Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

More than you want to know about gift cards

bam.kalzumeus.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

91–100 of 180 posts

Re: More than you want to know about gift cards

#91

Post by toast0 »

madcaptenor wrote: post #63
Symbiote wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> A gift card is reserved and people feel anticipation of what they could go buy on their next trip. Growing up in England, my aunt occasionally managed this with cash. She would give me Scottish banknotes at Christmas, which look different, but can be spent without much difficulty almost anywhere in Britain. (The aunt lives in England, so acquiring the Scottish banknotes probably took some effort.)

The US equivalent of this, I think, would be giving two-dollar bills. They exist and are legal tender but are rarely seen.

I heartily recommend ordering $2 bills from wherever you do your banking. It's way more amusing than it should be to flip through a strap of bills. Even if it's only $200.

Re: More than you want to know about gift cards

#92

Post by jimbokun »

winternett wrote: post #10

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

My father in law would do things like taping bills to the bottom of a Nutella jar and wrapping that as a gift for grandkids.

Was appreciated by all. Cash as a gift can be fun if you are creative with it.

Re: More than you want to know about gift cards

#93

Post by skinnymuch »

pdabbadabba wrote: post #62
winternett wrote: post #10

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

Cash in a nice card can certainly be as good or better than a gift card. It's not necessarily a faux-pas. But it really depends on the situation. In some cases a gift card can be better if it is clear that the giver put some thought into the selection of the card (i.e., where it can be redeemed). There is something about the fact that the funds on a gift card can only be used in a restricted way that encourages the r…

The last two times, I’ve included a short url that redirects to a notion page personalized for the person. As in it includes the nickname or something. The page includes instructions on how to add the gift card to the store’s app and/or site (with an account). All relevant links included to make it as easy as possible.

I also looked up apps that can be gift card aggregators and will include that next time too.

—-

I did a similar thing when I gifted Alexa Echo Show devices (the ones with a screen). These instructions included how to use a separate Amazon account so the device won’t get your contacts etc, if the person wants that privacy. Along with two 3 minute videos setting up the device and going over a few basic aspects of it. This would be a ton of work for one gift. I have now done this gift 5x and primarily to average technical people.

Basically what I’m saying is. Gift giving is hard. It makes me super anxious and stressed. I think I’ve found my own niche/trick of including personalized instructions and information. I’ve never tried this on an equally techy person though!

Re: More than you want to know about gift cards

#94

Post by guptaneil »

jimbokun wrote: post #92
winternett wrote: post #10

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

My father in law would do things like taping bills to the bottom of a Nutella jar and wrapping that as a gift for grandkids. Was appreciated by all. Cash as a gift can be fun if you are creative with it.

This. I recently got married and one of the gifts was a box of origami boats made from cash, with a nice card about how our marriage boat will take us on many great journeys. At the end of the day, it was cash but it really stuck out as an excellent gift.

Re: More than you want to know about gift cards

#95

Post by mistrial9 »

airstrike wrote: post #24

Conversely, here's really "All you need to know about gift cards": think about the interest being generated from all that cash sitting idle on some issuer's account while the recipient of your gift card decides how to spend their money. > Most retailers do not have sufficient gift card liabilities and do not have sufficiently sophisticated treasury teams to make a meaningful amount of income off an investment portfol…

yes, the article mentions coupons briefly, which are ancestors and a very large topic. Diligent literature search turned up very little. The way the money is actually handled is trade secret it seems. This is a very old aspect of money handling in retail.

Re: More than you want to know about gift cards

#96

Post by agustif »

lostcolony wrote: post #57
cmckn wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don’t think it is, at least not in my family. Cash is no more of a faux pas than a gift card, at least. I happen to think either is a pretty lame gift. Instead of a gift card to LUSH, for example, just buy me a bath bomb or whatever. Maybe I won’t like the scent you choose, maybe I’ll love it—that’s the nature of receiving a gift. Besides, gift cards are rarely enough to cover an actual purchase with taxes and etc…

My wife did something amazing this year that I think is relevant here. She had a baby shower to go to. She didn't know what to get the mother to be. So she bought an Amazon gift card. And then she created a wishlist of items she thought the mother might need, doing the research to find reputable brands, unique solutions to problems, "best mom gadgets", etc (such as the pacifier that you can put liquids into; it lets…

Could you share the list>

Re: More than you want to know about gift cards

#98

Post by a4isms »

winternett wrote: post #10

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 think a gift card is a bad gift. You take money that is good everywhere...” (long pause, punctuated by applause and laughter)

—Mitch Hedberg, 1968 - 2005

Re: More than you want to know about gift cards

#99

Post by a4isms »

AussieWog93 wrote: post #64
mikepurvis wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Those are a family thing, though. Other than at my wedding, I've only ever received a straight cash gift from family members (eg, grandparents).

Every Chinese kid gets these during the New Year celebrations. It's not a family thing so much as it's cultural.

I married a Chinese woman, and thus at New Year’s all the children would go out of their way to do me favours so I would give them their red packets.

I jokingly complained that I was getting a bad deal: I didn’t get red packets as a child, but I had to give them away as an adult. But my aunt-in-law put it most amusingly:

“Giving red packets is even luckier than receiving them.”

How so?

“Do you have money to put in the packet and still eat? That’s pretty lucky."

Re: More than you want to know about gift cards

#100

Post by IMTDb »

winternett wrote: post #10

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 really depends on the economic situation of the recipient.

I am lucky enough to have more than enough money to maintain the life that I want to have. Giving me cash makes no material difference to me. It will most likely sit in a savings account for potentially the rest of my life. Don't do that especially if you need it (please!).

Finding an actual "physical" gift can be hard, time consuming, stressful, would prompt you to spend more than you afford to "ensure a proper gift", etc.

Gift cards for something I don't usually do is a relatively easy way to solve that. It's like saying "I know you can afford it, but you don't seem to XYZ that often, and maybe you'll like it". XYZ can be [discover a store], [try an experience], [visit some place] or anything else. If I know someone put a little money on that, I will honour that and hopefully discover something new, which is the best gift ever !. And you can put the exact amount that you feel comfortable putting (and in fact the amount itself does not really matter).

But indeed, if the recipient is in any position where cash could be helpful, or if they are saving for a purpose (travel, house, child, ...). Just give cash instead.

Post reply on HN