Once upon a time people cringed at the thought of giving a friend, family member or other loved one a mere gift certificate as Christmas present. One worried that the receiver would frown at the thought that giver spent little or no time at all shopping for the perfect, or even just a suitable, gift. These days, however, things are a little different. Gift certificates are great presents to give and receive, as long as the receiver enjoys shopping on their own time with someone else’s money.
Th only time people don’t love to receive gift certificates is when they get a card that they can only spend at a store which does not carry any items they would be interested in purchasing. There are several easy ways you can ensure that the gift certificate you are giving is one that the receiver will love.
Gift certificates for:
Distant relatives- You can’t even remember how old your second cousin is, not to mention what his interests are. But you love giving Christmas gifts and you hate leaving anyone out. Instead of guessing at what he likes, call up someone in the family who knows what’s on his Christmas list. They can give you a list of his favorite stores and the approximate price range of the types of items that he usually buys from that store. Now you know what store to buy the certificate from and how much money the certificate should be worth. It’s that easy.
Bosses and co-workers- There are only so many times that you can give the people in your office pens and paperweights. You don’t know what they do off the clock everyday, but you do know that everyone in your office has to take a lunch break five days out of the week. Buy them a gift certificate to a nearby lunch spot, or one at which you know they have lunch frequently. They will love the free lunch, especially during the Holiday season when budgets are tight.
White elephant or secret Santa- Everyone dreads the secret gift exchange. How do you pick out a gift that anyone would appreciate? Even things that we think of as universal gifts, such as candy and baked goods, could tank if the person is on a special diet. There is one foolproof white elephant gift that anyone could appreciate, a gift card. Credit card companies and malls are now offering general gift cards that work just like a credit card would and they are redeemable nearly everywhere. Perfect!
Children and families: Toy technology is hard to keep up with unless you have a child of your own. Also, you never know what toys a child already has. Cut out the guess work and give the whole family a gift certificate to a place where they can all do something fun together. Buy them a certificate to a children’s museum, and amusement park, or a movie theater. Everyone in the family will thank you for bringing the family together. If there is a little leftover money on the gift certificate after the family outing, the parents can hire a babysitter and make a date out of going back to the movies, just the two of them.
