Since the gifts will be flying back and forth soon, I thought I’d ask how everyone feels about gift cards and certificates.
I remember when gift certificates seemed to only be appropriate as a last ditch effort to get something for those hard to shop for people. In the last four or so years, however, gift cards have been increasingly common. When those Visa and Mastercard gift cards started appearing two or so years ago, it seems like they really exploded.
I’ve also read that retailers didn’t really like gift cards much up to a few years ago, but many have learned that they stretch out the holiday shopping season to late January due to the cards being redeemed and that when the are turned in, they’re often used as part of a purchase for 2x to 3x the face value.
So how many gift cards have you bought this year? Is the guilt aspect still there, or does the convenience completely negate that these days?
And what about those you’ve received, are you the type of person who prefers to get them instead of a badly chosen gift, or do you still prefer having something larger than an envelope to open on your holiday?
I remember when gift certificates seemed to only be appropriate as a last ditch effort to get something for those hard to shop for people. In the last four or so years, however, gift cards have been increasingly common. When those Visa and Mastercard gift cards started appearing two or so years ago, it seems like they really exploded.
I’ve also read that retailers didn’t really like gift cards much up to a few years ago, but many have learned that they stretch out the holiday shopping season to late January due to the cards being redeemed and that when the are turned in, they’re often used as part of a purchase for 2x to 3x the face value.
So how many gift cards have you bought this year? Is the guilt aspect still there, or does the convenience completely negate that these days?
And what about those you’ve received, are you the type of person who prefers to get them instead of a badly chosen gift, or do you still prefer having something larger than an envelope to open on your holiday?
I have a tendency to ask beforehand. “So. Want a gift or gift cert?” I suppose it depends on the person, but that “YUO R TEH LAZY” stigma is been mostly lifted. I mean, an Amazon GC is just too swift.
A nice mix of both is optimal. You got your loot to look at, but then you feel the grooviness of more loot on the horizon, unlike when we were kids and after your Christmas endorphin high wore out, you know, that was fucking it until your birthday…
However, I’d avoid gift certs from anywhere that charges for them (some little joints still do, eff that), or have a zero cash change policy (like Best Buy does/did, not sure if they gave that up when they converted to a more customer-friendly outlet). Fuck those greedy motherfuckers.
I like gift certificates, and I vastly prefer them to quirky knick-knacks or home goods, which are the standard gift that most people fall back to when they don’t know of something specific that the person wants. I know that all the gift-giving gurus and manners experts say that the best gift is something unique that you pick out for them (rather than something they specifically ask for or… gasp!.. a gift certificate), but frankly, those gurus are full of shit.
I mean, I appreciate that people want to give something quirky and thoughtful and unique, but knick-knacks usually end up being more clutter that the recipient doesn’t really need, and people usually buy home goods that reflect their tastes rather than the recipient’s. That makes for a somewhat uncomfortable gift, since now the recipient has to decide whether to shuffle the item into a closet and hope that the giver forgets that their gave it to them, or use it and live with the fact that it clashes with their decor and their tastes. Our home is Arts & Crafts with a sort of minimalist industrial twist, but that hasn’t stopped relatives from giving us things like frilly, powder blue throw pillows or ornate Victorian chenille throws (double jeopardy there, since I despise the feel of chenille), or a number of items that would be right at home in a French country interior (which means they stick out like a sore thumb in ours).
My wife and I also declared a knick-knack moratorium a few years back. We decided that we had too much stuff collecting dust all around the house, and that if we pared it all down to a bare minimum, the house would feel less cluttered and we’d appreciate what was left that much more. So now, when people give us knick-knacky things, we either have to put the item in storage, or put something else in storage to make room. Our anti-knick-knack crusade has made us sort of sensitive to buying that type of gift for other people, too. Now we ask ourselves “Is this just going to be more clutter that the person doesn’t need?” If the answer is yes, we pass.
Our parents, in particular, have no need of additional clutter. We’ve gotten into the habit of getting them food items and gift certificates to nice restaurants instead. I think that’s a good gift, since you can give them a night out at a nice place that they might not normally treat themselves to.
So I think that gift certificates are a perfectly fine gift. Don’t let the manners snobs dissuade you.
I like gift cards too. I’d love getting a book or a game, but the only way I’ll get one I want is if I tell someone to get it for me. That kind of ruins the surprise.
Actually, I don’t mind getting some clothes. I don’t like to buy clothes so getting some as gifts helps.
My kids chipped in and got me a Best Buy gift card. That is a nice present. I’m thinking ram upgrade.
Gift cards are awesome. And you can still show the receiver that you are thinking of them by giving them one to a place you know they will enjoy. For instance, if they are a gamer: Gamestop or EB. If they love music: Tower Records. If they love their new AOL computarweb: Amazon. It’s still personalized to them but not overly so.
I don’t give or receive gifts to anyone but girlfriends, business associates, and the people that work in my apartment building. My friends and family know not to give me anything.
Business associates get fruit baskets, girlfriends get personal gifts, doormen get $20 cash, everybody else gets nothing.
I always imagined that retailers liked gifts cards because (I’m guessing here) a certain percentage of those bought never actually get used. Lost/forgotten/whatever. So in those cases it’s like free money.
I think they look at mail-in rebates the same way, basically banking on the fact that you’ll be too stupid/lazy to cut the UPC code from the packaging, photocopy the receipt and jump through all the other hoops you have to in order to actually get your check.
Personally, gift certificates say: “I didn’t care enough to personally select an item for you, but I thought I’d severely limit your spending options by giving you this instead of cash. Fuck you!”
I hate gift-giving. My father is significantly wealthier than I am. My lifetime earnings are probably like half his annual pay. If there was something he wanted that cost $25, he would’ve bought it already.
I hate gift-giving. My father is significantly wealthier than I am. My lifetime earnings are probably like half his annual pay. If there was something he wanted that cost $25, he would’ve bought it already.
I do think that when everyone starts giving gift certificates, it’s time to talk about the suspension of gift giving.
At my family for the holidays, it was basically dueling gift cards. At the end of the day, when person A gives person B a $30 card, and person B gives person A a $30 dollar card, all you are left with is a perverse kind of “Gift of the Magi” situation.
With our family, talk has already started of stopping with gifts. Except of course, for my nephew, who is only a year or so old.
My sister’s tastes run into clothes and arty stuff to put in the home. My interests are in electronics, video games, and anime. Neither is a good thing in terms of gift giving. We usually give gifts of around $35 bucks, so most games are out of the question. Clothes are gift giving territory no man enters. So we each gave each other gift cards.
Plus, the fact that I am newly employed, and am able to buy such things as electronics on my own whim, has decidedly put me off wanting them for Christmas. My mother asked me if I wanted a digital camera for Christmas. I said no; if I had wanted a camera, I would have bought one. So I asked for clothes.
I only got gift cards for my boss and my brother (who I don’t get along with that well). This was the first Christmas I was determined (and able) to get presents for all of my friends and the rest of my family. Mostly books, CDs or DVDs suited for their taste.
I spent way too much money this Christmas but I think it was worth it.
I’ve noticed that I tend to spend more on gifts I’ve specifically picked out for any particular person than had I gone for a gift card.
With the gift card it’s easy to say “yeah, he’s worth $x number of dollars” and stick with that amount. With gifts, I tend to spend more than that amount in order to find something that’s “at least $x dollars”.
I’ve found one type of gift card I love. Every year my sister gives us a gift certificate to a new restaurant she’s found during the year. It gives us an excuse to try something new without the pain of trying to decide if something is actually good.
Nope, Calamari Democracy is the story of how Admiral Ackbar united his home planet’s people by rolling them up with a giant Force ball while whacked-out versions of the Imperial March played over and over and over…
Ninja edit: Also, gift certificates are the gift equivalent of total surrender. I don’t mind getting them, as I’m very hard to shop for, but I hate giving them to other people because I feel like it’s giving up and admitting I don’t know them well enough to buy them something they actually want.
Yes, that’s exactly right. Although in some states unclaimed money on gift cards may actually need to be surrendered to the state, as opposed to being held by the retailer.
I think like any other kind of gift, it all depends on the situation. One kind of gift card that I’ve really enjoyed getting in the past is Blockbuster, because you get to use it over and over so it feels like you’re getting free rentals.
If my wife or sister gets me one for Best Buy or Radio Shack I know that they want to get me some electronic gadgetry but know they don’t know what I would want exactly.
