November 21, 2008
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Gift Cards
We are getting to the time of the year where everyone is going to be celebrating the true meaning of Christmas which is buying gifts.
I have noticed in the last few years that I am getting more and more gift cards. Getting a gift card allows you to get what you want and also allows you to see exactly how much the other person thought you were worth. (That can sometimes be hid with deceptive gifts designed to look expensive).
On the other hand, a gift card also communicates “I didn’t know what to buy you” and “you were not really worth the time.”
Would you rather get a gift card or a gift for Christmas?
Comments (131)
Gift card.
I want one of those
I’m a kid, so I always get gift cards or cash. I don’t mind, and it’s probably better off that way
gift cards work for me!
Money. Frees up my options.
A gift. I think gift cards are tacky, and say “I dont’ really care about you and don’t want to spend the time to be thoughtful.” But my teenagers like them.
If someone doesn’t know what to get me, a gift card. If they know me, a gift. If I had NO presents to unwrap on Christmas I’d be depressed. Unwrapping presents is fun. But I don’t care if some are gift cards.
gift card of as Soultender said money
cash.. cold hard cash. nothing says I love you and was thinking of you quite like that.
I actually like to get gift cards. Especially to restaurants and the movie theater.
I ********LUVZ******** gift cards. :]
gift card. always.
I like both actually…
Gifts are fun and full of surprises
Gift card: you know what you want and spend every penny worthwhile
I’m gonna be so stinking excited over either. I’m easily pleased!
gift cards are great, when i can get to the store. a gift card from a store thirty miles away is way too far for me.
I like a mixture of both.
Gift card. People who try and buy me gifts usually fuck up. Sounds selfish, but if you’re going to get me a gift, may as well be something I actually want.
I’d rather have a gift than a gift card because, as you said above, a gift card shows that hardly any thought was put behind the gift. For my birthday, I got a $20 giftcard from my rich cousins to a store I do not go to. They were specifically told to get me a WalMart card if they weren’t going to get me a gift…but..they did their own thing and now I’m going to give the card away for money or I’m just giving it to someone who WILL use it. Cuz I won’t.
I give people gift cards because I’m horrid at choosing presents, even if I know the person fairly well. I’m not much of a shopper. I’d personally rather not get presents at all — I just want a card that someone put thought into writing.
If you ARE receiving a gift card this holiday season… be warned! You heard it here first! There are TONS of stores who won’t be here to honor those gift cards… (I’ll post ‘em)
well this year, there are so many places going out of business, they say not to buy gift cards. or if you must… buy the visa or mastercard ones, not ones to particular stores.
either way im happy
Depends on who the relative is… TRUST me. lol.
I would rather have a gift card so I can pick out something I like than a crappy present that I can’t even exchange.
I like gift cards, especially from relatives. I remember my aunt bought my brother a blanket for football season, like for sitting in the bleachers. People can get really stupid. I LOVE getting gift cards to Borders. It allows me to shop there without feeling bad. If I spend my own money there, I’m not as happy because you’re paying full price for those books, whereas on Amazon.com you can get them cheaper. That had nothing to do with the topic…
i actually prefer gift cards
at least then i know that i’m getting something that i want
I’d prefer straight up cash.
Definitely the gift card.
Gift cards are a scam. You’re paying the store in return for credit that is fairly likely to be forgotten by the recipient. Thus, the store profits in exchange for no return of goods or service. This is especially so if the cards expire. Then, giant scam.
Give cash if you’re cheap and lazy; it achieves the same purpose, except it does it better.
(a quick google here suggests 10% of gift cards are never redeemed)
I don’t mind getting gift cards….but who knows what companies will still be in business later on.
much rather get a gift card than something i can’t use or have to return. they are rather impersonal, though. actually i don’t really enjoy christmas but it’s great for kids ! i am in retail and it’s a pretty good time of year. most people take christmas very seriously .
I do like gift cards, but I’d say that I only like them from a close family member.
From anyone else, I feel it is really impersonal.
Besides, I like opening up presents and getting that feeling of surprise. I always like seeing what people think to get me and how well they know me.
I’d prefer a card to a store I like. That way I can get what I want. Other gifts can be good. Sometimes it really is the thought that counts. Other times gifts can be way off the mark. As materialisitc as I can be, I’m not out to get stuff for the sake of getting stuff. I’d prefer to fill my limited space with things I will use and enjoy.
Im hard to shop for, so gift cards are probably a little easier to buy me. Especially since I’m so picky. Although, it’s always nice when someone can actually go out and buy something. Gifts are a little more personal, but either way, I’m appreciative of the thought.
gift cards… that way i can get what i want/need
I think it depends on the situation. The gifts I treasure the most are the actual presents those I love have bought me, yet I don’t feel unloved when I get a Walmart gift card from someone at church. A gift card can also come in handy when you know a specific area of a friend’s interests but are ignorant of the particulars of that area. For example, one of my friends paints with watercolours and I would like to get her some art supplies for Christmas, yet I don’t know anything about art supplies. I also don’t know what she might be out of or if there’s something new she’s been wanting to try. In this instance, I think a Michaels gift card is in order because I would rather her be able to choose the art supplies she wants than to get duplicates or supplies she doesn’t want.
i’d rather get a gift!!
I rarely ever use my gift card anyway since I barely go shopping =
i’d rather get gift cards because i hate getting stuck with junk i don’t want!
if a gift card is for something that you like or like to do, and someone took the time to find that out (or just guessed and got lucky), it’s still a lot better than that same someone not caring enough about you to give you a gift at all…
Does it matter?!? It’s a gift – freely given to you because they care – be grateful!
Don’t really think that much about what I get, I like to give
With all these stores going out of business, I’d much rather have an actual gift.
This year, I’d rather receive a gift instead of a gift card. You just don’t know if the business will still be in business when you go to use the card. If not, you are SOL. And hey, money works anywhere! :-p
Kathi
Gift card. It takes the guess work out, and it means I can get something that I’m actually going to enjoy and use. Besides, if I get enough for a certain place, I and use them all together and get 1 big ticket item that a single family member would not have been able to afford for me, so sometimes it works out fine.
I’d rather get a gift card than a junk gift. I HATE junk gifts.
What I like best is when someone takes time to make something specially for me themselves. After that, I prefer cash, because since I take 24 units a semester (meaning getting a job would be death) and spend my summers on missions trips overseas, I have no income, and hence, Christmas is what I rely on to pay for my running shoes and phone bills and viola strings and music. Gift cards to places like walmart, barnes and noble, and target are good too, since I frequently need things from such places.
Gift card.
If the person is going to put thought into my gift and knows I’ll like it, I take the present. Otherwise, giftcards please!
For example, I have two male friends really close to me. They’re both avid gamers. I don’t know exactly what they have or want, so I get them GameStop giftcards. It’s not a cop-out. If I knew one of them wanted a specific game and it wasn’t like, 100 bucks, I’d go out and get it. If I was just too lazy to look, it’d be a cop-out…
I really prefer gift cards, I don’t think they’re insensitive at all… I’m a really picky person and I hate returning things. Might as well pick it out right the first time and save everyone the hassle.
Both have its pros and cons. While it is nice to receive a gift card, because you can get whatever you want, it’s also nice being surprised with an actual gift.
@FunnymanGeorge - Why won’t they be able to honor them??? Details, please!
Gift.
In case the gift sucks, it can also double as a blunt weapon.
gifts. Barnes and Nobles giftcards are the worst.
I would much rather receive a gift card. It saves me from faking the excitement of getting yet another smell-good bath set or one-or-two-chuckle t-shirt.
Call me old fashioned, but I prefer an envelope (or sack) stuffed with cash…
Gift cards. Be careful when getting gift cards though. Make sure the store you know the stores policies and that the gift card can be used at more than one location. When stores are aware they are closing for business they will sometimes still sell the gift cards/certificates to customers.
I personally dont care. Ima probably return the gift anyways….
Ok..gift card.
But opening a gift is funner, ill admit that
A gift is more exciting, but I sort of like gift cards better, even IF I don’t get that “O” when I open a package with one.
I’m not picky…I’ll be happy with either or
either is fine with me.
Nowadays, I’d prefer a gift or a preloaded Visa/Mastercard card. With so many stores closing, it’s kind of scary to get a gift card that you might not be able to use down the road!
hey dan ^^ this is random and unrelated, but i just wanted to say good job!
God is using you Mightily and He’s very pleased with you!!! (He’d be pleased with you even if you didn’t do anything, because of what His Beloved Son did for us, but yeah, i just wanted to say that 
God Loves Yooooou!!!!!
PTL for the amazing impact He’s using you to make! i hope you share about what you do online with friends at church, and that they keep you in prayer!!! you need covering! i will pray for you tonight, and randomly if i remember! 
i prefer cash… things i directly ask for…anything electronic… and oh and did i mention cash.
I like gift cards when they are to someplace I actually go , or want to go. Getting a gift card to someplace you don’t like sucks.
Giving gift cards is ok, following the same rules above. Especially if you know someone is trying to save up for something and you can get one towards what they want
seriously i don’t care. If someone really can’t think of a gift for me but still wants to get me something…then a gift card is a nice gesture. but i don’t like being forced to get a present. i’d rather bring something to eat or to drink to a party
I generally prefer well-thought-out gifts that show the giver knows you and cared enough to take the time and thought to give the “perfect” gift. The value of the gift in proportion to the giver’s means can also show how much the giver cares. A gift card is somewhere in between cash and a gift. It’s probably best suited for coworkers or casual acquaintances.
A gift’s relevance and value reveal the motive of the giver. It really is the thought that counts. In the end, relationships are more important than money.
“And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.” -1 Corinthians 13:3
That’s both great. I just never got a gift card for Christmas.
not this year. I received a list of a bunch of companies that are going bankrupt or shutting down and it said that no gift cards would be honored after 12/31. So, we aren’t buying many gift cards this year. Maybe Target.
i’d prefer gift cards cause sometimes the presents they give me are really not what i was looking for no matter how expensive it was.
Definitely a gift card!
gift card. i am a very picky person!
Frankly, I’d like to sit down with my friends and family and share an evening out, a play, a concert, whatever, as a gift (I’d pay, that’s fine) and NOT buy a darn thing – or receive one. But since that’s not gonna happen any time soon with MY family, gift cards are fine.
If you don’t want them, I’ll gladly take them off your hands for you.
Other than my husband and our best friend, I’d rather receive giftcards. Few people know exactly what is I like or are up to date on things I collect. I still love every gift I’m given.
BTW speaking of gift cards, there’s a list somewhere (they were passing it around at work) about stores that’ll be closing after the first of the year. So watch out where you buy your gift cards from.
Depends on who it’s from. Some people really DON’T knwo you very well. From them, gift card. From those closest to me, gift. I prefer to give gifts instead of cards. I love trying to make the perfect item, and I love the delighted squeals of “OOOOOOOH! Look what Aunty made me this year!” Thankfully, I don’t do sweaters that are ugly orange or one arm too long.
@FalconBridge - Someone recommended Visa gift cards. You can use them anywhere.
I’m always reading articles that say gift cards are NOT a good gift, but I completely disagree. I would much rather get a gift card, than get something I don’t need.
I’m cool with either. Gift cards are great cuz you can finally get something you’ve had your eye on.
Not this year… they are saying with all the companies shutting down, gift cards arent such a good idea..
I hate hate hate gift cards. I would rather get no gift at all than a gift card. Gift cards really do scream at me, “I didn’t even want to try, I don’t know you well enough to know that getting you a shitty gift was better than this.”
I would rather get makeup than a gift card, and I despise makeup.
no. i don’t care to receive them nor do i give them to others. if a gift card is given to me from someone who i am not close to, then it is fine and i am certainly appreciative. if my family can’t come up with something other than a gift card, i’m a bit hurt and feel that i wasn’t worth the effort or thought.
i am a good gift giver and i love putting the thought and effort into finding gifts for my loved ones.
I like gift cards. They don’t mean that you don’t think someone is worth the time. At least to me and a lot of other people I know, they don’t.
To people that think gift cards are tacky: would you rather get a gift card and be able to pick out exactly what you want from someplace, or would you rather get a horrible gift that you absolutely hate and then have to lie and act like you love it?
Gift cards can also be easier to buy than going out and having to search for specific presents for people. Some people (myself included) have jobs that keep them very busy and don’t have a ton of time to devote to Christmas shopping.
I’m usually fine with whatever anyone would give me, though more so my friends, because they choose. (My family has to put up with me on holidays, birthdays, weddings, etc, and that’s it.)
Gift cards are great when I need retail therapy. 0.o
it doesn’t matter
Neither. A good friendship will do, but the giftcards are a hoax. I was in the prepaid phonecard industry myself, and the single biggest profit factor in phonecards was “breakage” the unused balances which people never claimed. The same applies to gift cards. Consumer reports has published some interesting statistics.
It depends on who bought it. If it was someone who knows me well enough to get me a nice gift, then I would hope for the gift. If it’s by someone I don’t know very well… then I would hope for a gift card.
I’d rather get a gift card for a store that is definitely not going out of business. Maybe Target is safe; it’s certainly my favorite for a gift card since they have many things that I would buy anyway for the household.
i return all gifts i receive anyways. and then i convert them into gift cards. either way, i see how much my gifts were worth.
and i’m picky.
ehh…i like gift cards. It just depends on who they are comming from really!
oh and i don’t think it means “you weren’t worth the time”, at least not with me. but mostly because i’m picky, like i said. and besides, it’s not like getting a corny bath and body works gift set shows that the person spent much time picking the gift either.
A gift card! But a gift card to a store that I actaully shop at. Not a gift card to Toys R’ US.
I would rather get a gift card.
Btw if anyone wants to save money this christmas, and they live near a price costco warehouse. Price Costco has 5 $20 starbucks gift cards for only $75.
@esthareee - maybe they are trying to say you don’t bathe
Gift with a gift receipt.
Please & thank you.
I like both; I prefer my parents to give me gift cards because I know it’s easier on them.
Before last Christmas, I would’ve said gift card.
But last year, I got multiple gift cards, and it was just kind of disappointing. It’s not the same.
I like gift cards.
I’ve gotten 2 emails though, regarding gift cards – saying that we should be careful what retailers we buy them from because many stores are closing after Christmas? I do not know if it is legit, but I’ll have to keep that in mind if I am planning to buy gift cards this Christmas season.
I don’t mind usually, I guess the thought is what counts.
How on earth do you do it? You get one rec and you are on the Top Blogs. What is your secret?
A gift. If you don’t know me well enough to pick out something that is “me,” then why are you buying me a present in the first place?
Unless, of course, it is a gift card to a bookstore from a distant relative.
Gift cards of course, heck , for me it just means extra money I didn’t have to do some spending one what ever I want it to be on. Hurray for Gift cards.
I’m split on gift cards. It’s awesome because you can pick whatever you want, but it feels less thoughtful. I prefer picking out people’s gifts because I’m a dork.
gifts are a waste of time. unless its a very specific thing that there’s no variation on… people are not going to get me something i like. which means i’m just gonna throw it in the back of my closet and never look at it again. I’d rather just have a gift card and get something i actually like. plus i love shopping anyway. gift cards are a good way not to waste money
gift cards and money are nice, cause you can do whatever you want, but it is always there in the back of my mind how the person didn’t really think about what to get me, unless it happens to be a gift card to one of my favorite places or something, but so often they’re like for walmart or something, ime like… um no.
@Doubledb - agreed. ive gotten some of the worst presents of my life from the people who are suposed to know me best.
Gift cards,it is a chance to go out without looking at the stinkin budget to see where I can weasel a few bucks to spend.
gift
Personally, I’d rather give an actual gift. The very fact that you’ve gone through the trouble to buy an individualized item for someone speaks closer to the heart. However, that’s not always possible, given the often-hectic pace of modern life. It seems more and more that adults not only prefer to give gift cards, but prefer getting them as presents. It’s not only more convenient, but it gives the receiver his own choice of exactly what he wants.
If so, then fine. After all, it’s the thought and spirit behind the gift that truly matters. However, with children, I’d never do this. That would call for mature discretion on their part, which children lack. Besides, that personal factor inherent in an actual wrapped gift under the tree bespeaks of the greatest gift an adult can render to a child on any day of the year… caring and affection.
it depends on who gives it to me. i’ll take a gift card without a second thought from anybody in my family, but i’d be disappointed if i got it from a friend or significant other.
if my family gets me gift cards, it actually helps me out financially without me having to ask for help or them having to offer it…mostly because my parents and grandparents don’t expect me to get them gifts. getting gift cards from everyone else though, is kind of like trading money. if they get me a gift card and i get them one…we’re pretty much just choosing where the other has to spend $10 for the sake of feeling the need to give a gift. if i got someone a thoughtful gift and they got me a gift card, i’d feel like they bought their gift off so they wouldn’t have to put thought into my gift.
i’m planning on buying a few gift cards this year… or i’m planning on going and getting some little gift baskets of chocolate for co-workers. ihaven’t decided yet. it’s a local chocolate candy maker.
It depends. I mean, i’d rather have a cd than a gift card to Captian D’s. But then again, i’d rather have a gift card to LifeWay than chocolate. It just depends.
I am getting my 7-year old daughter a Build-a-Bear gift card because it’s not just a gift… it’s an experience. LOL It wouldn’t be the same as getting her the stuffed toy that I *know* she wants…
I like both. I am weird with spending gift cards, though. I try to take my time spending them so that I can maximize what I get.
it depends who i’m getting it from. mostly a gift card. but I always love the gifts my brother gets for me.
I like both. I disagree with the whole, you don’t have to put any thought into gift cards. (Unless you get a visa/mastercard one) The example PoetMcChick is perfect because you have to have an idea of where the person shops. I’m a Borders gift card fan, I could live there.
Personally, a gift card is better, because I can put it to better use in actually purchasing something I need, versus some crap someone else likes that I don’t need. Peace.
If I’m receiving a gift card worth $30-$50 from store XYZ or a Hallmark filled with tens of same amount, for me I see it as a waste of money on their part. It’s cheaper and much more sensible and meaningful to just give a small gift, like a wallet or scarf from some discount department store or even a 2 GB USB on sale, whatever. Sure, it might be a little time consuming, but in the long run, you’ll be doing your bank account good.
Besides, you could use the extra cash to buy liquor to bring at Christmas parties. Everyone will be too merry and probably hung over to remember the gifts, assuming your annual family Christmases are like mine.
I’m pretty thankful if i get a gift from someone at all,
but Ido like it better when its personalized.
Gift cards may give you the freedom of choosing whatever you want, but when you get a personalized gift it just feels more special, and i cherish it because that special someone picked it for me and whenever i look at the gift it will remind me of that person.
A gift. It shows that people are thinking about you.
I like both. I enjoy getting giftcards because a lot of times I need stuff like clothing that is really hard for someone else to pick out for me. I enjoy gifts because unwrapping stuff is fun.
I like real gifts. Gift cards are crap, especially when they’re to a store that you don’t shop at [yea, that's right, Aunt Kathy, stop giving me K-Mart gift cards that I'll probably juse sell on E-bay]. Gift cards are just not personal enough
The downside to gifts is that you’re likely to get something you’ll hate from someone who doesn’t know you well. So it depends on whether they know what I would want.
My grandpa knows that I love books, so he gives me a gift card to the bookstore every Christmas and birthday. I like that I can depend on getting to pick out my own gift.
Also, some gifts make sense as gift cards — for graduation, I got a bunch of coffee shop gift cards because my friends know I love coffee. You can’t give someone a cup of coffee as a gift, so why not give a gift card?
what’s the point in giving gift cards? it just shows you felt obligated to give something to someone. i’d rather get no gift at all than a thoughtless and meaningless one.
Gifts! I hate gift cards. =( My dads side of the family always gives me a ten dollar blockbuster card and my cousin, for example, last year got an xbox 360. Needless to say, when my dad couldn’t give me a reason as to what the hell happened, I stormed out, not because i was ungrateful, but because they simply dont give a shit.
Still. HATE them.
Gift cards are fine, as long as they’re for a place I actually like to shop at. It also offers the giftee the choice of picking what, specifically, they’d like. It’s not being impersonal if you sincerely don’t know the person that well but you must get them a gift for some reason and from what you’ve been told about/know about the person, they’d most likely like a gift card from a particular place.
A gift. But then again, I provide quite long and detailed Christmas lists to my friends and family. (http://weblog.xanga.com/SunnyMitsu/677157574/christinas-christmas-list.html)
When people are TOO LAZY to put together a nice variety of Christmas gift options for people to use as a gift-buying-guide…you’re pretty much asking for gift cards. Don’t Complain!
We do a gift exchange on Thanksgiving with my mom’s family and it has a 20 dollar limit on everyone but the really little kids so we mostly just give eachother gift cards to go towards the purchase of something bigger. Also my mom will sometimes give my brother and I gift cards in our stockings for our favorite clothes stores. Mostly due to the fact that it is easier than buying us something and haveing to take it back for whatever reason and it is better money managment.
Other than that I think that when it comes to office parties and the like where you may not know the person that well, that gift cards are acceptable.
I think gift cards are awesome and I don’t mind them at all. My family usually gives me one or two, but then other gifts I can unwrap. Some people don’t like to recieve them because they think you don’t care or something, so with them I go out and buy something they can open.
I don’t know I love gift cards and I take cash, too.
If the gift is something that really suits me, great. But I love gift cards because then I can go shopping, buy exactly what I want, and not spend “real money”!
both….
i dont want a gift if it’s something that has no meaning….if a person doesn’t really know what i like or my style…. but they at least know where i like to shop… i’d rather have the gift card…
because i understand sometimes how hard it is to choose out a thoughtful present for someone… a gift card is better than something that i don’t like and will never use…
Gift card! That way I can get whatever I want. I’m not much of a gift person, anyway; if you get me something, I either feel bad for you or get suspicious you want something in return, and it’s never what I really wanted. A gift card is nicely impersonal and wide open for me.
gift card