tlimbert

It's always good to get an Outsider's Insight .

Why is it more acceptable to give a gift card for $20 than it is to give someone $20?

Kinda a simple question, but something I think about as I grow older and I start to no longer know what the family wants for gifts... it's always been drummed in my head that it's tacky to give straight cash as a gift, as it can give the thought that a person is only WORTH say $20 from you... where as gift cards have been acceptable as long as I can remember (from the 80's at least, but I always got toys and got certificates/cards for the holidays).

cyrnel

It isn't?

Kids would rather have the cash.

I'd prefer a thimble stuffed with belly-button fuzz. Anything homemade is worth more than $20.

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maleficent

Having root canal without anesthtic, followed by a mammogram, then enduring a full body wax (including my head) would be infinitely more pleasurable to me than shopping. Giving a gift card to someone who hates to shop is a pointless gift.

It's like saying - I hate to shop, and I don't know you well enough to know what to get you so go shop for your own damn gift.

Cash is a little better cause then i can do that wretched activity in the store of my choosing rather than the store the chose for me.

But honestly I'm old enough now to realize that if someone doesn't know what to get me-- don't get me anything... make a charitable contribution in my name to an organization you know i support and put that money to good use rather than getting me -- or makig me get crap I don't need or just send a card to let me know you thought of me.

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flamingdog

To be honest, I'd rather someone didn't bother getting me anything than just get me a gift voucher. I'd rather get something that was wrong but given in the right spirit than something stuffed in a card. It's almost like an afterthought. The only people I ever give gift vouchers to are people who give them to me. I like to make the effort of thinking about a gift and trying to choose something I think the person will like.

To my mind, if you're going to give someone a $20 gift voucher, you might as well just give them the $20. Both of them say to me that you made the same amount of effort, ie, zero.

ratbastid

I can see both sides of it.

On one hand, here's a gift that's <em>just like</em> $20, but less useful. So, like, thanks.

On the other hand, it tells me the gift giver thought a little about what I'd like, that they're not just throwing cash at me, they actually know I'm into vintage records, for instance, or used romance paperbacks.

sadistikdreams

I really hate gift cards.

That's why I always make in depth wish lists.

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Meditrina

There is no right or wrong answer to this, it is a personal preference. For me, it depends on where the gift card came from. Our tenants knew we never treated ourselves to a dinner out, so they would give us gift cards to a restaurant. We really enjoyed those, especially since they would babysit for free on the night we used them. If the gift card comes from a store where the person knows you shop (assuming you like to shop), then some thought went into it and possibly they were worried about getting you something you did not like. With that in mind, I think the gift card is better than the cash.

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Anexkahn

I think it shows that the person put a bit more thought into the gift... Or its a way of giving them something nice that they want but wouldn't necessarily buy if they had the cash.

For instance, when in college if people gave me cash, i'd generally use any cash i got for something i needed like food, gas or to pay a bill, but if i got a gift card to some place like bestbuy or a game store, i would end up getting something i'd get some enjoyment out of instead of doing the 'responsible' thing with the gift of cash.

Gift cards these days seem to be more of the easy way out to gift giving... Especially when almost every checkout stand now bombards us with cross merchandised gift cards for other retailers. I prefer gifts that have thought in them over a dollar value, so i hate that trend.

El Pollo

I love getting gift cards. When I get cash it goes straight into the bank and goes towards bills or rent or "responsible" things. But when I get a gift card, I have no choice but to buy something fun for myself. And giving a gift card doesn't mean you don't know the person. It just means you don't know what they already own. It's better to give someone a gift card to a music than to have them go and wait at the "refunds and exchanges" counter.

Vincentt

Giftcards are much better then cash.

IF someone gives me cash, I would prob save it, and what is fun in that?

With a giftcard, you will buy things for yourself that you otherwise wouldn't.

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Sage

For Martel and I, gift cards are great, least this holiday season. It's our first year being officially married, so we're going to ask for gift cards to Lowe's and Bed, Bath and Beyond so we can get neat stuff to decorate our apartment. Then, we're going to tell people what we bought with their gift cards. Works for us, works for them.

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Charlatan

Wow... romance paperbacks. Now I know why the ladies go crazy for Ratbastid.


Cash is just a cold gift. It means you really didn't/don't give a shit (unless it is a huge amount, in which case money can buy you love).

A gift card, as the Bastid suggests, means they at least gave *some* thought to it. I prefer them because, if I get cash I will just blow it on beer and lunch or something like that... if it is a gift card I will spend it on something that is more gift-like.

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shesus

I don't like gift cards, but would prefer it over cash. The reason I don't like gift cards is because they always cost me money. I'm a shopaholic and can't go into a store spending less than $20. My friend gave mea $35 gift card for Christmas last year. I ended up spending $60 of my own money on things that I really didn't need but bought because I had to use the gift card.

I'd prefer a card or nothing. I'm at the point in my life where I don't need anything. My favorite present at this point would be to have someone pick one of my bills and pay it for the month.

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highthief

I like getting gift cards - to places I like to shop at. Give me a gift card to the bookstore or HMV - I'm going to spend my money there anyway, is great. Getting a gift card to a place I don't typically shop at does kind of suck, though.

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meembo

It always takes me many months to spend the giftcards, but it takes me about 4 hours to spend the cash. I don't care what I receive, but cash seems to move much faster.

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cellophanedeity

I like giftcards. When I have cash it goes toward lunch or coffee. When I have a giftcard I spend it all on myself.

And sometimes it's nicer. I wanted to get my friend a sweater before he moved to Vancouver, but I don't know his size, and it would be another thing for him to pack. So instead, I got him a giftcard for American Eagle (my first time in the store, but he wears nothing but their clothes!) and a nice card to go with it.

But, if I had bought him a giftcard for Second Cup, when he doesn't drink coffee or tea, that would be a bad idea.

Furry

Social mores dictate that I get my half-sibling something for Christmas/Birthdays. However, I'm rather unfond of her, so for the last three years it's been CD vouchers.

The subtext (for me) being - here's something, go and spend it, I really can't be bothered to shop for you because you're not worth as much effort as other people I know.

It's nice to get them, I can always find a use for them, but I prefer (normally) to put a little more thought and effort into people's presents.

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Bill O'Rights

Especially when you spent 50 bucks, and 2 hours beating off other shoppers with a shoe, all in an effort to get that "perfect" sweater...for the person that gave you a gift card.

Still...I suppose that it beats just having them open up their wallet, and fishing out a twenty, to hand to you.

Bah Humbug
Boil 'em in their own plum pudding, I say.

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Siege

Hmm... maybe it's just that I don't care much for gifts. But I almost prefer getting cash over anything else. Unless it's a present that I really want (anyone want to get me a new racquet? )

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Suzz04

Didn't anyone take a look at the gift card rules? Some places will take off a dollar or so for each month it isn't used. Also, they will "cancel" the card if it isn't used within a time period, usually 12 months.

For those of us that don't like gift cards, please please don't give them. I prefer cash for myself and my daughter. Reason being? Because in my family, nobody ever gets me anything remotely close to what I'd like. Unless it's my parents. My mother takes the two of us to the store, says "Go pick out so many things" then she makes us wander off. After that she picks thru the cart and buys a few things to wrap up.

My only peeve is last Christmas. I just really wanted computer junk (in my mother's eyes anything computer related is junk). A new mouse, maybe some cds or dvds to burn on. Maybe a cd case or two.

They went and ordered that blue willow shit. It was a big big box of it. I couldn't even scoot the box across the floor. I had to have two guys put the box in my car. Then I got home. I had to open the box and pack these little boxes ... about 30 of them... up the stairs.

Guess where the dishes are now? In my cabinet. I'm scared to death to use them. It is a complete 8 person set. Everything needed. The napkins rings, gravy bowl, sugar bowl, tea pot. I have a concrete floor with linoluem.

So, give me cash.. let me buy my little junk that I don't normally get. That just tells me that you don't have a clue what I want but you're nice enough not to get me something to put in the closet.

feelgood

I thought if you held onto your gift card for too long, eventually the company will charge you for simly having a gift card...

I'm going with cash...

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Eweser

I HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE shopping. I LOVE getting gift cards (if they're from places I like to get stuff from) and I think a lot of my family are going to get gift cards this year. I will feel better putting more effort into what store to get the gift card from than making my blood pressure sky rocket trying to find that gift that I don't know if they already have or absolutely hate.

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Sultana

I love getting gift cards. Money isn't bad either.

My tastes/percieved needs are so very esoteric that unless I give detailed directions on how and what to get (which isn't fun!), it won't happen.

But my ultimate solution is: Give with no expectations, accept with graciousness.

This year I'm trying out a startling new idea: The X-mas gifts are a *token* of my esteem. Not a measure of my love. I'm not bankrupting myself for this materialistic insanity. The end. It's hard my hubby to accept, but I'm being firm. Except with my nephews, all of whom are under the age of 10, and are actually needy.

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la petite moi

See, I don't mind a gift card if the person knows where I like to go. For instance, what if I knew a friend LOVED shopping at American Eagle, but I didn't know her size? Isn't it better to get her a 50-100$ gift card so I don't buy her something too big or small so she has to return it? (I actually had that happen with a friend of mine.)

I liked that my MIL bought me 50$ in Olive Garden gift cards for my birthday because it showed me that she knows how much nwlinkvxd and I love that restaurant. I would rather she get me something like that then something cute and thoughtful that I will never use.

JustJess

I love getting gift cards, because there's stuff I need that's too difficult to describe or be specific about.

I have two reasons for GIVING gift cards:

1. We're friends, but I haven't memorized your music collection or what have you, and I wanted to give a token of my appreciation. Cash seems... more like "here, you're poor, take some money".

2. I'm working a theme. One year, Quad and I bought my sister and brother-in-law a GC for the movies, and for dinner at restaurant we know they like. I wanted to give them a date night, especially since money is tight. I give my sister GCs regularly, because it's the gift of guilt-free shopping. And she knows how to budget and use sales - she gets a lot more out of that $50 than I could have done just buying a present. When money's tight, you forget to shop for yourself, you can't... and I want her to be able to enjoy it sometimes too.

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BigBen

Everyone I know has a certain thing I like to get them (usually revolving around alcohol).

Buddy #1 : Rye
Buddy #2: Scotch
Buddy #3: Vodka
Buddy #4: and on and on and on....

Is this a bad thing? My good friends and I look forward to re-stocking the liquor cabinets during this season.

After all, Baby Jesus was presented with three gifts. I am pretty sure that frankincense and myrrh are ancient brands of alcohol.

If you are going to get me a gift card, make it one of those "Mall Bucks" things that is redeemable throughout the whole mall (something like 30 stores).

I like cash;

I like having no gift at all;
Friend: "Dude. Here is a beer. I didn't get you a gift."
Me: "You sharing a beer with me is more gift than a thousand bucks."

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