Giving a loved one a gift card may feel like the lazy option. It may seem uncreative and effortless. But as a recent survey shows, almost half of the respondents said that they actually prefer gift cards as a present. It is versatile as they can have anything they want in the store. And if they wanted to buy stuff at a store other than what is written in the gift cards they have got, they can always opt to sell gift cards that they were given.
Gift card experiences have not always been fun. Most people has at least one bad experience in receiving a gift card. It is a fact that a lot of people end up not using them due to gift cards having a relatively short usage window before it expires. The christmas season is notorious for this. Because of the number of gifts people often receive during this season, they would sometimes forget they even had it in the first place.
But, in reality, there are far worse gifts that you can give, other than gift cards. The possible drawback from giving someone a gift card is far too shallow than for giving someone the wrong gift. You might not have picked the right color, or the right size. Of course, a gift card cannot emulate a grand gesture as much as a specific gift can give(Well, unless if that gift card was worth a $1 million dollars). But all things considered, giving a gift card is probably the safest bet, and you should not feel bad about giving one.
So where exactly should you buy a gift card? Even with the option to sell gift cards, there is, at the minimum, the requirement to know which store the gift receiver wants to shop. You cannot for instance, gift a Bed, Bath and Beyond coupon to a teenager. Or a fuel gift card to someone who does not own a car.
Choosing the Gift card
There are a few things to factor in when buying a gift card. First is popularity. A big part of any gift card is the branding. A coffee lover would go nuts over seeing the Starbuck siren after opening a thin envelope. Knowing which stores are hip can be worked into your advantage. Even a kid would recognize a Toys R Us logo and will definitely appreciate it.
Second is the discount you are getting. Gift cards, often times, sell gift cards at a discounted rate to enhance sales. They can after all, recoup the expense through unused cards and knowing that the card will used to back at the store. This is a common tactic so you must be totally aware of how much you are actually saving in buying these.
You must pay attention to the possibility that your receiver may decide to sell the gift card you gave him/her. If this does happen, have a general sense on how much the card can sell for. There are …