To Give or not to Give? The Gift Certificate Dilemma

Everybody wants to give the perfect gift. And most of the time, we can convince ourselves it’s possible.

“I can find it!” you tell yourself. “If I just shop a little bit more,” you say.

This has become the mantra of frazzled shoppers. Think of it like the holiday lie all shoppers must tell themselves to survive the season.

But face it—there are some people on your list that are just downright impossible to shop for.
Maybe they’re picky. Maybe you don’t know them all that well. Maybe they already own everything under the sun.

Whatever the problem, what do you get that person who’s always at the return counter on December 26th?

The immediate reaction is to go to that magic 3 inch by 2 inch piece of plastic known as…the gift certificate. But is this as perfect of a solution as it seems?

Some people answer with a resounding “yes!” It takes all the guesswork out, and the person is guaranteed to go home happy.
But there are a few words of caution that go with these seemingly infallible gifts.

First and foremost, make sure the person you’re buying for isn’t too good of a friend. This seems strange, but gift certificates can come off as impersonal.
It’s an appropriate gift for, say, an aunt to her many nieces and nephews but maybe not such a great gift for a husband to give his wife.

Secondly, make sure the person you give it to will not be put off by knowing how much you spent on them. For some people this isn’t an issue, but for some it’s huge.
If you know you’re shopping for someone that really cares about price, maybe a gift certificate’s not the best route.

And lastly, read the fine print. With some gift certificates, the balance expires after a set amount of time. (It’s not too common, but it happens.)
The last thing you want is your friend to make a special trip to the mall only to find his/her gift certificate is no longer valid.

So before you blindly grab for those alluring gift certificates, give these points some thought. And happy shopping!

by Liz Herrin