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More than you want to know about gift cards

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Re: More than you want to know about gift cards

#111

Post by codazoda »

pavon wrote: post #110
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

Here's an idea to make a cash gift more fun. If I know a family member is trying to save up for something they want (that is either too pricey or too personalized to buy as a gift outright), I'll fold up some cash (origami style - sometimes with tape) in the shape of that item and send that as a gift to contribute to the purchase of the item. It shows you put some thought into the gift, while leaving them free to spe…

Along those lines, my mother in law rolled up two dollar bills in a tin can. We were spending the bills all over town. They are rare enough that some places wondered if they were real. Your bank can probably get you as many as you need.

Re: More than you want to know about gift cards

#112

Post by jimt1234 »

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…

Great, now Amazon thinks your wife is pregnant. Expect endless ads for diapers. LOL

Re: More than you want to know about gift cards

#113

Post by fma »

yumraj wrote: post #103
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

Giving cash is common in India, and I believe several other Asian countries. Edit: In fact, in India it is common for folks to keep track of how much who gave, so that that a similar/slightly larger amount can be returned when the time comes. Edit2: Another cultural tidbit, in India generally you give an odd number ending in 1. Common gifts are 11, 21, 51, 101, 501, 1001 ...

Cash is common in China...or now a days, on WeChat you can send a "Red packet" of money to friends or in a groups. If you go to a wedding, you drop your red packet in a box...while in the US we have "gift registries" where a newly wed are forced to acquire physical possessions they may or may not need.

I'm not sure why cash is taboo in US - I suspect it's derived from corporations trying to drive customers to purchase items, even gift cards. After all, $1 saved is $1 not spent and that's bad for profits /s.

Re: More than you want to know about gift cards

#114

Post by lotsofpulp »

kelnos wrote: post #104
lotsofpulp wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A gift card is more crass and far shittier than cash. It is giving me an obligation to shop somewhere and to keep track of that. I do not want to carry a stupid gift card around with me, or have to remember to use it, or how much more is left on it. And the principle of it is that the cash they could have given you is now earning the retailer interest?

I agree that it's shittier (from an ease-of-use perspective), but I don't agree that it's more crass. The usual objection to cash or cash-equivalent gifts is that they're impersonal and show that you don't know the recipient well enough to pick a gift they'd like, or care enough to expend the effort to find one. A gift card (at least if it isn't something generic like Amazon or Starbucks) at least says "I wasn't sure…

I will give you that gift cards can be used to signal they noticed you like a certain type of thing, but a gift card to Amazon or Target does not do that.

If you really do not know what the other person would like as a gift, and do not want to do cash, a regular phone calls I think is more meaningful. I want for almost nothing except home cooked food that would be given as a gift, but just calling and spending a few min to say hello and update on happenings in your life is much preferred.

Re: More than you want to know about gift cards

#115

Post by ramchip »

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 works until everyone does it. It's kind of weird when I give my mom cash in a card and she gives me cash in a card...

Re: More than you want to know about gift cards

#116

Post by AussieWog93 »

mikepurvis wrote: post #101
ximeng wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also given by managers to staff and generally to people that help you in your day-to-day life.

Cool! I wonder if it’s maybe an analog to westerners giving extra big tips at the holiday season to their hairdresser, barista, cleaning lady, etc

Is that a Western thing?

I know they do it in South Africa (along with a "13th month" of pay), and I'm assuming the US too.

Outside of those two, I don't really know of any other Western cultures where tipping is much of a thing at all - let alone big tips at the end of the year.

Re: More than you want to know about gift cards

#117

Post by throwaway413 »

jameshart wrote: post #109
throwaway413 wrote: post #41

Idea: “unlocked” public bitcoin wallets with autogenerated key pairs that can be given to someone without them needing a pre-existing wallet. 1) transactions are instant and free, ie giving over physical ownership of a pub/private key pair (this could be done via scan of a QR code) 2) no prior onboarding necessary (avoids the repeated question “do you have this wallet/app?”) Before, if I didn’t have cash, to tip a va…

Since this amounts to handing over the password to a wallet, what guarantee does the recipient of the wallet have that they are now the exclusive holder of that password? You could easily have retained access yourself, so after you walk away you can yank the funds out of it. Or you could hand out access to the same wallet to a half dozen people. Without actually transferring the funds to a wallet you know you exclusi…

Very true - this is elaborated on in the rest of this thread. Basically, the holder would have to be locked out of the private key from creation of the wallet, and there would have to be trust placed in a centralized regulatory body to issue and redeem these wallets.

Re: More than you want to know about gift cards

#118

Post by shostack »

sumtechguy wrote: post #28
pezzana wrote: 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…

Some of my family has reverted to just Christmas greeting cards. We were basically exchanging some amount of equal value cards. We decided to just skip that and get together and have a bit of food and company. For other parts of my family getting together and opening presents is part of the get together and has been a tradition in our family for 50+ years. We open our presents and then have a huge paper wad fight. It…

Honestly I wish I could get some people to switch to greeting cards only. The whole equal value exchange is there, but so is the stress of needing to pick out gifts. Honestly, in this day and age I'd rather they give me the gift of less stress by not having to pick out a gift.

Re: More than you want to know about gift cards

#120

Post by gorgoiler »

svachalek wrote: post #72
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…

I'm not great at gifts but the thing I've learned is, consumables. Chocolate, wine, your bath bomb, fancy cookies, etc. They're fairly universal, won't run into the "already have it" problem, and don't leave the recipient feeling like they now need to hold onto something forever or risk offending you. You may not score a direct hit but generally if you know people at all you can't go too far wrong.

My family pact this year is we have agreed to buy each other stationery. Paper, pencils, stickies, and fountain pen ink — all consumable and easy to find something for everyone (especially if they like sushi, cats, or owls.)

https://www.jetpens.com/Kurochiku-Mejirushi-Sticky-Notes/ct/...

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