#Gift cards! Huh! What are they good for?#

Philycheesesteak

...you know the next line of the song. :mad:

I've always thought money is the universal gift voucher, spend in any shop, on any item. :T It could be argued that as a 'gift' giving money means you've given little or no thought to the person, i.e. not spent time on the gift, therefore it holds less value.

I agree for the "Oh I've forgotten your birthday here's twenty quid" possibly is a little lame, but better than nothing...
But isn't getting a voucher/gift card nearly as bad? "I didn't know what to get you but I know you like X so I got you a voucher for a shop which sells X'.

My issue isn't is giving money for a present a bad thing. It's the idea of gift vouchers and should we stop getting them for people and realise the facade they are.

What does the store Give for this guarantee of funds spent in their store? Normally a very cheap holder for the card which put inside the greetings card. What does the store Get other than a guarantee some of their products will be sold at some point, it's money in the bank and they know that a fair number of cards will sit in drawers maybe never to be spent, maybe lost down the cracks of the sofa.

So they've had the money and not had to part with any stock in many cases.

My beef is specifically about Mothercare because it's personally affected me, it may be the same for other gift cards so be warned.

If you don't use the voucher after 24 months they donate the balance to charity! :eek:

I understand companies need to keep an eye on their finances and if everyone were to find their hundreds of thousands of gift cards and vouchers they had lying around and spend them at the same time they could be faced with a cash flow problem, because no doubt they'll have already re-invested the original £20 English pounds your aunty gave them in exchange for this short shelf life trade.

This isn't likely to happen... even if Martin started a campaign for everyone to check their drawers and old wallets. :money:

I think if we're going to be forced to spend that voucher in Your store we should not have a limit on when that should happen.

Money doesn't expire why should gift cards!

What are your thoughts?

Jeff_Bridges_hair

24 months is very generous of them.. Most i think only give 12.. plus they are not going to have problems with cash flow if everyone went in at the same time as the goods are already on the shelf so they would be pleased to get rid of them in the end so they could put new items on the shelves.

I dont mind giving or receiving a gift card if i dont know what to get someone - most people dont know what to get me either so one of these is fine


plus i can make a new gift card with the one i receive

Philycheesesteak

Jeff_Bridges_hair wrote: »

24 months is very generous of them.. Most i think only give 12.. plus they are not going to have problems with cash flow if everyone went in at the same time as the goods are already on the shelf so they would be pleased to get rid of them in the end so they could put new items on the shelves.

I dont mind giving or receiving a gift card if i dont know what to get someone - most people dont know what to get me either so one of these is fine


plus i can make a new gift card with the one i receive

Wouldn't you prefer Money? Or are you the type would would spend it willy nilly and not on a specific gift on yourself.

or was the last statement that you recycle them i.e. palming them on to someone else who's birthday you'd forgotten
(If that's the case they are a benefit... a kind of "I owe you", which is what money is anyway) :rotfl:

mjm3346

24 months is longer than some, but the expiry date does not really matter as it always best to use them as soon as you get them in case the company goes under. Cash is much better.

Jeff_Bridges_hair

Philycheesesteak wrote: »

Wouldn't you prefer Money? Or are you the type would would spend it willy nilly and not on a specific gift on yourself.

or was the last statement that you recycle them i.e. palming them on to someone else who's birthday you'd forgotten
(If that's the case they are a benefit... a kind of "I owe you", which is what money is anyway) :rotfl:

Your right i would fritter it away if i had the money or put it towards another pair of trainers. Actually i mostly get giftcards to enable me to buy trainers as no one dares buy me some cos ill probably take them back and exchange then anyway..

Yeh i recycle if i really dont want the GC - kids in the family can spend it on something they may like.

Philycheesesteak

I have a £5 Waterstones Gift Voucher someone kindly gave me, been sitting in my wallet for ages but rarely go near the store and no doubt would need to spend more than £5 to get anything I'd read... but to prove a point there is no expiry date on it. Seems only these gift cards expire. I do get that money can go in the wallet and end up being spent on beer/food/petrol or whatever else cash needs to go on at that time, although normally I do fold 'gift' money in half to try and encourage me to spend it on 'something' meaningful. But at the end of the day does it matter that I ended up buying something frivilous or got a pair of socks?

[mjm3346] you have a point, and glad I don't have any Woolworths vouchers...

juno

Philycheesesteak wrote: »

I have a £5 Waterstones Gift Voucher someone kindly gave me, been sitting in my wallet for ages but rarely go near the store and no doubt would need to spend more than £5 to get anything I'd read... but to prove a point there is no expiry date on it. Seems only these gift cards expire. I do get that money can go in the wallet and end up being spent on beer/food/petrol or whatever else cash needs to go on at that time, although normally I do fold 'gift' money in half to try and encourage me to spend it on 'something' meaningful. But at the end of the day does it matter that I ended up buying something frivilous or got a pair of socks?

[mjm3346] you have a point, and glad I don't have any Woolworths vouchers...

If it's an old Waterstone's gift voucher you may be able to use it in HMV.