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More than you want to know about gift cards

bam.kalzumeus.com

11–20 of 180 posts

Re: More than you want to know about gift cards

#11

I still don't understand why it faux-pas to just put cash in a nice card... I just do it anyway. It's a more universal gift card without fees and expiration dates... Anyone who tries to put me down for doing so will simply not be receiving a gift from me next year... Screw stressful stores. plastic cards, and standing in line, my method is much more "green"... :P

Is it? In my family it definitely isn’t.

Re: More than you want to know about gift cards

#12

I still don't understand why it faux-pas to just put cash in a nice card... I just do it anyway. It's a more universal gift card without fees and expiration dates... Anyone who tries to put me down for doing so will simply not be receiving a gift from me next year... Screw stressful stores. plastic cards, and standing in line, my method is much more "green"... :P

In chinese culture, it's a pretty normal thing to give red envelopes with cash inside[0]

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_envelope

Re: More than you want to know about gift cards

#13

I still don't understand why it faux-pas to just put cash in a nice card... I just do it anyway. It's a more universal gift card without fees and expiration dates... Anyone who tries to put me down for doing so will simply not be receiving a gift from me next year... Screw stressful stores. plastic cards, and standing in line, my method is much more "green"... :P

Is it? In my family it definitely isn’t.

My family accepts cash and equivalents for Christmas.

The past four Christmas I've sent bank transfers on the 25th.

Shopping malls, ATMs and banks get just too crowded those days.

Re: More than you want to know about gift cards

#14

I still don't understand why it faux-pas to just put cash in a nice card... I just do it anyway. It's a more universal gift card without fees and expiration dates... Anyone who tries to put me down for doing so will simply not be receiving a gift from me next year... Screw stressful stores. plastic cards, and standing in line, my method is much more "green"... :P

Is it? In my family it definitely isn’t.

Probably some trade consortium trying to convince you that cash is looked down upon. I've yet to meet a younger person who didn't appreciate "cold hard cash" in a card, a la Lucy Van Pelt.

Re: More than you want to know about gift cards

#15
post #2

> Personal financial columnists and comedians do not understand the jobs that gift cards do. They are not cash-but-worse-in-every-way. Closed loop cards allow a giver to personalize a gift to the recipient. A Barnes and Noble gift card to a favorite niece tells that niece that you remember she is a reader, unlike those uncreative family members who would just give her cash. The article doesn't actually explain the jo…

The job being done by gift cards is transferring money to your relatives with some protection against them spending it on drugs.

(Source: a relative who used to give me gift cards.)

Re: More than you want to know about gift cards

#16
> employers to offer a gym stipend instead of the equivalent amount of salary

Isn't that partly tax benefit and partly the hope that steering employees to better health, results in better employees? E.g., for 20usd I can give them 16usd cash after taxes (or whatever) or 20usd worth of gym membership AND I'd rather my employee exercise than spend money on candy.

> A Barnes and Noble gift card to a favorite niece tells that niece that you remember she is a reader, unlike those uncreative family members who would just give her cash.

My first thought was, as others have mentioned too, "buy a card and give cash", but the thoughtful card costs money, so the recipient pays through poor convenience for the cost of the paper card, instead of the giver spending money on the thoughtful presentation.

Re: More than you want to know about gift cards

#17
post #2

> Personal financial columnists and comedians do not understand the jobs that gift cards do. They are not cash-but-worse-in-every-way. Closed loop cards allow a giver to personalize a gift to the recipient. A Barnes and Noble gift card to a favorite niece tells that niece that you remember she is a reader, unlike those uncreative family members who would just give her cash. The article doesn't actually explain the jo…

Gift cards are about signaling. People are very brand loyal. Cash isn't brand loyal despite its flexibility. Cash and a card to say "buy books" feels less personal than a B&N card for some reason. There is the other part where the gift card is reserved money. Cash gets put into a pocket and spent on gas. A gift card is reserved and people feel anticipation of what they could go buy on their next trip. There is also the open moment when people feel like "Target gift card, I love Target!!!"

Also, do you mean the religious holiday that the church moved to the winter solstice because they couldn't get people to stop celebrating the solstice? Also, in the bible story of Christ, gift giving is the primary plot. A gift from God to save the sinners. You also have the Magi who travel far to bring gifts for Jesus. Gift giving is different than all-consuming commercialism and that has a bigger cause in our advertising controlled economy.

Re: More than you want to know about gift cards

#18

I still don't understand why it faux-pas to just put cash in a nice card... I just do it anyway. It's a more universal gift card without fees and expiration dates... Anyone who tries to put me down for doing so will simply not be receiving a gift from me next year... Screw stressful stores. plastic cards, and standing in line, my method is much more "green"... :P

It’s not really a faux pas but it’s not very thoughtful. Receiving a small amount of money is also irrelevant to most middle class and above people.

Re: More than you want to know about gift cards

#19

I still don't understand why it faux-pas to just put cash in a nice card... I just do it anyway. It's a more universal gift card without fees and expiration dates... Anyone who tries to put me down for doing so will simply not be receiving a gift from me next year... Screw stressful stores. plastic cards, and standing in line, my method is much more "green"... :P

Is it? In my family it definitely isn’t.

We make the same "hope it fits" joke every year and everyone still smiles, so I guess it works fine.

Re: More than you want to know about gift cards

#20

I still don't understand why it faux-pas to just put cash in a nice card... I just do it anyway. It's a more universal gift card without fees and expiration dates... Anyone who tries to put me down for doing so will simply not be receiving a gift from me next year... Screw stressful stores. plastic cards, and standing in line, my method is much more "green"... :P

I zelle’d (US instant payment system for participating financial institutions) someone their cash wedding gift, to heck with social convention.
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