Is it a con or do people actually do this?

Hey, rich people put thin sheets of gold on their food and eat it.

Maybe it’s a way of really surprising the recipient. They, as you do, may be expecting small things but not a diamond ring.

It’s a shopping channel. They’ll say anything to sell stuff.

That is almost as stupid as the ads the show the man (always a man) bringing the smiling, blindfolded woman outside so she can be surprised by the new car with the big red ribbon on top!
She smiles with a grin that implies (to men) that he will get so much sex tonight he will turn inside out.

What she should say is: What The F?!? You made a purchase like this without discussing it with me?! And I hate that color! And I want a convertible not a mom car! Are you crazy?! Bring it back today or you’ll be having sex alone for the foreseeable future, you Irresponsible Idiot!!!

And then they cut to the financing options in small print so irresponsible idiots who can’t afford it can still be irresponsible.

@LuckyGuy , where do you meet women?
Yes. Some people put diamonds, car keys, titles, deeds, and such in Christmas stockings. It should not make anyone feel pressured to match the expense.

I don’t see why not. It’s small enough to fit in a stocking.

I hardly ever watch those shopping channels & only then to serve as a reminder of what life woulda bin like if Planet of the Apes was true, human retards as daft pets.

@Here2_4 Seriously? If your husband (meaning shared bank accounts) just went out and bought a car for you without any consult, you wouldn’t be upset? I sure would be.
I don’t care how much money you have, a purchase of that magnitude should be discussed and entered into jointly.
Small items anyone can buy without pressuring the other person. But large ticket items stick with the recipient for a long time. Isn’t there a saying “Diamonds are forever.”? What if the woman wants pink diamond instead of blue? Or wants to enjoy a vacation in Bermuda instead of putting yet another piece of compressed coal in her jewelry box?
I’m saying if it is a large purchase, the recipient should be consulted – especially if the money is coming out of a joint account! Once there is agreement, sure, you can put it in the stocking or under the pillow or wherever. But don’t pretend it is total surprise.

The commercials are nonsense and are trying to set a standard that implies the man is not holding up his end of the bargain if he doesn’t lavish her with an expensive bauble. If we believe that why don’t we believe the woman is falling down on the job if she doesn’t look that the recipient in the commercial?

I say buy it only if both parties agree they can afford it.

Here in the US where decadence runs wild, I can see it. If it were some place where running water, glass in your windows, and a floor that was at least wood and not dirt, they would see it as a silly, wasteful, extravagance, but thank the Lord we have it so good that the simple things just won’t do for stuffing a stocking.

@ragingloli Ain’t it the truth?

I, and friends of mine have and/or would receive such gifts just fine. My husband knew me well enough to buy me a gift without me shrieking that he had gotten something completely wrong for me. I just can’t imagine what kind of relationships you have had in your life. My husband has never bought me any gifts we couldn’t afford. Several of my friends have received at least jewelry for gifts. I don’t know of any of them being disappointed. One owned the rights to a mineral mine, so he had several pieces of jewelry made for his wife from gemstones he would find from time to time.
I just have no memory f any of my friends having a fit over gifts from their husband, except once when it was lingerie, and my friend was opening gifts in front of friends and family, and, once it was open, it was too late. She was the type to be easily embarrassed.
No, I can’t recall knowing anyone who was disappointed by an expensive gift. Only once or maybe twice something inappropriate caused ruffled feathers for a few minutes.

Well a shopping channel “diamond” bracelet sounds like stocking grade junk to me.

@Here2_4 I have not had any trouble at all with gift giving – and acceptance. I can afford it. My beef is with the ads that imply you need to do it to make her happy. The ring has to be big. The diamonds must be dazzling. The ads show him giving her expensive earrings and she responds with kisses and hugs like she was just given an estrogen/testosterone injection.
A one-size-fits-all gift of less than $100 is no problem. Stocking stuff away – as long as you can afford it.

The car ad with the red ribbon as a surprise gift is just dumb. Really? He just picks one out without telling her and she is happy about that? That is not how a loving partnership works on my planet. Big purchases are discussed and handled together.