Dear Abby question re: gift cards to your business

[Miss March]

In today's Dear Abby (6/8/13), a woman writes in that her daughter is graduating college and received a gift card from her aunt. However, the gift card was to be used in a store which the aunt owns, and the writer told Abby that she thought this was "tacky." Abby's opinion on the matter was that if the daughter enjoys items in the aunt's store, it is a fine gift, and that it was tacky of the OP to question it. I was wondering if anyone on the board had an opinion on giving or receiving gift cards that directly relate to the giver's business ventures.

[Slartibartfast]

Sounds perfectly reasonable to me!  I make jewelry on Etsy; I also often give homemade jewelry as a gift.  I don't see a gift card as any different except that it gives the recipient a choice of styles/colors/flavors/whatever.

[m2kbug]

I sounds reasonable to me.  There are many people who make product for small business and often give these items as gifts.  A gift card to a personally owned store is no different as long the recipient would enjoy items from that store. 

[magician5]

Considering what I sell in my business, probably few decent people would want a gift card for anything I make.

[peaches]

I think the big qualifier in this is IF you know the recipient enjoys whatever it is you sell.

Otherwise, choose a different gift.

[norrina]

I think the big qualifier in this is IF you know the recipient enjoys whatever it is you sell.

Otherwise, choose a different gift.

I think another qualifier would be the value of the card versus the cost of the merchandise. So if you give someone a $25 card, but the prices in your store start at $50, then this is not a good gift. I would find such a gift inappropriate even with a completely unaffiliated store involved, since I believe that a gift should not require the recipient to make a monetary outlay to use it, but it seems so much worse to me when (1) the gift giver will actually profit from the recipient's use of the gift, and (2) the gift giver will know if the recipient opts not to use the gift, and thus the recipient may feel more "obligated" to use it than (s)he would have otherwise.

[siamesecat2965]

I think the big qualifier in this is IF you know the recipient enjoys whatever it is you sell.

Otherwise, choose a different gift.

I think another qualifier would be the value of the card versus the cost of the merchandise. So if you give someone a $25 card, but the prices in your store start at $50, then this is not a good gift. I would find such a gift inappropriate even with a completely unaffiliated store involved, since I believe that a gift should not require the recipient to make a monetary outlay to use it, but it seems so much worse to me when (1) the gift giver will actually profit from the recipient's use of the gift, and (2) the gift giver will know if the recipient opts not to use the gift, and thus the recipient may feel more "obligated" to use it than (s)he would have otherwise.

I agree. But if none of the above apply, and the recipient enjoys shopping at the Aunt's store, then its fine.

At my 2nd job, for my 5th anniversary, I got a GC to Tiffany. For $100, which in any other store, would have been more then enough to buy something nice. But there, you either had to put in some of your own money, or settle for a scarf or cup and saucer.  I was happy to get it, but wish maybe they'd done something more generic, like Am Ex

[WillyNilly]

I think its fine, so long as the card was enough to get something, and also the store sells appropriate items for the receiver. Because lets face it, if not a gift card, the aunt probably would have picked out something from her own store to give as a physical gift - after all her own store is probably the store she frequents most and probably stocks the kind thing she (the aunt) favors. By giving the gift card the receiver gets to choose whatever item they'd like best.

Its not a college graduation even requires a gift from an aunt anyway, so getting anything is generous.

[peaches]

It's possible that since the Aunt gets items at wholesale price, she is able to give a more generous gift when she gives from her stock.

I'm hoping that's the motivation (trying to think positively here).

Motivation is key. A gift really should be something you think the recipient will enjoy.

[sparksals]

I give certificates for the product I sell all the time.  I don't know why receiving free product can be rude just because I sell it!

[nolechica]

I think the big qualifier in this is IF you know the recipient enjoys whatever it is you sell.

Otherwise, choose a different gift.

This and it's not inconvenient for them to redeem.

[Winterlight]

I think the big qualifier in this is IF you know the recipient enjoys whatever it is you sell.

Otherwise, choose a different gift.

I think another qualifier would be the value of the card versus the cost of the merchandise. So if you give someone a $25 card, but the prices in your store start at $50, then this is not a good gift. I would find such a gift inappropriate even with a completely unaffiliated store involved, since I believe that a gift should not require the recipient to make a monetary outlay to use it, but it seems so much worse to me when (1) the gift giver will actually profit from the recipient's use of the gift, and (2) the gift giver will know if the recipient opts not to use the gift, and thus the recipient may feel more "obligated" to use it than (s)he would have otherwise.

Agree with both of these.