Bad: Gift Cards: The Gift That Says, "Whatever"

I'm treading in treacherous ingrate territory here, because I've been given gift cards a number of times. A positive real number, greater than 5. I may have even given them myself. I like almost all the people who have given them to me. I do not think they are evile or thoughtless; indeed, they are generous and it was certainly very nice of them to have given me something.

That wishy-washiness out of the way, however, here is my thesis: a gift card is not the equivalent of a gift. A gift card says, "I feel obligated to present you with something, and I value you at X dollars." A properly chosen gift, on the other hand, indicates that one has spent time thinking about the recipient. It provides her with something nice without the trouble of slogging through the rain to the store to get it herself, and then standing there debating whether it's too much a splurge. It is a personal gesture, and the amount of money spent is beside the point.

My other objection to gift cards is that it is very difficult to spend the exact amount provided. Either the giftee gets something for less, and part of the money is wasted, or she chooses something more expensive and has to add some of her own money to get the "gift."

Maybe I'm wrong, and the people I've been so carefully choosing cashmere sweaters and pig-shaped salt-and-pepper shakers for would rather just have an envelope of cash. Would you? Let me know.