Archive for November, 2011

Are Gift Cards the Best Gift?

January’s retail sales strength is reflected in people redeeming their Christmas gift cards. The average adult received 3.2 gift cards this holiday season, up from 2.5 gift cards last year. Gift cards are more popular and this also moves spending into January. Consumers are also interested in receiving gift cards at other times that just at Christmas.

A survey by Deloitte & Touche USA found:

  • 80% of adults received at least one gift card to an apparel or food store
  • 33% received at least one gift card to a restaurant
  • 14% received one gift card to a mall or shopping center
  • 10% received a gift card that could be used at a variety of stores (e.g., an American Express gift card)
  • 5% received at least one for a personal service such as a manicure or massage
  • 5% received at least one gift card for an Internet site (e.g., ebay, Amazon)

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Gift Card Giving – Avoiding The Anti-Gift

“By our store issued gift card and you worries are over”. “Don’t worry about standing in long lines or fighting the mob at the mall”. “Get a gift card and leave the shopping to your recipient”. Well you have to admit it sounds good. After all who wants to spend more time, more gas and grow more gray hair trying to find the right gift? I sure don’t. On the other hand you’re hearing this hype from the store that sells the gift cards, right? Of course they’re going to stand by their product. Who wouldn’t? So are store issued gift cards all they’re cracked up to be?

Gift Card Giving Mistakes

Where gift cards can be fun to use, they are not all that personal or personalized. And what a shame it is to present a gift card from a store or restaurant that the recipient never frequents. That said, store issued gift cards are not always the perfect solution. As a matter of fact if the wrong gift card is given they may become the perfect anti-gift. The reason is that so many consumers assume that if they just give gift cards all their problems of gift giving will just go away. The facts are that gift card giving requires just as much forethought and consideration as any other gift.

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Gift Cards – Does The Perfect Gift Need Perfecting?

You have a list of folks you want to send gifts to. Many are out of state. Then there are your immediate siblings. Some you know well. Others? You just don’t have a clue as to what half of them like? So you consider giving them a gift certificate. After all money doesn’t grow on trees. The fact is with the cost of gas doubling over the past few years, inflation on our heels and the growth in family reunion attendance, offsetting the cost of gift giving by finding low priced items that every body loves has become an even greater challenge then it ever has been. Thus the growing popularity of gift cards.

The National Retail Federation anticipated $17.24 billion worth of holiday sales last year in gift cards. The reasons gift cards are so frequently bought in place of other items are numerous. No one wants to give a gift that is not appreciated. In addition, who wants to burden down an aging relative with having to drive several miles to a store she nevers shops in order to exchange the gift.