Perhaps I just have poor taste....???

Imo the correct thank you to the necklace would have been, "Oh it's lovely, I've been wanting one of these, it will go with so many of my outfits, thank you so much". Try necklace on and preen.
When I receive flowers I usually photograph them and send it in Whatsapp with a big thank you and they're gorgeous.
Anything less than this is a bit meh!

It's not quite the same but I've been wondering about it: a neice came for lunch. She's a nice girl with a good job but not in town here very often. I made a real effort for her. Got a nice lunch and treat things (well what seem treats to me) and gave her a cheque for what felt to me like a good amount. She seemed pleased. We parted on good terms. AIBU to have expected a text/WhatsApp to say thanks?
She's in business. I think manners count and this sort of thing could count against her in future.

I rate Bloom & Wild, too MB! My son sent me an azalea plant through them and it came as a clever diy kit, which was easy peasy to assemble and the plant is still going strong months later. (It came as a sort of flat pack, with a woven ‘pot’ that just needed to be unfolded)

I did the same as Buffy and sent a photo with a thank you, so that my DS could see what he’d actually sent.

I usually photograph flowers too and send a thank you. Many young people don't say thanks. Sometimes the parents haven't taught them. But sometimes its just not bothering.
I tend to be quite generous with presents and think how pleased the person will be and am disappointed at lack of response. Am I doing it for me? Perhaps it isn't that exciting to get a present nowadays as people have so much stuff now. I think you have to decide do I want to bother any longer or just give a gift token.

I love giving gifts and I agree that its truly deflating if you have been excited about giving someone something special and they barely even say thank you. I don't want someone to go wild over a gift I give, but agree it's not nice when you don't get any kind of gratitude or even feedback to say "thank you but it's really not my thing" , if they really didn't like it.

Our GS is always a bit of a letdown when we give him anything. He’ll open a present and just look at it with the barest flicker of a smile and grunt. He always has to be prompted, by his dad or us, to say thank you. He’s 12 and we’ve all been prompting him since he learnt to talk 10 years ago ?
And yes, like others, I always photograph flowers and WhatsApp the sender with a message of thanks. It’s really not difficult these days is I?

One of my Son in Law's was so rude and unkind about any birthday gift I gave him (I always asked my DD what he would prefer); so now, he just gets a birthday card.

I would never dream of photographing flowers I was sent - I don't have a mobile phone though or communicate through any social media type outlets so it just would never occur to me. I do phone or email to say 'thank you' of course. But I do honestly wish in a way that gifts were not given and received so often - I just get this depressing feeling of people spending money they can't afford for other people who already have too much 'stuff'. I certainly never felt like that when everyone had fewer 'worldly goods' but nowadays I think even baby DGS has too much and I stop myself buying even more 'things' on a regular basis.

And SIL never likes or uses anything people give him as gifts so like blossom14 he no longer gets anything from me unless I treat him to one of those restaurant vouchers as he has a weakness for a certain chicken with hot sauce restaurant ?

My daughter gifted us a monthly supply of fresh flowers from Bloom and Wild. It was lovely to have a box of beautiful flowers pop through the letterbox.
As for not saying thank you, I have had no acknowledgment for the last two wedding presents I have given. A general message on Facebook does not do it for me.

Oh gosh. It's my nephew's wedding soon. Don't suppose I'll get any acknowledgement of their wedding present by the sound of things.
I find it hard to comprehend though. We were brought up to always be grateful and most certainly thank others for gifts or things done to help. I'm glad to say that my own ACs always acknowledge anything. Even just a casual lunch will be followed by a text to say thanks. I do the same myself.

I like giving flowers, because they do not add to clutter and have a limited life and I have people are so delighted to receive them that they always say thank you.

We recently celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary with a house party for our nearest and dearest. I have had thank you letters from every person who attended as well as flowers and an invitation to be taken out to dinner (which I know will be honoured)

It's sad how good manners seem to have gone out of the window these days and it does take the wind out of your sails when you get a less than enthusiastic response to a present you've spent time and money looking for, what is wrong with people? Even if they're not keen on your choice, a bit of acting wouldn't go amiss rather than them making you feel you wish you hadn't bothered.

M0nica and others, I am glad I am not alone.
Flowers are always good (we all have too much “stuff” don’t we?) but the bottom line for me has always been to smile, write (or at a pinch email, especially if I am enclosing a picture) and if it is “stuff” I really don’t want, I wait a respectable length of time and it goes to the charity shop.
For two 70 year olds to react like this just made merather sad.

Actually Maw you make a valid point. I’m sick of rude, ill-mannered old folk. It’s the little things like letting them go ahead in a doorway, or with their shopping trolley if there’s an obstruction in a supermarket aisle, or when I’ve slowed the car to allow another car into a line of traffic.

Most people say thanks, but of those who don’t it’s 99% the elderly. Grrrrrrr........?

PS re your OP flowers are always very acceptable ?

Did you get any thank you from them though Maw, even if a bit low key?

The necklace got a very low key “oh thanks for the necklace, we spent ages wondering how it works”( the lariat style works like a choke chain , you slip the chain through the ring, not the ring at the other end)
And the flowers again just a “thank you for the flowers I will send a pic when they are all out” (didn’t)
I just felt a bit deflated, not expecting effusive thanks, but I did remember !

I've just taken the whole family on holiday abroad. Paid for flights, accommodation, meals out and I'm still waiting for a thank you from DDil and DSgd.
All the rest at some point said thankyou, must be how some people are brought up!
I spend the same on DSgd for birthdays etc. as all the others and have never had a thankyou for anything.

I think there's a link between the rapid rise in the volume of "stuff" we consume, own and discard and the decline in gratitude. Advertising has long been telling us we should have things because we're worth it and they'll make us desirable and more socially acceptable. And we've listened!

If I have only one or two toys I'd be deliriously excited to be given another. If I've got a messy bedroom and lounge with hundreds of them, I'm really not going to feel much gratitude for one more. Or a dozen, if it's my birthday.

If I'm an adult and am given jewellery or perfume or flowers, but I already buy those things regularly for myself, then I might think critically that they aren't my style/image/colour. I think many of us have way too much stuff - which will be added to in a few months at you-know-when!

I have one set of grandkids who always thank me nicely if I give them things personally, but all things I send aren’t acknowledged until I ask if they ve arrived one staye£ with me over the summer and like I do every year made her up a photo album of the holiday added a couple of envelopes with a few photos in of the others in the family and her favourite sweets It cost over £6 to send ( I don’t mean to get more violin strings going but....) I sent her a WhatsApp saying there’s a little package in the post let me know when it arrives I got an ok and a kiss back Move on a week +, no message so I messaged my daughter has the parcel arrive yet, the answer ‘“yep yesterday”..... that was it
I used to always get my kids to sit down and write a thank you note but out of three only one has kept that going, one does prompt a text and the other always needs reminding

Its my Birthday today! Wish I had some of the lovely friends described here, I would be really glad to recieve gifts and cards and would thank the sender!, so dump your ungrateful friends, they are obviously too spoilt already AND, send pressies to me please, pretty please lol, thank you in anticipation.....I did mention its my Birthday didn’t I?

I don’t believe it’s an age related thing ( not showing much gratitude for presents) both younger and older people do it,
Just bad manners.
Send me some flowers Maw I will be very pleased and grateful.Here are some for you....

That is so thoughtless Buffybee I would not be so generous in future with that lack of appreciation. I would have words with any of my family who didn't thank me for a gift, its only good manners.
I don't think you have poor taste in gifts Maw just in friends. I would be grateful for the kind thought of any friend who bought me a gift.
Happy Birthday Kateykrunch have a and on me