Gift Card Rant -- 12/27/2018
In this week's newsletter, I hope you don’t mind if I go off on a tangent about Christmas. Before diving in, I want to clarify that my reflections here are primarily based on the U.S. celebrations. I’ve experienced the holiday in various countries, including Mexico, Aruba, Australia, and New Zealand, and I believe they manage to keep the festive spirit at just the right level.
My main issue with how Christmas is celebrated in the U.S. is the rampant commercial frenzy that surrounds it. As the holiday approaches, shopping centers are filled with people in a stressed scramble, desperately trying to tick off names from their gift lists. In the end, we often give presents that recipients may already possess, don’t need, or simply don’t fit their tastes. Though there are certainly some gifts that are spot-on, these instances are rare. As I pen this on December 26, queues are forming all over the country with people returning gifts that were less than desirable.
Some might suggest that opting for gift cards could mitigate the dilemma of selecting an inappropriate present. However, gift cards introduce their own unique challenges. It's estimated that around 10% of gift cards go unclaimed. I have around 20 gift cards stashed away, none of which hold significant value to warrant a trip to redeem them, and often, I forget about them entirely when I’m actually at the store. Moreover, many gift cards come with expiration dates or deduct values if not used within a given period. Additionally, I’ve encountered situations where the cards become unreadable over time; for instance, a $300 Adidas gift card was deemed invalid at a store in Vegas. Despite my attempts to explain the issue to customer service—holding the card number—I found myself being shuffled through their automated system for an hour without ever connecting with a real person. Lastly, gift cards can send a message that you don’t have enough thoughtfulness to choose a personalized gift. If you find yourself in such a situation, I recommend offering cash as a gift since it can be used anywhere and never expires. Wikipedia I propose a bold idea: let’s reconsider the tradition of gifting adults during Christmas and make it truly optional. To be clear, this is how I feel, and I believe many share that sentiment. Thankfully, most of us are capable of purchasing anything we want within the usual price range of gifts. If you happen to find something you genuinely believe the receiver would appreciate and wouldn’t otherwise discover, then by all means, go for it. However, simply exchanging gifts because everyone else is doing it, resulting in many unwanted items, is an inefficient use of time and resources.
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Thank you for listening.