Gift cards are taking over

Of course we have those cards down here! This is America...we invented those cards.

 

Hey JR, I'll take a Tim's card any day of the week.
Closest one is 30 miles away, so they're getting closer.
Not fast enough, I went to DD yesterday, ordered a gingerbread latte, and the Einstein gives me coffee.
Didn't realize it til I was at the office.
Either that or a Starbucks.

 

Ok, let me clarify my position.

I have nothing against gift cards per se and if anybody here wants to send me one, I'll treasure it.

However, I would not buy the important people on my list (albeit a short one) one because I'd feel guilty as hell. I'd consider it a copout.

I'm also one who likes to be surprised. I do not do gift lists. Use your imagination.

 

Yeah, it's always fun going through Tim's Drive Through and your one cream and one sugar turns into a double-double.

Folks, it can't be that hard to take a coffee order.

 

Oh....

Circle-of-trust people.... that's different.

Yes, I agree with that.

 

I've become a bigger gift card giver in recent years. Much of my family lives in different parts of the country and while it's lame, it's a helluva lot easier to stick a gift card inside a card and mail it off than it is to buy a gift, wrap it up, ship it, etc.

And I'm cool with getting them. Especially for things that I want that my parents have no understanding of.

 

I'd rather get an inside-the-shell egg scrambler.
Or a snow globe.
Or 'Zamfir Plays Broadway's Biggest Hits.'

 

It also puts a value on what the gifter thinks your worth.

I've started to regift my near empty cards for those I need to give lower tier gifts too.

It allows me to clean out my wallet and recycle.

I am banking on idea that reciever will appreciate the thought and will procede to lose card before using. Figure if they do use and find card has no value they would be too embarrised to come back to me and blame card issuer.

 

http://www.msgr.ca/msgr-2/festivus%2005.htm

 

Sometimes I think gift givers are more concerned about their own ego than whether the recipient will be happy with the gift. That's assbackward, IMO.

It's more important to them to find "the perfect gift" (in their own mind, of course) than something the recipient may actually want or need or will use.

We are a wealthy society. There is hardly a knicknack or a piece of clothing or an electronic item or any other "perfect gift" that is going to wow me. At this point, nothing short of going outside and seeing a brand new Lexus with a bow attached will wow me. If it would --- and if I really wanted it --- I would probably already have it.

Save the imagination and wow factor for gifts for children. Gift cards for adults is fine.

 

If you think getting gift cards for the holidays is bad.... how about receiving gift cards as wedding or engagement presents? My wife and I must have received 4 or 5 gift cards as wedding or engagement gifts - despite the fact these people had full access to our registries. Two of the gift cards were for stores we weren't registered at and there isn't a store for that chain within half an hour of where we live.

For the holidays I see no problem giving gift cards (saves the trouble of giving gifts that the person doesn't want) or receiving gift cards (I can get what I want). But for a wedding... gimme a break... give a check, give cash, give something off the registry, but a gift card?

 

Owning a Tim Hortons franchise is a licence to print money.

There's an outlet near my home where, it's rumoured, their daily expenses are covered by 9 a.m. Everything that comes in between then and midnight (15 hours) is profit.