I have found all the new machines made of plastic are not worth taking off the shelf. I say hang onto receipt. And keep your eyes open for a good older Brother or Singer to replace it with hopefully before Christmas.My favorite Christmas present when I was 13 was a used Brother -she is 61 yrs old and I've had her for 44 yrs She still sews like a dream.She is all metal parts-- easy to maintain--easy to adjust and She has never been to a repair shop.Check out your local repair shops-2nd hand stores and even Craigslist. Make the learning to sew about sewing and not a machine repair class.

I would take it back and find a good vintage machine. They are always around and you can't beat the reliability! She might like a little 99 or a Spartan, depending on what she is going to sew. I love my little babies for piecing, as well as for garment construction.

I learned to sew on a Brother machine when I was a teen. My mother had it and used it making clothes for the 4 of us children. Brother Sewing Machines are work horses. I even bought one for myself and I use it for sewing and repairs. You can't go wrong buying a Brother machine for her . Once she gets used to it, then she can upgrade to a more exspensive machine with all the bells and whistles.

Do you have a good place you could buy a refurbished older machine? Since your niece wants to learn to sew then I would consider buying a good refurbished machine for what you paid for the Wall-Mart one. I can understand your MIL's concern that if this niece is only learning she may find she doesn't like to sew (heaven forbid) so why spend a lot of money? My youngest daughter tried sewing and doesn't sew now - I tried to give her one of my FW's for mending and she turned me down (she is 28). My husband's mother was good at finding something cheaper than the one you want. When DH and I got married he wanted a specific electric razor, but was willing to settle because the one he wanted was $50.00. One thing my dad told me was get the one you want or you will not be truly happy with your purchase. That does not mean to buy the most expensive but do your research and buy the one you want. He kept that same razor for 20 years because he could replace the blades when needed. You will be happy and more likely to keep it longer. But depending on age my MIL was born in 1926 and truly grew up during the 1930's which was not an easy time anywhere.

Does your niece know what she wants? Does she want multiple stitches? Or just go straight and reverse? I did read the reviews on line and they were not horrible. One person said she did not believe it was a good machine but everyone else said they would recommend it. So once she gets more advanced and ready for a better machine she can do the research and decide what her needs will be. Just let her know threading the machine properly, putting the bobbin in going the correct direction and replacing the needle the correct direction will make a huge difference in the was the machine will perform. And if it really does not perform well, then she can return it.

OOH what yucky people. You just do whatever you want. You are the angel in the family.

I say go ahead and let her learn on the cheaper Brother--maybe it will last long enough to show her whether or not she wants to go somewhere with her sewing (or quilting); but do encourage her to be on the look-out for other machines--I have a friend who started out on a Brother and now owns the best Janome makes, top of the line, she bought it used from a friend of the family whose wife had died and he just couldn't face having her sewing stuff all around him. If she is a good "reading learner" just make sure she gets all the printed information that came with a used machine like that. It does my heart good to see a young person take an interest in sewing.....

Do what your heart tells you to do. It is not the price but the thought! In the future, I would keep them out of the mix.

All manufacturers make the same machine in 'good' 'better' and 'best' so the Brothers in Wal-Mart are not the same Brothers in Jo-Ann's usually. Knowing that I think I would have bought the next model up. If she really gets into sewing having a machine with limited options won't do her much good.
Saying that... I did buy a Brother from Wal-mart when my old one die. The most expensive mechanical there as I sew little. Because it is all plastic it is loud and has little weight and sounds like I'm going through the floor with it as we have hardwood floors throughout. It does gets the job done but I would want a better machine if I sewed a lot.

Like others have suggested - take it out of the box and try it.

It will probably seem very "puny" next to your new Bernina, BUT

If the machine has a decent straight stitch and zigzag stitch and the tension behaves itself, she can make many things.

Sometimes, simpler really is easier to learn on and operate.

As far as the opened box goes, just tell your niece that you wanted to make sure that it worked properly before you were comfortable giving it to her.

From your comments, wonder what MIL and SIL were planning to give her for the other sewing supplies?

Open it, try it and if it works OK it will be a good one to start sewing on. She can then decide what she wants. Sometimes learning to sew and learning a complicated machine at one time might turn her off. She can keep the WM one for spare if she decides she wants to sew alot.
Your good to care about her and offer your help for her to learn, that will mean so much to her and you will get to spend tme with her while she is learns. Let us know how it turns out.