Those Gift Cards

What is the most given but least appreciated Christmas gift? No it isn't a fruitcake or an electric mixer for a woman. It's the gift card! Consumer reports magazine has just reported that 62% of all gift givers will give a gift card as a present this year. The problem is, only 13% of the recipients said a gift card was among the most wanted gifts. Hmmm It might be because when you give a gift card (and I like to give them) it says "I didn't know what you liked or what to get you, so I took the easy way out and am giving you a gift card for use at a store you might not like to buy something you probably won't use."

Still, those gift cards are easy to regift and..oh never mind that. The news about them this years is that merchants are trying everything to make them more attractive gifts. The profit margin on gift cards that are misplaced or never used is enormous, so every retailer wants in on the racket. And , when you buy a gift card the retailer gets your money interest free until the recipient redeems it for merchandise. I did a little research on new gift card gimmicks that stores hope will make you buy one to give aa gift. here are a few.

* If you buy an American Eagle Outfitters gift card you can send it in a text message...kind of the ultimate in impersonal gifts, I think.
* Home Depot's gift card lets you hold it in front of a web cam and see products that you might like to use the card on.
* When Wal Mart cards are scratched they smell like gingerbread (which Wal mart sells, too)
* Amazon.com's gift card can be sent as a Face book posting (well it beats getting one of those farm animal application requests)
* Wildcard lets the gift card giver send them through a phone application. (yet another way cell phones can intrude on our lives).

Last year, by the end of October, 25% of all people surveyed about their gift cards, still had not redeemed them for merchandise. Consumer reports says that it translated into consumers losing almost 5 billion dollars. And because of that, new gift card trading/sale sites a have sprouted up where you can sell that unwanted gift card for, on average, 70% of the card value. "Plastic Jungle" is the biggest one if you care to have a look at it).

Anyway, any gift cards you get and don't want you can give to me. I won't complain.