Don't Give A Gift Certifcate

Don't Give A Gift Certifcate

You might have heard a little buzz in the past few years about how great gift certificates are. You might have been shopping and seen signs in every store encouraging you to get a gift certificate for everyone on your list. You might start thinking that buying only gift certificates would really make your life easier, but before that happens, let me set the record straight: do not buy a gift certificate. Don't buckle under the pressure just because everyone else is doing it.

There are probably countless reasons why you shouldn't buy a gift certificate for your family member or friend, but perhaps I can convince you wiht just a few great reasons. The biggest reason that I warn against people buying a gift certificate in place of a real gift is that a gift certificate is so impersonal. Think about it. Purchasing a gift certificate takes almost no thought or care. You simply enter almost any store there is and within minutes walk away with a gift that anyone could use. What happened to people spending time looking for the unique gift for each person on their list? What happened to actually caring about the likes and dislikes of the people you love and buying gifts for them accordingly? Everyone would rather receive a personal gift that they hate more than receiving an impersonal gift certificate that they can use. Right?

Not only is buying a gift certificate impersonal, but it is also much too easy. Everyone knows that the more time and work was put into purchasing a gift, the more the person will love and cherish it. No one values a gift that didn't cost the person time and energy to buy. Don't let yourself get sucked into the trap that says it is the thought that counts, not the gift. I beg to differ. It is the gift, and only the gift, that really counts. And if it is only the gift that counts than a gift certificate certainly won't do.

People should never substitute a real gift for a gift certificate because who doesn't have extra hours to spend shopping for something special? Nearly everyone I know could afford to make space in their schedules for a trip or two to the mall. People love nothing more than spending all of their free time shopping for gifts. No one loves the instant gratification that buying a gift certificate can bring. People love the hours of sweat and deliberation that take place during any true shopping trip.

Contrary to popular belief, people would rather not have the freedom to choose their own clothes and belongings, so the purchase of a gift certificate is giving people a freedom they would rather not have. People would much rather that their clothes, music, and home furnishings be picked out by others and simply given in wrapped packages with bows. So never think that by giving a gift certificate you are doing someone a favor.

I hope by now you've seen why giving a gift certificate is by far the worst way to go when trying to choose the perfect gift. Or at least I hope you've learned why I am out of touch and the worst possible person to give advice about where or how to shop. So, forget everything I've said. Save yourself time, money & stress of trying to shop for picky people and pick up a gift certificate for everyone on your list.