White Elephant gift for work: Something yellow, under $15, can buy today

December 9, 2014 10:43 AM

White Elephant gift for work: Something yellow, under $15, can buy in-person in SF

We're having a white elephant gift exchange at our office holiday party on Thursday. I kind of dropped the ball so I don't have time to order anything online. The only parameter is that it's yellow and $15 or under.

I'm completely uninspired, but since I'm the office manager I feel like I have to come up with something good. We're a graphic design firm so any design-y suggestions would be appreciated, but it's not necessary. Also food-related things would probably go over well.

Any ideas?

Thanks :)

posted by ad4pt to Grab Bag (24 answers total)

Crate of lemons.
posted by stray at 10:48 AM on December 9, 2014 [1 favorite]

Banana case? I've not seen these in any bricks and mortar stores, but if all else fails you could have it overnighted from Amazon.
posted by Sara C. at 10:48 AM on December 9, 2014

Bananagrams. (That's an Amazon link but you can find it at any toy store.)
posted by BlahLaLa at 10:52 AM on December 9, 2014 [6 favorites]

Maybe it's just because I went and neatened up my enormous stash of nail polishes last night and discovered I have at least 4 of them, but for some reason a selection of different shades of yellow nail polishes seems hilarious to me. NO ONE needs that many yellow nail polishes, no one, and yet they are there on my shelf. You can find nail polish pretty cheap and could probably get a good 4 or 5 at the drugstore right now. Round it out with a glittery gold one.
posted by phunniemee at 10:52 AM on December 9, 2014 [7 favorites]

Get them excited when they pick up a package that's really heavy for its size, and then watch their face when they open it to reveal a can of canary-yellow interior latex paint.
posted by Faint of Butt at 10:53 AM on December 9, 2014 [9 favorites]

I saw Buddha's Hand fruits at Whole Foods (the one at Market & Delores, IIRC) and some other produce markets this weekend. They aren't more than $15, are they?
posted by gyusan at 10:55 AM on December 9, 2014 [4 favorites]

Got it!

Jean Nate!

I'm rather fond of the yellow nail polish idea.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 11:02 AM on December 9, 2014 [1 favorite]

go to daiso in the japantown mall and get a bunch of interestingly odd items for $1.50 a piece. some of them will probably be yellow colored. also, they have japanese snacks there.
posted by koroshiya at 11:02 AM on December 9, 2014 [1 favorite]

Ridiculous: Margarita Master

Design-y: Selection of yellow Japanese pens, notebooks, etc. (check out Kinokuniya)

Food: Bottle of Yellow Tail wine with some yellow (plastic?) wine glasses/cups

Other: Selection of random yellow items from the Container Store
posted by melissasaurus at 11:05 AM on December 9, 2014

Graphic design studio? Get a Pantone gift - the Pantone mug is right around $15. I just did a quick search and it looks like several shops sell Pantone products - often little home shops, or a museum shop would have them.

It looks like Park Life carried them at one point, maybe call and ask? Or call the SF Moma museum store. They also have this adorable yellow mug.

I can guarantee folks will want it!
posted by barnone at 11:07 AM on December 9, 2014 [3 favorites]

Gourmet honey from BiRite or Ferry Building.
posted by quince at 11:08 AM on December 9, 2014 [3 favorites]

Bananagrams is right at that price point, and should be available at any game or toy store. Or Target, if you have a Target handy.

I also really like the lemon suggestion.
posted by pie ninja at 11:13 AM on December 9, 2014

Another thought. Go to the Ferry Building and get some yellow fruits there.

Or go to Cost Plus. They're BOUND to have something cool and yellow there!
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 11:15 AM on December 9, 2014

A bunch of bananas and some Bird's Custard Powder.
posted by HandfulOfDust at 11:57 AM on December 9, 2014

I would go to any bakery (La Boulange would work) the morning of, and pick out $15 worth of yellow cookies/pastries. Another option would be $15 worth of chocolate -- you can pick out fancy ones with yellow designs on them. There's a chocolate shop right by the entrance of the Galleria mall, but any fancy chocolate shop should have something.
posted by rainbowbrite at 11:59 AM on December 9, 2014 [2 favorites]

I'm brainstorming here... but...

If you want to look like you stole from the office supply cabinet:

A pack of yellow #2 pencils. (Heck, make them #1 or #3 so they can't be used on Scantron forms.)
Post-it notes.
Highlighters.

Otherwise:

Those happy face stickers or magnets.
A six-pack of lemon San Pellegrino soda.
A box of Cheerios.
Caution Tape. (like police tape. You can probably get it at Home Depot or Lowes.)
Mustard.
A copy of the local Yellow Pages (because really, who uses these anymore? Yet I still get them dropped at my mailbox twice a year).
A stuffed Big Bird toy.
Empty a small soda bottle. Pee into it. (if you want to get fired.)
Yellow plastic disposable silverware, dishes, cups, et cetera.
A box or bag of Domino brand sugar (their packaging is yellow).
Lemon sponge cake mix
Yellow food coloring.

Minion items less than $15.

Are those kids' rain boots less than $15? Rain coats?
posted by tckma at 12:15 PM on December 9, 2014

A bottle of white wine if you know that they drink.
posted by amro at 12:17 PM on December 9, 2014

A big roll of caution tape.
posted by sciencegeek at 12:17 PM on December 9, 2014 [3 favorites]

Lol, we had caution tape at my last office and used it to quarantine people who were sick.
posted by Ms Vegetable at 12:19 PM on December 9, 2014

Tiny yellow Moleskine notebooks. Barnes & Noble should have them. They usually have Bananagrams too.
posted by BibiRose at 1:30 PM on December 9, 2014

I like the Japanese stationary idea (if you're near the Westfield mall, there's a store up on one of the top floors called Maido). Or you could go to the SFMOMA store (still open, despite the museum being closed)--here's a yellow robot puzzle, for example, but they probably have more design firm-appropriate gifts....
posted by three_red_balloons at 2:44 PM on December 9, 2014 [1 favorite]

Also seconding yellow rain boots, if you can find their size, so they can make it home in the storm (and/or a sturdy yellow umbrella...)
posted by three_red_balloons at 2:45 PM on December 9, 2014

If you're in or near the Mission, Therapy always has great gifts.

I also like the idea of something delicious from the Ferry Building, like honey.

The Japan Center has both a huge Daiso and a cute little stationery store. As mentioned above there is also a Maido in Westfield on Market st.
posted by radioamy at 4:01 PM on December 9, 2014

A rubber duckie! Gotta be one at a standard toy store!
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 4:14 PM on December 9, 2014