You can read the rest of the article here:
Gift cards are not gifts - MSN Money


So there you have it folks. A gift card is not a gift.
For those who have purchased one or are planning to give one as a gift this year, it's time for you to rethink the idea. Because you're not really giving a gift.

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l/ l/ l/
Dont go through life,
GROW through life

Real eyes...realize...real lies.

My teenage neices would tend to disagree. I happen to think they are the BEST gifts because who wants another useless knickknack you have to dust, a sweater you feel compelled to wear to not hurt anyone's feelings or something ugly you have to diplay in your home to avoid WWIII.
I love to give them and to receive them.

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The political system is broke and it's a joke.

I disagree, too.

My neices and nephews love them. In fact, that's all they ask for anymore. They can buy whatever they want. My daughters have begun asking for them and they love to save them until they see something they want and then "buy" it with their own money. I love them because I know I'm getting them something useful that they will use and not just toss aside if I don't hit on the right thing that year.

Even my MIL & FIL enjoy receiving and giving them. We love to give them gift cards to the movies, theater or restaraunts instead of another knick knack.

I wish my mother would start to give them instead of the crap she picks out year after year that just goes to goodwill.

Lisa

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"It's not having what you want,
It's wanting what you've got"

I don't think I would walk into a friends hospital room or give a new born a gift card but there are people who do prefer the cards over a gift that they may not be happy with. I have several nieces and nephews ranging from 27 years old to 54 years old and I can attest to the fact that they appreciate the cards more than anything else that I can give them. So much for Judith Martin, the doyenne of etiquette known to millions as Miss Manners,

I think they are the best too. The recipient not only gets to buy what they want but will also be able to shop the after Christmas sales and get more with "your" money.

So many people ask for them anymore, I'm not sure how the author of that article can say that.

My whole family has gift cards on their list, anything from Victoria's Secret to Target to Home Depot. Some specialty stores, too.

I PREFER to shop for folks. Give me a list with some idea and I like to shop. wrap, etc. But, I understand the gift card scenario too. I have gift cards on my own list! (Our family does "wish lists" because we're so spread out, it's hard to know what everyone does and doesn't have.)

I still wrap the gift card, hehe. Even if it's a gift card, I like giving something that someone can open.

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I completely agree. Gifts cards are worse than cash. At least cash says "go and get what makes you happy," while GC say "go and get what you want, as long as it's at Target." I think gift cards are the biggest scam ever invented by the stores. If you want to give money, give money. Giving a gift card ties a person to a particular store and it's still just giving money. Stores give no discounts for buying or using one and the evidence shows that many are never even used up, so it's an even bigger money maker for the store. I can't stand them. They don't show any more effort than cash and are worth a lot less, IMO.

But what if people ASK for them?

It's hard to put a blanket statement on this one. There are times I love gift cards and at times I like presents. (My Mom has gone so far as to put nothing but FOUR different gift cards on her list. She wants NOTHING else. What could I possibly do with that? I don't care for it, but it's HER presents, not mine.)

I guess a time I wouldn't like it is if someone gave me a gift card to a store I wouldn't possibly ever shop in. It's never happened yet, but that's all I can think of.

On a side note, the gift cards I HAVE gotten are for places people know I want them for.

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I don't know about you, but I think people ask for GC because it sounds less crass than asking for money. But if you give a GC, you're just giving money that's limited to being spent in one location. That's silly to me.

Mind you, I have no problem with money as a gift. But as between money and GC, I think GC are just a scam for the stores.

Not costly to ship either. This is something that needs to be considered as well since mail prices are soaring.

That's another aspect -- it's far safer to mail a check than a GC card!

well then I like not getting gifts b/c I'd rather have a gc than anything else.

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"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God? " ~Epicurus

I love to shop and enjoy picking out gifts for people, especially people I know well enough to know their tastes. But I do buy GC for some people like teachers. I think they're appreciated and at least the teachers I know LOVE getting them. They don't care if they're limited to buying pizza at Pizza Hut or eating at Cracker Barrel....they look at it as a night off from cooking. And when they eat that meal, they think of the child that gave it to them.
I don't think it's impersonal or impractical. I think it's thoughtful because I still had to think of that person and I still took my time to pick something out for them.
I love getting GC myself and I never feel slighted in the least. My kids love getting them also and they're only 7 and 9. I usually use GC in small amounts as stocking stuffers for them. I get movie rentals, fast food and even Target or Walmart. My girls think it's wonderful.

I think it depends on the situation. I have one relative has asked for very "useful" items, nothing that they won't use. One of the things I know they "use" is Dunkin Donuts gift cards, as I saw them receive one and use it last year. Therefore, that's what I'm getting them. That is what they want.

I like to get gift cards to places I would normally go. DS received a g/c from MIL once to a store not even in the town we lived in, or close by. One time, we received a g/c to Honey Baked Ham......there wasn't one anywhere close.

I don't like to give g/cs so much. I have found they don't get used......last year a relative gave me one to use for them. It was the one I had given them the XMAS before. To me, that is wasted money if they don't use them.

I guess I can see both sides. I definitely feel some people do give them just to "check you off the list". They are great to have when doing Chinese Grab Bag, tho.

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Doing the right thing isn't always the same as doing the easy thing.

I agree with truble2301. I hate to receive and hate to give GCs. They are a big scam for the retailer, because many of them do not get redeemed - that's an all profit sale! I don't think money makes a very good gift either, except for major life events (marriage, retirement, etc) Otherwise, it seems that gift-giving occasions have turned into GCs and cash swapping events and then, what's the point?

ETA: My viewpoint might be unique as I truly believe that I have everything that I need and could buy anything that I wanted if not. So gift-giving to me is an expression of thought and consideration and has really nothing to do with $$. But that's just me.

cj/

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I was walking home one night and a guy hammering on a roof called me a paranoid little weirdo. In morse code. -Emo Phillips

The gift cards I received last yr wasnt just for Certain store but more like a prepaid mastercard that could be used at ANY store. I was thrilled and am hoping I get more of them this year!
I would rather receive them than the stupid stuff my sister in law usually gives me. She is the worst at gift buying. I got a freaking pink flamigo once and she has bought me many flower bulbs too. That would have been great if they wasnt some just like the ones I already had. Oh yea and I cant forget the vaccum cleaner cover she got me one year. Looks like a old woman . Now, If you had your choice of gift cards or some of the above gifts, which would you take?

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I can see both sides of the coin, but personally I don't like to give or receive gift cards.
Here's an interesting article on gift cards:
Shop Smart: Beware of the apparent convenience of gift cards

Be sure to check to see if there's an expiration date, or a monthly fee. Besides that fact that many gift cards *spend* themselves with monthly fees, many get misplaced or never redeemed.

Food for thought.

I know my family better than that. Maybe some families would feel it's crass, but that's not the case here.

One of the things my Dad has on his list IS money.

Maybe the difference here is that my family asks for specific stores because they shop there often. My Dad loves Home Depot because he does woodworking and he buys all his wood from there. Same thing with the woodworking stores g/c's. He'd have to sit there and list everything he needs or wants, hoping we get the thing he wants the most - OR - just ask for a gift card to THAT store. It's a lot less work for HIM, we get him something he WANTS....everybody wins!

My Mother asked for 4 different gift cards. Period. End of sentence. She wants NOTHING else. She did have a very nice list going, but she chucked it all for these 4 gift cards. MY take on it? It's HER that doesn't want to be bothered thinking of things to put on her list, We had no problem shopping for gifts for any of us, including her. She made that change and none of us really cared for it, but what are we to do? She is very aware of the Visa or Master Card gift cards, she bought them for us all one year. She never asks for that.

Besides...gifts are not about what *I* feel is best, it's about what the receiver feels is best. Nothing makes me happier than making someone else happy and if gift cards are the IT gift for them, then that's what they get.

On a side note - my very proper Southern mother-in-law thinks giving CASH is crass! She hates it. She would much rather give a gift card to somewhere we want to shop because while she's not picking out an actual gift, she feels "helping". She said before, giving cash bothers her because she feels like it's just like handing over paper - she doesn't "participate" in the gifting at all.

<shrug> Different strokes for different folks, but I don't think one way or the other is better. I think what works for each person's family is right. As with most things in life, intention is everything. If you get a gift card because you don't want to be bothered finding out what someone wants, then right there is the difference. But if someone is asking for them, or wants them, what sense does it make to tell them "No, I'm sorry, I'll never get you that because I think it's crass".

__________________

I love giving and getting gift cards. Then when I finally decide what I want I can get it. My inlaws still don't know my likes and dislikes after 13 yrs.

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I've never lied to you. I've always told you some version the of truth.

Those VISA GCs? Watch out. I have one that has 3.29 left on it and I can't use it anywhere unless I buy something 3.29 or less. The stores won't apply it and left me pay the balance. So there's 3.29 of profit for somebody.

Count me in on the ?why? of it's basically like giving cash. And I've always thought gifts were from the giver, not an "order what you want" type thing on the part of the recipient. And what, exactly is the point of 2 people exchanging gift cards? And, oooh a specific store. Whoopty do.

The stores win, with the fees for inactive cards, lost or unused/forgotten about cards and having to spend under a specific amount.

This is yet another example of our fastfood, fastforward, I want it now society. With the teenagers, we are conditioning them to expect more and more of things their way. So once in a while they get a gift they don't care for, that's life.

I constantly send what I call junk boxes to my nieces throughout the year. Girly things, jammies, gum, books, crafts, etc and they are always happy with what they get per the parents. I get to see them open the junk boxes usually twice yearly, and I see it for myself how much they enjoy getting gifts.


dl

Forgive me if I say that "Miss Manners" can kiss my patootie

__________________

Nutella,....
proving some of the best things in life come in a jar.

Dear Miss Manners,
Since you don't like getting gift cards I want you to feel free to send any/all that you get to me.
Feel free to spread the word to others who feel like you do about them.

I happen to love getting them.
Sincerely,
Shirley

PS: If I should get too many I know a lot of people who would love for me to share them with them.

I do give and get gift cards, but I have to admit it's pretty dumb when you think about it: I give my MIL a $50 gift card to Target and she gives me a $50 gift card to Fashion Bug -- what's the point?

I think if a person asks for a gift card from a certain store, then that is where they shop. It is no different to me than asking for an exact item from an exact store. I think gift cards have their place. My Grandmother never wanted a thing, so we started giving her gift cards to the store where she grocery shops. She loved those! My college aged DD loves Starbucks, and a Gift card from there as a stocking stuffer is perfect. The MC and Visa ones can be used even if the total of your bill is more than the value of the card. You just need a store that will allow 2 credit card payments on 1 transaction. I know that Target will do this, you just need to ask the cashier to manually enter the card, using the amount on the card. Miss Manners is living in lala land. Read some of her other crap. She is one crazy woman.

I would rather get a gift card than something I hate and then hurt the givers feelings asking for the gift receipt. I grew up hating most of what my family got me (they loved to give clothes...and clothes I did not like). To this day, although they know my style, they will buy me things because it's cute (not to me) or they like it. They don't "get" that I like it. So, gC's are great. I am picky and I know it. My DH would rather get GC's too. He has about 4 shirts stacked up in our closet that were gifts from my family that he hates

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Proud to say I haven't shopped at a Wal-Mart since Sept 2003

My Kids request GCs every year to the stores they shop. I won't buy clothes for my 3 teenage kids...no way....I don't go to the mall and go to the stores they do....can ya image coming out of Hot Topic with that loud music they do...nope not me. Ashley wants Hot topic, Davey wants Hot Line, Shawna wants TJ Maxx and that's what they'll get I know they use the GC from the movies I get them every year, they LOVE those, so I think I can see both sides of the story. But I'm sticking to my GC list this year

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Proud Single Mother to 18 year old Twins Ashley/Davey, 14 year old Shawna, 5 year old Emma, and my Boo Bear, "Angel Hope" (1996-1997) RIP Boo.

I usually buy gifts, but this year I am buying some gift cards. My oldest daughter moved from Michigan to Florida this summer, and I'm in Ohio. She will not be able to come home this Christmas, and we decided to go with gift cards to save the expense of shipping gifts. A few years ago when my brother lived in Arizona it cost $30 to ship the Christmas gifts we had bought them.

My younger daughter (14) still lives at home, but of course she loves the idea of gift cards. Although I bought her a few gifts to open, she is getting a couple gift cards to stores she likes. Kids her age love to go shopping, and it gives her a chance to hit after Christmas sales.

This is the first year I've bought gift cards. I think they are a great idea, and I'd love to receive one myself. My mother, my brother's family and mine have decided to cut down on spending and it's hard to find things that you think they'll like with a small limit. A gift card can be perfect because you can get a card for a store or buy a restaurant one and treat them to a meal.

My mother and I were just talking about this today while driving to do some Christmas shopping. We are considering the idea of just exchanging gift cards next year. Maybe we'll set a limit, everyone can buy one, and we can do some sort of game to exchange the cards.

I know some people don't like the idea, but they probably are the perfect gift for everyone on my list.

I'm not crazy about gift cards either unless they are for a store that someone has really put some thought into.
If you love and collect gnomes (for instance) and there is a new gnome store in town, a gift card from that store would be a make a great gift.
If you are planning a cross country trip, gas and restaurant cards would be a thoughtful gift.
But just getting one from any old store just to get your shopping done without having to think about the person you are giving to is not a great gift!
We are giving our SIL a card from Home Depot so he can set up his new garage when they move after Christmas. We will also be giving him some "real" gifts.
We are giving our DGD a card to Wal-Mart because she asked for one! But she is flying home from Florida and will not be able to take a lot of things back with her. She also just moved into an apartment and needs all sorts of things that whe will be able to find there. She is getting a few small gifts also.

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Square dancing is friendship set to music!

The merchant can apply the $3.29 to your purchase by typing in the exact amount and swiping the card and then taking another form of payment for the remaining amount. If you have an H&M near you we do this all the time!

I don't give many gift cards but there are times when they really are the best choice. And, for the most part, I don't mind if someone requests one when I ask what they'd like for a gift - except for my one sister who insists that she, her dh and her kids want cash or gc's only, for any gift giving occasion ever! This year I got a gc for my 17 yr old nephew since he really, really likes Gloria Jeans coffee so it's a real treat for him. And I got a gc to a restaurant for my neice and her boyfriend since I'd have a hard time choosing a gift for him - this way the two of them can have an evening out together (they are young and have a baby so again, this is a treat).

I would rather get a GC any day over cash.

To me cash is saying (outside of a wedding, graduation or say a christening) I couldn't be bothered to come up with anything for you - so here is $20.
At least with a gift card it says I remember you saying you like this store, so go and get something there on me.

I go through phases where I shop at the same store all the time, I was like this earlier this year with CVS. And for my birthday I got CVS GC's, I was thrilled.

The other thing is that I used to collect dolls (higher end ones) but it became the thing people bought me because they knew I was into them. The problem was, they weren't going to buy a more expensive doll so I ended up with realy cheap ones that I was never going to display. If they had given me a gift card to the doll store, I could have at least picked out what I wanted.

Also for me cash is not a good gift, I will fritter it away and end up with nothing to show for it. This is also why I never carry cash.

My Humble Opinion... BUT... When I get cash I put t in my wallet and it is gone when needed. Yes, Needed is good BUT... if I send a gift... I want the person to enjoy it.

There are many people who disagree... good for all! I want to make sure the person is happy

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Happy shopping to all... Don't you LOVE this site???!!!

I agree with those who have said GC's can be great gifts if they're well thought-out GC's.

There are people I might know and appreciate well enough to want to gift them, but not so well that I'm entirely confident that I know their tastes enough to get them something they'll be glad to receive.

Still, I might know them well enough to narrow it down to a store or a restaurant.

For instance... I might know someone likes stuff from Bath and Body Works, but not know which scents they like. Or I might know they like fancy beverages from Starbucks... something you can't exactly wrap and deliver.

Personally, I appreciate getting GC's to do things I might not do "hog wild" on my own nickel. Some of my student's parents pitched in and got me a GC for a very nice restaurant in town, with a note saying to go have a relaxing evening out on them. It was for an amount big enough for DH and I to meet for lunch there twice, or supper once... or, I guess, dessert lots of times! I was delighted. I don't need anymore *things*, but I appreciated the opportunity to *do* something leisurely.

I feel a little more free with GC's than I do with my own cash. I know the GC was given so I could get something for myself that I might not've sprung for that I wanted... a treat! I love getting GC's to the local coffee house good for any free grande size beverage. I love getting GC's for a "Five Days/Five Movies" deal at a local movie rental place, and having the ability to take advantage of that little perk whenever it fits into my life.

A GC to WalMart wouldn't do much for me... but it if was an opportunity to treat myself someplace that I'd normally *deny* myself... a GC is a real treat.

Case in point... I don't get manicures, but having this GC to a local salon means I can go get one... and that'll be a treat!

gift
–noun
1. something given voluntarily without payment in return, as to show favor toward someone, honor an occasion, or make a gesture of assistance; present.
2. the act of giving.
3. something bestowed or acquired without any particular effort by the recipient or without its being earned: Those extra points he got in the game were a total gift.
4. a special ability or capacity; natural endowment; talent: the gift of saying the right thing at the right time.
–verb (used with object)
5. to present with as a gift; bestow gifts upon; endow with.
6. to present (someone) with a gift: just the thing to gift the newlyweds.



Yup, a gift certificate qualifies as a gift.

Trust me, I've tried. They're not taking it here. I don't shop at H & M, but I appreciate the advice!

I totally agree! My inlaws don't know my likes and dislikes after 19 years! You wouldn't believe the crap these people buy me! One year it was an assortment of Hickory Farms jellies - um I don't even have jelly in my fridge people! That gift went straight to the food bank. One year one of those cutesy metal trees to hang my earrings on - I'm too practical - that is a dustcatcher in my opinion! Oh and then the one year mil asked dh what size I wore? He looked in my closet and told her - she bought me a size SMALLER! Uh hello?

So whether they are proper etiquette or not, I LOVE GIFT CARDS!

I'd have to go with everyone who said gift cards are fine. I love getting gift cards because I can hang on to them and if I happen to see something at that particular store that I'd like, I can get it without wondering if I have money in the bank for it. We are a one-income family (I'm a SAHM) so money is usually tight...so it's nice to have a gift card to pick up a little treat down the road when there is no extra money.

My husband and I have also received movie theater gift cards in the past. I LOVE these. We have 3 kids and it's not often we can get out to the movies alone...and we all know the movie theater isn't cheap. So it's nice when a movie we're really interested in comes out and we can actually go to the theater and see it because it's already paid for...and to be able to afford to get some yummy hot butter popcorn too? Woohoo!

My siblings have also asked for gift cards as gifts. A couple of years ago my sister and her husband really needed a new stove so they asked for Sears gift certificates to apply towards it. I had no problem at all with that! I was glad to be able to help. The same this year with my brother and his wife...they have something in particular they need to replace so we're chipping in.

We don't always spend the same amount of money on each other each year either...there have been times that it did seem kind of silly to trade one gift card for another in the same denomination...but at the same time it's the thought and the fun we have getting together that really matters. This year my family knows that money is very tight and I'm sure they'll be giving us gifts that are valued higher than what we'll be able to give...and the same thing happens for them in other years...so it all works out.

I just don't feel like I need to put a value on someone by the gift they give me. I appreciate anything because really nobody HAS to give me anything.

ETA: on the clothes issue...my MIL also gave me a couple of shirts last Christmas. She said she wanted to give me something more personal...so apparently she had my daughter sneak in my closet to see what size I wore. First, I really didn't appreciate that. I'm not the most petite person and really don't want to go around advertising what size clothes I wear. When she told me that to my face on Christmas Day I was embarrassed. Second, they didn't fit. There were no tags and no receipt of any kind so it was a waste of her time and money because I never wore them.

peapie

I forgot to say one of the reasons I like gift cards is that my two sisters work for a large retail store so both they and my neice receive a substantial discount at that store. When I give them a GC for that store it's like giving them twice the amount.

__________________
The political system is broke and it's a joke.

Can you use it as part of a pre-pay at a gas station? It would be awful to lose even a little $ froma gc. I've actually had folks ask me to throw away their gc's when there's only a dollar or so left on it - I always just apply it to the purchase of the next customer in line - no way am I throwing away money!

It's worth a shot! Thanks for the suggestion.

But this is all part of why I think GCs are a total scam. They're just money that's harder to spend the way you want to!

I LOVE getting gift cards!! We don't have extra cash for fun stuff, so if I get money, I end up spending it on something for someone else or something basic like a run-by for milk and bread at the convenience store or for gasoline or something that really isn't for ME. But with a gift card, that is for ME and I enjoy having them in my purse and when I feel like buying something at Pier I or Kirklands or Bath & Body Works, I have my cards in my purse and buy what I like. If there's cash left over on the card, I just save it till the next time I'm in the mood to buy something and they'll apply what's left and I pay the rest.

So in my opinion, I would definitely rather have a gift card than something I don't like and then have to return it or sell it on Ebay!!

We used to do an extended family gift card exchange and it was great!

Our family did our Christmas get together on Christmas eve so everyone would bring a gift card/certificate(s) with a value of $25. All the cards would be put in identical envelopes that were then decorated by the only little kid, my cousins little boy. A random draw then determined who got what but we would have more fun after opening them by trading them around with one another.

Easy, fun and everyone wound up getting what they wanted.

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Jesus SAVES by shopping smartly and using double coupons!

Buy a store gift card for $3.29 with it. The store gift cards do not have the same stipulations. You can purchase something with the gift card and pay the rest any way you want to.

I love getting gift cards and giving them. We have family spread out all over the US and it's so much easier and cheaper to send. I make sure it's to places that the people like so it's not "wasted money". I also like getting gifts, but sometimes I'd rather just have the gift card since some people don't really know my tastes/sizes, etc. DH learned his lesson on clothes shopping for me; also this way I shop after the holidays and get more taking advantage of the sales. I see both sides of the story, but to me it's also a waste of money buying something the receiver will never use, wear etc.

Another good idea. Thanks!

But again, I hope you can see why this is so annoying to me -- someone tried to give a gift and it's done nothing but cause me aggravation!

From the MSN article:

"How would I have felt, for example, about the new friend I rushed to the hospital one night had she thanked me with a gift card rather than a basket of chocolate-dipped strawberries, each more luscious than the last? Of course, no gift was expected or required, but her thoughtfulness created a bond."

This woman is way off base. I was in the hospital last year and did just that - I gave some helpful friends gift cards to thank them. The gift cards were greatly appreciated.

Add me to the "loves gift cards" list also. I appreciate that the person realized I would rather pick something else. I also like them because we travel to visit family, and I can sometimes save them to use on something later.

I love gift cards also. My kids, neices, nephews are all teens and I buy them for the stores the kids shop at. They can pick out what they like and I don't have to worry about not returning things they don't like.

I love to do crafts. Everyone knows this and I so love a gift card for Michaels or JoAnn's. I love to get what I want and if someone had to shop for me, they couldn't get that kind of stuff for me so I would get something that I don't need.

My husband was asking yesterday what I want for Christmas. I don't NEED anything at all so GCs are fun for me.

I fully approve of them for gifts and even encourage them!!

I'm sure their heart was in the right place, though.

I think it depends on who you are giving the gift cards too. My kids love getting gift cards especially my 16 yr old SD. she can get what she wants when she wants to. To each their own.

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"Madison AnnMarie " 6/13/2008

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I am closing this thread , feel free to open a new one........Karrie

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"Madison AnnMarie " 6/13/2008

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