Gift Cards?

[fire&ice]

I wanted to start a new topic about gift cards. They were mentioned as a gift suggestion in nearly everyone''s response for ''what to get a hip 20 something''.

Do you use them? Have you had bad experiences?

I''ve received gift cards and never used them - when I got around to it I was charged a fee. I''ve bought clothes on other friends gift cards & reimbursed them the cash because they never found anything to buy. My mom specifically asked me to never give her another gift card. She never used them.

Is this a just 40 something phenom? Are gift cards really what the 20 set likes?

 

[Blue824]

I know I recommended them in the other thread, but I do have mixed feelings. I'd rather open a box with the perfect gift, but I'm so picky or there are so many gifts to buy around the holidays that sometimes a gift card is easier than having to wait for receipts and the hassle of returning gifts.

I LOVE them when I am saving up towards something that is too large to ask for as a gift. Or when I need things like work clothes they come in handy. Its also a great gift when you're not sure what to get...and while it took my parents & aunts/uncles a while to just feel comfortable with it, they were tired of not knowing what to get us and accidentally losing receipts for things we wanted to return/exchange, my cousins and I don't mind it at all. Or for my aunt who doesnt like just giving gift cards she'll get a book or DVDs with a gift card so I still have something to open, or last year she got me a Barnes & Nobles gift card with a T&Co Bookmark (I'd sort of rather had the extra $60 on the gift card than the bookmark

)

But, I've had a couple bad experiences. They've come from when I've needed to return things bought with gift cards. The main problems were AmEx and mall gift cards. I sort of resented the fact that when I used those cards and had to make a return I wasn't given the same thing back. If you don't keep the card it was given on - which usually they just take and toss if they're empty - then you're stuck with a store credit. Overall in my family we've started giving cash more, then they're not limited to one store. I've never had issues with fees though.

I think in the beginning a lot more places had fees after a certain amount of time, and now I havent seen that at all.

The only gift cards I absolutely LOVE are my spa ones. Then I know I'll have no problems with returns or not finding something I like

And my brothers & cousins love their best buy ones.

 

[Mara]

I LOVE Gift Cards and everyone I know lives by them.

We do a friend giveaway Secret Santa thing for our group of friends, there are 11 of us and we all end up just giving each other gift cards because we all like to shop and do our own thing. C&B, PB, WS, Starbucks, BR, Nordstrom are probably the most popular ones for us.

My parents give me gift cards primarily for things and I get alot of 'smaller' gifts that are wrapped under the tree...etc. Many of the stores that we shop at have really great gift card policies..and Starbucks ones are a MUST to have in your wallet at any given point in time, esp for Christmas gingerbread lattes, yum!! Though Grandma still gives the good old-fashioned cash.

The best is when the stores let you shop online with the gift card, I just bought a bunch of stuff online with Nordstrom with my birthday gift card and it let me use my gift card. Score, didn't even have to go into the store!! But I do check policies before I buy anything with my gift card, it pays to be informed on returns and things like that. But I don't mind 'credit' for a return, no big deal.

 

[Mara]

OH and I wanted to also say that if you are unsure where the people shop and buy....then give an Amex Gift Card or a Visa Debit Card where they can shop almost anywhere with that ''debit'' card. That is a great way to gift $$ without doing cash or tying it to one store.

 

[icekid]

I think they can be good generic or last minute gifts, but I don''t think I would ever give one to someone whom I am close with. I really like buying gifts and putting thought into what I buy, and... well, they''re pretty boring and not creative.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Last year, we got five gift cards and a couple of them were to places we never go, like Blockbuster Video (we have netflix so rarely go to a video store), so I sold the unused gift card on eBay and got nearly face value. It's perplexing but on a $30 card, someone paid $28!

FWIW, my husband's 12 YO nephew told us last weekend that he hates gift cards because he'd rather have a choice where to spend the $.

ETA - I'd like to add quickly that one of the benefits to receiving gift cards (IMO) is that I can spend the card how I please. If a relative gives me a $50 card to banana republic, I have no choice but to shop there. If someone gives me $50 cash, my husband may frown upon a frivilous purchase like a new sweater, so I'd have to buy groceries with the money

lol

Also, we have received cards for the boys, like for footlocker, which is nice because my kids always seem to need new tennis shoes. We get TOO MANY toys and I'm thankful for useful gifts that help us as parents.

So, I guess there are pros and cons. If someone gives me a gift card this Christmas, I'll be okay with this as I'll either use it or sell it. But, all the teens and 20 YOs we're giving presents to will get cash!

 

[curlygirl]

Date: 11/28/2005 1:31:50 PM
Author: Mara
OH and I wanted to also say that if you are unsure where the people shop and buy....then give an Amex Gift Card or a Visa Debit Card where they can shop almost anywhere with that ''debit'' card. That is a great way to gift $$ without doing cash or tying it to one store.

I couldn''t agree more. I''ve given the American Express gift cards and gift cheques. They are really great because they are not cash and they give the recipient the option of using them anywhere. I highly recommend them.

 

[MelissaSue]

I like them as long as they are for a store that I KNOW I will find something to buy at.. Or more importantly. I know i will find something GOOD to buy at..
Like I said in the other thread.. from Express or Victorias Secret or Bath and Body Works or Even Gap they''d be a safe bet for me.. but I wouldn''t like it if someone got me a gift card to Old Navy or some other store that I won''t find something in.. So you have to put SOME thought into them..
I also have gotten gift cards to Target.. and while i LOVE Target.. it is too easy to just go in there and buy stuff like shampoo and socks with a gift card.. I dont'' think I bought anything good for myself there.. So I don''t like that sort of thing.
I personally don''t really like getting gift cards for restaurants either.. because while I''ll use them.. its just like.. okay.. so I got a free meal.. not such a great gift! And I think they are pretty generic

 

[pebbles]

I must be in the minority -- I love getting gift cards. Fortunately, I usually get gift cards to the stores I like to go to.

My son and daughter each got a couple for their birthdays this year and it was nice b/c both their birthdays are in the winter and they got so many toys and clothes, that I used the cards in the summer when all the summer clothes came out.

My family prefers gift cards to cash. They have said it''s too easy to just spend the cash and like the fact they can go out and pick something for themselves.

However, both my nieces (ages 9 and 12) have told me that they want cash for christmas. I spent a lot of time last year picking out clothes for them at this one particular store they love (per my SIL) only to find out they both returned what I picked out. I guess that makes it easy for me this year.

 

[partgypsy]

I think giftcards are fine as long as you you have gotten feedback they like shopping there. But there''s nothing like having giftcards lying around you haven''t used, or feeling like you are forced to use a card even though would have used the money for something else. I have given gift cards in the past. For my family, sometimes lets say they can be a little picky and I''ve gone the whole route of picking something out and then it getting returned. For those people, I bypass the whole middleman and often give them one meaningful gift like a book and then stick some cash in there.
It''s interesting, my husband thinks giving money is crass, gift cards are stretching it, and feels you shouldn''t return a gift even if you don''t like it. On the other hand my family is honest how they feel about a gift and will return things if they don''t like it, and family and relatives give cash as gifts for almost every occasion. Maybe it''s a cultural difference (extended family is Greek American).

 

[AChiOAlumna]

My DH loves gift cards too....he''ll run out and use it before it even has time to let dust settle. I don''t mind gift cards if they are to stores that I frequent. If someone gave me a Macy''s card or even a Victoria Secret''s gift card, it would go to waste (I can''t wear anything from VS...

), but if I were to get a gift card from NY & Co, I would be in heaven!!

I prefer NOT to give gift cards, but if the recipient REALLY doesn''t know what they want, or I cannot find the "perfect" gift for them, then I''ll get a gift card, but only as a last resort!!

 

[FireGoddess]

I love getting gift cards to stores I like...Williams Sonoma, Macy's, etc, but DEATH to Visa check cards! Don't EVER get one for someone you actually like! They are the hugest pain to use. My DH got one from my parents and one from my sisters for his birthday...we wanted to use them to buy a kitchenaid mixer from Macy's and it was total hell. It's the fine print that gets you. We ended up having to use them to get Macy's gift cards in the exact denominations as the Visa check cards, and then use the gift cards to buy the mixer. On the check cards, if they authorize a certain amount, the card is frozen for x number of days, can't immediately use it afterwards....ugh, just thinking about it makes me crazy. If you want to give them cash, give them cash, but don't give them a Visa check card cuz it's harder to use.

 

[Mara]

I also love to shop for people who are close to me, but gift cards are always a great last minute gift or if you have other gifts already and want to give one more, I give a gift card to a store, like Greg LOVES to shop at Orchard Supply Hardware, a local place near us. I wouldn''t be able to tell you what he wanted in that store, okay I could but I don''t know how to shop for tools etc. So I gave him a gift card last year to OSH and he was in heaven.

So I think part of it is knowing your audience and recipient...but if you don''t then stay safe with a store you know they shop at or do the Amex or Visa etc. I do have some gift cards from a year or so ago that I have not used. Also in California they never expire. EVER. So you can keep them for years then use them. It''s no pressure.

 

[portoar]

I hate gift cards. My husband just told me yesterday that I''m getting a gift card for Christmas . . . I said, "You''d better be joking."

 

[monarch64]

I''m 28, and I can tell you this: I love getting gift cards from anyone I''ve never lived with. They don''t know me well enough to know my personal preferences, or what would make me really happy, but they do know me well enough to know where I like to shop, dine, etc., therefore, a gift card from them is perfect! If my husband or my parents got me gift cards, I would feel like they didn''t take them time and effort to choose a gift that would really please me. The best gift cards I have probably received are ones from my in-laws from stores where my husband and I registered...we used them to fill in our china and silverware and a few other things we didn''t get but needed. I don''t see them as impersonal at all. We like to give our teenage nieces Target cards or AMEX or Visa gift cards, as well as a small $10-20 gift we can wrap along with them. Friends of mine have given me gift certificates for manicures or facials because they know I don''t usually spend money on things like that for myself. I think you can find ways to make gift cards/certificates personal and not seem like you didn''t care all that much or waited until the last minute to get someone a gift. If someone didn''t seem happy to receive a gift card from me I''d probably scratch them off the list next year, that''s for sure!