I was in a coffee shop the other day when a woman walked in and purchased two $10.00 gift cards. I immediately thought, "Oh, cool. Somebody is going to be happy." I've already received a gift card in the mail as a Christmas gift and I guarantee it will be used. Gift cards seem to be all the rage this Christmas.
According to this article in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, "Americans are expected to spend $26.3 billion on gift cards this holiday season." According to this article on MSN.com, "Comdata Stored Value Solutions, based in Louisville, Ky., projects that in the 2007 holiday season, the average gift card buyer will spend $203 on cards, a $17 increase from 2006."
This might be the guy in me coming out, but I love gift cards--both giving and receiving them. I've heard all the arguments against them--namely, that they are "too easy," and that not enough thought goes into them. I disagree. When someone gets me a gift card to Borders, Barnes and Noble, or to one of the various coffee shops I frequent, it tells me that he or she knows me well enough to get me something I'll use. What could be more personal than that?
When I'm considering what to purchase for people, I often know what they like: music, books, restaurants, etc. But I rarely know whether they have already purchased the latest release from their favorite group or author. For that matter, I don't know which previous releases they own either. So if I purchase a specific gift--something I know they will like, I always run the risk of buying something they've already purchased for themselves.
Besides, I sort of like to watch the excitement in somebody's eye's when he or she says, "Oh, I know exactly what I'll get with this" and then the person goes on to tell you the specifics. What could be better than that?
