Gift cards: Jumping the shark?

they also love them because a great deal of them go unsued, meaing free money for them

 

Stopped at Chapters on my way home from the SportsJournalists.com outting last July.
Very Borders-esque.

 

Sorry, y'all, but I'm not buying the "failure of imagination on my part" or "it's too lazy and generic" type of reasoning.

A gift is not about you.

It's about what's best for the receiver, NOT how it reflects on the giver. And sure, there are some judgmental receivers who scoff at gift cards as "lazy", but I find that most people appreciate being able to make their own decisions, on their own time, at their own pace, finding something they really want, away from the rush and the stress of the holidays. That makes a much better gift, in my eyes, especially when you know they appreciate it and can get more out of it.

 

You know, I hate people who do this. If it doesn't come off the list, they bitch. Never mind if the present was cool or whatever, if it's not exactly what they wanted, it's not good enough. And they whine. My ex demanded that I coordinate with his mother/grandma/sister so that none of us doubled-up on something from his list. He should have gotten coal.

I enjoy shopping for presents, possibly even more than I enjoy getting them. It's fun for me to come up with ideas for people.

I'm all in favor of having personal lists and sharing them so that people have a starting point or an idea of what you really need (ahem, Santa, cross trainers). But the list is a guideline, not a mandate.

My brother and I started a quid pro quo exchange a long time ago: used to be we would trade CDs, now we just trade gift cards from a place we agree upon. No surprises, but I don't stress over what to get him.

 

Any other 30-something males out there know what their 12-year-old nieces truly want for Christmas? Didn't think so. iTunes card it is.

 

Yeah, it partially is. A gift reflects the relationship you have with the recipient.

It's a way of saying, "I value you, I value our relationship and this gift is a reflection of that value".

Best presents I got from my sons the last two Christmases didn't cost them a cent. But it took time, effort and thoughfullness on their part--something I'll always value over a $50.00 gift certificate to Home Depot.

Like I said, I'm not against gift cards but I'd never buy one for the people closest to me. If I bought gifts for colleagues at work or casual friends, yeah, I'd be all over them.

 

As a former retailer (when they were called gift certificates), we loved them. Invariably some people wouldn't use them, lots would spend more than the face value and quite often, it brought first time customers into our bookstore.

 

With you and Cadet there. If I buy something, it's not out of knee-jerk obligation. It should be the manifestation of my relationship with the person for whom I'm buying. And I don't want to know exactly what they want; I want to get them something they want that they don't KNOW that they want until it's in their hands. People in my family buy gifts as a chore -- hmmm, Mystery Meat's next on the list; guess I'll get him a ... hey that sweater doesn't make me blast puke, sold! Next up, Cousin Bertha. That has no appeal to me at all. And with some exceptions, giving a gift card sends this message: I like you enough to spend money on you, but I don't care enough to know HOW to spend it. Seriously, don't buy me gifts because I'm one of 10 cousins and you feel like you have to, even though you've seen me a grand total of 3.5 hours this year. Spend that money on the people close to you, not the people for whom you need a scorecard to identify.

I love capitalism, but I hate what it's done to Christmas.

 

I've loved shopping for my sister's daughter all her life. I thought it would get more difficult to buy her gifts as she got older, and it has, but it's still fun. It is hard if you don't know the kid well -- I have more trouble buying for my cousins' kids, for instance. My sister's kid is now 16, and I had a good time buying gifts this year again. She wants to be a journalist (I know, I know), and I was basically done shopping for her when I realized I had just got a bunch of cool stuff and had failed to buy her anything journalism-related. So I scrounged up a history of her local newspaper at the last minute.

 

Well said. Exactly what I strive for.

 

There is nothing better than the happiness of someone with a gift they truly enjoy, and surprise is part of the enjoyment.

 

I keep looking for a "My Dick in a Box" gift card, but I've come up a little short.

By the way, how would you attach that? Tape? Glue? Staples?