In defense of gift certificates

[Piratelvr1121]

I love gift cards and for a long time used to give my brother an iTunes card so he could get anything he wanted since I wasn't sure what music he had and didn't have.   My mil asked me last year what I'd like and I said an Amazon gift card for books and I got a check instead which was fine with me as it was a nice amount.  And this year I mentioned pj's and she couldn't find the ones I liked but instead got me a pair with Minnie Mouse and a pair with gray pants that had black crossbones. She knew they weren't what I asked for but couldn't find what I had wanted but instead of getting me a gift card she just bought others.  I liked the pirate ones (naturally) but wasn't too crazy about the Minnie Mouse pj's. 

I returned them today and got a gc for the amount she spent on Minnie Mouse and the Angry Birds pj's she bought DH.

[siamesecat2965]

My grandmother got me a GC to a local butcher.  Sounds weird, right?  But she knows that they have awesome cuts of meat that I won't buy because they're too expensive (I shop there for our meat every other week, but only buy the basics - roasts and such, forgoing the steaks because of the price).  So she got me a GC for it and the look on my face was  because I was so excited.

So I was able to get a couple steak and a ham.  Now my mouth is watering over the ham and I can't make it for a few more days!   

Not at all! I'd love a gc to any type of fancy gourmet store. butcher, or otherwise.  i'd be thrilled.  then again, my grandfather was a butcher, so i'm a  bit spoiled in that respect.

[Jelaza]

I usually only buy presents for my nieces and nephews and my mom, but this year, I got GCs to a nice restaurant for all my siblings and their SOs that were at Christmas.  "Here, I got you two a date!"

[happygrrl]

Another lover of the gift card. Love them, love them, love them! I got a $50 to Sephora, and a $50 to TJMaxx for Christmas, and I can hardly wait!! I enjoy the whole "I don't know exactly what I want, so I get to wander the whole store looking for it" thing.
Love!

[pearls n purls]

I've been complaining about needing new make-up for a while now.  My DH gave me a $50 gift card to Sephora because now I have to use it to buy make-up.  The money's already spent, so I don't need to feel guilty about getting something.  (He also got me non-gc presents.)

[gramma dishes]

...    Merry Christmas to me! I'm getting drugs!

 

Now THAT'S a sentence I never expected to see on Ehell!! 

[123sandy]

Why people hate gift cards...

This year I got one with no value written on it and it's for a shop that's over 100 miles away.

[magicdomino]

Why people hate gift cards...

This year I got one with no value written on it and it's for a shop that's over 100 miles away.

Do they have an on-line site?

[siamesecat2965]

Why people hate gift cards...

This year I got one with no value written on it and it's for a shop that's over 100 miles away.

Ugh, I'm sorry you got that.  I also got one this year, from a friend, to a movie theater chain that isn't near where I live.  It is, however, near my cousins and my mom, so i can either give it to one of them, or use it when I visit.

[lady_disdain]

My father is blind and can't shop anymore, so he gets gift cards.  I love them.  In addition, I got other gift cards from other people, so I'm sitting on $100 in gift cards this week.

Do you mean "he gives gift cards"? Otherwise, I don't understand the logic.

[Rohanna]

Why people hate gift cards...

This year I got one with no value written on it and it's for a shop that's over 100 miles away.

What about a site like giftcards.com and swap it for something else? There should also be a phone number to the store on the back (or online) that you can call and check the balance. plasticjungle.com has a section that helps you check card balances.

[TylerBelle]

I too am a lover of the gift card. If the stores are quite a distance away, I hope your cards can be used online. That's what I did with a 'Vanilla Visa' I got once. Also the cards sometime come in interesting shapes, like I've got one I've kept that's shaped like a cut-out of a candy cane. 

[123sandy]

Why people hate gift cards...

This year I got one with no value written on it and it's for a shop that's over 100 miles away.

What about a site like giftcards.com and swap it for something else? There should also be a phone number to the store on the back (or online) that you can call and check the balance. plasticjungle.com has a section that helps you check card balances.

Thank you so much for that. I had no idea those sites existed. 

[Shea]

I adore gift certificates. This year I got one for a local quilt store, which was perfect because a good friend of mine is getting married and I want to make her a quilt for her wedding present. I also got something like $100 in Amazon gift cards. I'm drooling at the thought of how many books I can get!

[snowflake]

I like cats.  I like to pet them. I like to feel them purr. I like to watch them play.

For most people this translates into: Oh, she must want a ceramic/stuffed/glass/wooden cat!  This might be over-the-top, cheesy, or ugly, but it's a cat so I'll bet she LOOOOOVES it!  Unfortunately one of those people was my mother so I'd feel bad about getting rid of the said cat things.  Also, it's not like I've chosen a lucrative career so while I can pay my rent/mortgage, it has never been for anywhere palatial.  So I don't know where to put anything decorative.

Now I LIKE gift cards.  My mother says, "Oh, I'm sorry.  But I didn't really have time to shop this year.  I didn't pick out something special."  I say, "Oh mom, it really is the thought that counts. I love you!"