As the most convenient way to meet our ‘gift’ obligations, gift cards have become very popular ever since they were introduced to modern consumers. Simple enough, all you have to do is walk up to the counter of a popular department store, clothing store, or restaurant and pull out that little piece of cardboard or plastic with a denomination on it yourself. You give that card to the person you have in mind, and that’s it: all your worries about budgeting, choosing the right sweater size, or the perfect scent or color are all taken care of! You don’t even have to worry about wrapping it. Gift cards these days come in really cute designs to suit the occasion or the season. Some gift cards come in many great designs and colors that you can choose from, from Dalmatian dogs, flowers, or anything you can think of. With that, you can even choose a particular design that suits the personality and taste of the person you are giving it to. Those are just a few of the many benefits of gift cards.
There is even more…
They then made gift cards available for online orders, making it more convenient for any busy shopper. With just a few mouse clicks, it cuts your Christmas list in half. Please allow a couple of days for the cards to be delivered to your home, then you can start distributing them to your loved ones. You can even choose to have the cards sent directly to the recipient’s mailbox, with a short greeting from them. Especially for distant relatives and friends who aren’t as familiar with your interests, gift cards give them the freedom of how to use them and what to use them for. When you have nieces and nephews in the next city or state and you’re pretty sure how much they’ve grown, the gift card would also put the money you intended for them to better use, since picking them out an ill-fitting sweater would simply render your niece useless. present and expected to end up shoved to the back of the closet or garage. That saves the recipient from having to go back to the store and change the size or color, or worse, return it.
Besides convenience, these little plastic pieces are also very practical if you think about it. Not only from the point of view of the giver, but also from the point of view of the receiver, since these things are good as cash. They can decide what to choose at that particular store, online store, or what they want to eat at that particular restaurant. They also don’t have to worry about how to make that fake smile look as genuine as possible when they get that bright purple sweater with weird prints.
The disadvantages
People also have different views about receiving gift cards. Others believe that it is too impersonal.
Other than that, many people who get them never use them at all. Either because they forgot to use it before the expiration date, they forgot where they put it, or they may not be very interested in shopping at the particular store that issued the card. Some other reasons why some people don’t use their gift card is that they don’t have time to travel several miles to the nearest store that accepts the card. Something donors should keep in mind before buying someone a retailer-specific card is to check if the recipient lives in a place where there are no large department stores or chain restaurants. Statistics show that about 8 to 10 percent of gift cards purchased are not redeemed.
When gift cards contain an expiration date, recipients would have to rush to the issuing store to avail it. Otherwise, the value of the card goes down, or they would have to pay a certain amount for its replacement. With only a third of recipients redeeming within 30 days, imagine how many stores are benefiting from these cards. However, most gift cards today no longer expire. People have also gotten wise and have learned many tricks to make the most of the gift cards they receive. With competition getting tighter, better offers and features come with most of these cards. Just do a little reading before you buy them to make sure the recipient really enjoys their little gift.