GFP, you could just leave him at the garden centre. As he rarely speaks and never asks for directions when lost he could be there for a very long time. Maybe, one day, some kind person will think he's a garden gnome and take him home and put him on a shelf with other nick nacks. The elf on the shelf never has to talk to anyone or ever wash a bath mat.
The one I have is sadly deficient. He goes days without speaking, never washes the bath mat and refuses to ask for directions when lost.
Whenever I am lingering over my cheese and ham toastie in our local garden centre, he claims he needs to leave. Also shelving issues, I wish my nick nacks to be displayed nicely, he claims he needs an extra fitting for his drill.