Are gift cards a good or bad present?

[amomof4]

Re: Are gift cards a good or bad present?

If I go that route, I prefer to just give cash.

[zakity]

Re: Are gift cards a good or bad present?

I like them for certain people. If there is a project I know they have coming up or a craft they really like or a store they always buy their makeup at, I like to get them cards. I figure they are going to buy the things anyway and it frees up their money for something else.

We like to get gift cards, they work well for us. My husband likes Home Depot cards and everyone knows that he will use them. Gift cards to nicer restaurants or to Red Lobster are nice because it forces my husband and I (or my sister for the Red Lobster one) to go out.

[leewill72]

Re: Are gift cards a good or bad present?

I requested them as gifts, and got them or cash. Then i hit the sales and spend them as carefully as I would 'real' money.

I would give them usually to restarants etc that i know the recipient frequents, like my aunt, the pizza hut fanatic.

[PennyPincher]

Re: Are gift cards a good or bad present?

To those of you that like to give gift cards ~

I suggest that you check ebay before buying them at the store. I often pick up discounted gift cards for Bath & Body Works and other stores I frequent. You can usually get a $25 gift card for $20 or so. It's great when you can give something that actually is worth more than you spent! Shipping is often free too!

(This could work in reverse too for some of you that got gift cards you won't use or need to add too much to...making them less valuable. Selling gift cards on ebay has worked for me as well. Sometimes getting 80% of its value in cash is better ~ it depends, of course.)

[Momtwo]

Re: Are gift cards a good or bad present?

I always give GC's for any gift occasion when the recipient is across the country. It is a lot cheaper postage wise.

[Luv2shop]

Re: Are gift cards a good or bad present?

I agree, and good for teachers too, who don't need yet another cutesy "Teachers touch the future" mug or pin...

I totally Agree!

[robex]

Re: Are gift cards a good or bad present?

I love getting gift cards! If it's to a place where I don't usually shop, I go and purchase a gift for someone else there (on sale, of course!). My brother and I usually spend about 20 bucks on each niece and nephew. This year we sat down together, picked 5 different stores that suited each one's tastes and bought each child a gift card for 'their store'. The kids are between ages 5 and 11, and were thrilled!

[jodi]

Re: Are gift cards a good or bad present?

I love to receive gift cards as presents because it will often allow me to do something I normally wouldn't do otherwise, i.e. go out to dinner, to the movies, buy some new clothes, etc.
As for giving, I always get an enthusiastic response when I give them as gifts. This year we got MIL a g.c. to Joanne Fabric (we got her one for her birthday last month and she let us know how much she liked it and wouldn't mind getting another!) and FIL a gift card for I-tunes, on the suggestion of MIL. He went out of his way to let us know how much he appreciated it. So, carefully chosen, I think they can be wonderful gifts.
I agree with a pp (I think it was Princess Perky) that if I receive money, I will use it for a regular expense. But if I get a gift card...well, then I just HAVE to spend it on myself

[Fern]

Re: Are gift cards a good or bad present?

I LOVE getting gift cards. Cash is not as good cus then i'll probably end up saving the $$ and not spending it on anything special for myself.

I think it's more likely that you, as the gift giver, will possibly give something the gift receiver doesn't like than the receiver not being able to find anything they like in a given store.

[PRICEPLUS]

Re: Are gift cards a good or bad present?

Gift cards are good in a pinch for people you know little about. As for family and close friends I don't give them. It is also a problem that many people spend more than the gift card amount. Not a good gift for those unable to control their spending!

[lrjohnson]

Re: Are gift cards a good or bad present?

I really love everyone's thoughtful responses, I agreed with so many of you. I am a "depends" person. I like the idea of choosing an appropriate personal gift. Also, that way, maybe a $3 garage sale item makes a nice gift with a larger "value" than $3 (I always admit I bought it used, on sale, etc., if asked-I like people to know how many great things are out there for cheap).

On the other hand, it's nice to spoil someone (or be spoiled) so that they might treat themselves to something they might not otherwise do. And, I really dislike clutter and people decorating for me-I like the sparse, non-patterned, empty, wood only look, and I'm sensitive to buying any non-consumable, non-book item for people I'm not SURE of. This Christmas I got some WAY off gifts-things I really don't like. I totally appreciate the gift, and bestowed my honest gratitude for being thought of, and my boyfriend assured me that I showed no disappointment (though he could tell from second one that these were just serious misses) but I really don't like the items-a card would have worked.

[abowers]

Re: Are gift cards a good or bad present?

As a preschool teacher, I enjoyed receiving a Starbucks gift card, a Kohls gift card, a Barnes and Noble gift card, and a gift certificate for the nearby mall. Some of the parents knew that I like coffee, and that I like to read, so I think those were fitting gifts, i.e. instead of guessing on what books I already have, or buying me a bag of coffee beans.

[cercis]

Re: Are gift cards a good or bad present?

Instead of sending cash to my teen and preteen niece and nephews, we sent giftcards to Borders. We hope to foster a love of reading (they all do like to read now) and have no way to know which books they've already got and what books they're into right now (tastes change so quickly at those ages). Plus, it's fun for preteens to have money to spend all on their own, and a giftcard is an easy way for them to do it.

[BillsGirl]

Re: Are gift cards a good or bad present?

I hate gift cards they are SO impersonal, nothing says "I gave you no thought" than a gift card!!!! JHMO I got a gift card from my SIL & BIL for bath n body works and I hate that place so I had t waiste $20 on something i really didn't want! I ended up getting shaving cream for my hubby! we are both so allergic to stuff everything in there makes us sneeze!

[cercis]

Re: Are gift cards a good or bad present?

Billsgirl - that was a thoughtless gift.

But, I tell you, what made that so thoughtless was that you are allergic. My aunts used to buy me things that my cousin was into (Hello Kitty, I never liked Hello Kitty, same for teddy bears, velour clothing, etc). I would have rather had a gift card, at least that would show the thought that they realized they didn't know me well. What they did was to lump me with my cousin and assume I was the same (we're the same age). Even when they asked me what I wanted (cats or clowns, I said) they got me what they got her which was something she had been raving about and was not cats nor clowns.

Right now I'm really hard to buy for. I'm in a different stage. I don't want anything that will clutter my home. I'm on a "house diet" where I severely limit what comes in to my house and often make myself get rid of somethings before I buy new. I'm also dieting, so food is out.