the person who drew me buys a $2.99 or $5 game.

Is what it is. I don't complain because it's free.

 

[SELDANE]

Secret Santa and games of the like are all bull****. If one decides to participate in this sort of nonsense then you get what you deserve. The OP could have avoided this entire dilemma by making clear that he or she had no desiree to participate.

 

[mustang sally]

I'm with BenJammin, just get her a nice gift set or something from Sephora. It doesn't have to be $50.

Secret santa is just for fun. All the ones I have been in had a $15-20 max.

 

[Deja]

the moral of the issue is not $50 or $20, its OP's mind set that was influenced by her dad... it's actually pretty stressful being cheap, sometimes you just have to splurge a little

 

[ldiot]

Try growing up under my dad's shadow. You'd think and behave otherwise. My dad got chased down by a bunch of restaurant people one time for not tipping a waiter. That was when he was 58 years old and he was already a PhD at the time. He learned his lesson and started tipping one dollar for $30 dollar meals (for serving a party of three). I said to him, "hey dad, when are you going to treat people more like human beings and tip them proper? 15% is the minimum, so that should be at least a $4.50, not one measly dollar". My dad answered, "when those waiters get accepted into law schools, medical schools or pharmacy schools, then they can come back and talk to me about what tip money they think they deserve".

There's a difference between being wise with money and being pathetic like your dad. If you can't afford to tip 20% then you shouldn't be going out to eat.

 

[Plumppenguincat]

Lool. $50 is steep for Secret Santa.

Buuuuuuut, it's a small amount in the long-run, and you'll all be able to get and give some great gifts. Keep in mind that you're also paid more than the pharmacy technicians who proposed the price limit.

Be the guy on the left, not the guy on the right.

 

[sosoo]

There's a difference between being wise with money and being pathetic like your dad. If you can't afford to tip 20% then you shouldn't be going out to eat.

if sales tax is plus minus 7%, why the hell are u tipping 20%? many ppl work for cvs where job security is an issue. and student loans an issue. and monthly bills an issue. why the hell would they give away free money like that? if you came from a privilege white family, thats great. if you have no debts, thats great. but thats not the case for most new pharmacists. / and don't speak rudely of other people's dad. you're not an uneducated person. use your brain and think of the struggles back in the days.

 

[Niosh]

if sales tax is plus minus 7%, why the hell are u tipping 20%? many ppl work for cvs where job security is an issue. and student loans an issue. and monthly bills an issue. why the hell would they give away free money like that? if you came from a privilege white family, thats great. if you have no debts, thats great. but thats not the case for most new pharmacists. / and don't speak rudely of other people's dad. you're not an uneducated person. use your brain and think of the struggles back in the days.

What does sales tax % have to do with tip %?

 

[CetiAlphaFive]

if sales tax is plus minus 7%, why the hell are u tipping 20%? many ppl work for cvs where job security is an issue. and student loans an issue. and monthly bills an issue. why the hell would they give away free money like that? if you came from a privilege white family, thats great. if you have no debts, thats great. but thats not the case for most new pharmacists. / and don't speak rudely of other people's dad. you're not an uneducated person. use your brain and think of the struggles back in the days.

Hahahah, oh wow.

Here's a hint / life lesson:
If you're a pharmacist, you have no business lecturing *anyone* on privilege, no matter how melanin deficient they are.
I've cleaned toilets for money before. The thought of anyone who makes 6 figures thinking of themselves as financially disadvantaged is so hilarious.

Tips aren't "free money." They're wages. It's simply a cultural/economic difference in America. If you don't understand it, you may have a deficiency in your cultural competence.
If you go to a restaurant that doesn't allow tipping, guess how much more you're going to pay to eat there? Probably a little more than a normal person would've tipped.

 

[BMBiology]

Try growing up under my dad's shadow. You'd think and behave otherwise. My dad got chased down by a bunch of restaurant people one time for not tipping a waiter. That was when he was 58 years old and he was already a PhD at the time. He learned his lesson and started tipping one dollar for $30 dollar meals (for serving a party of three). I said to him, "hey dad, when are you going to treat people more like human beings and tip them proper? 15% is the minimum, so that should be at least a $4.50, not one measly dollar". My dad answered, "when those waiters get accepted into law schools, medical schools or pharmacy schools, then they can come back and talk to me about what tip money they think they deserve". Stingy is an understatement for this man that I call my dad. You can't talk sense into him, unless you want to get slapped, choked, beaten up and spend the night negotiating with the police, appearing in front of a judge, to bail him out of jail in the morning, when you actually have a pharmacology exam scheduled at 10AM!!! Uggghhh the timing could not be worse! I'm not even kidding. The man is arrogant, cheap and obstinate beyond comprehension. But thankfully I am not my dad, I might not be fully free of his negative energy yet, but I am slowly detoxing now that I am living on my own. I'm not even gonna go back home to see him this Christmas. Nor the next Christmas, nor the next. That's what he gets for putting the importance of money above everything else in life.

/ends rant.

Kk time to close this thread. I said I'll buy the $50 gift card like I promised. I'll probably get two more $50 gift cards for two other techs if that's the proper way for a pharmacist to treat their hard-working technicians. I'm all for it and I do believe my techs deserve it. If they don't appreciate my friendship and good feelings towards them, then so be it. I would have at least done my part. I've nothing to be ashamed of.

Unless your dad spent his hard earned money on drugs and prostitutes, most likely he used that money to put food in that little mouth of yours so be a little considerate.

Tipping is optional. Don't be embarrassed to not give any tips especially when there is no service. Some employees get more tips because of the way they look, not because of the service they provide. They also provide better service to certain customers because they figure they would get more tips.

This is a horrible way for businesses to pay their employees. Everything should be a flat rate and employees should be paid accordingly.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app