Gift Giving Guy

Maybe it’s all those tabloids distracting me like train wrecks, but it wasn’t until today that I noticed just how many gift cards I could buy in the checkout lane at my grocery store. I documented the gift cards in my lane and the two adjacent lanes. I counted at least 17 cards in $25 to $50 amounts.

• Apple iTunes
• Barnes & Noble
• Bed, Bath & Beyond
• Best Buy
• Blockbuster Video
• Chili’s / Maggiano’s Little Italy / Macaroni Grill
• Foot Locker
• Home Depot
• Kohl’s Department Store
• Marcus Movie Theatres
• Old Navy
• Olive Garden Italian Restaurant
• Pizza Hut
• Red Lobster
• Sears
• Starbucks Coffee
• Toys”R”Us / Babies”R”Us

My take on gift cards is to use them only in cases where you are sure the recipient raves about the service or product. It’s even better if the recipient would consider your choice a splurge. Why? Gift cards are such popular gifts that some cards are left uncashed. In 2006, the Keane Organization, a compliance and risk management consulting firm, estimated that 6 percent, or $4.8 billion, of gift cards went unused in the U.S. Consumer Reports gave a higher estimate: 19 percent of cards go unspent. So when you give a gift card, choose one they cannot resist using.