Show Them the Money

We're in the middle of a frustrating situation. Jason received a gift certificate last year when he graduated high school. Today we tried to use it to order him some items, and the website is not accepting it.

Gift certificates in general are a mistake. A large percentage of recipients forget about them and never cash them in. Therefore, they are a gift to the store, not to the person. So when we know most of them go unused, why do people buy them instead of just handing over a few crisp greenbacks?

Somewhere people got the idea that giving cash is tacky. It's not a good enough gift. It shows you didn't take the time to think about the person receiving the gift and tailor your purchase to his or her particular personality and interests.

So how is a gift certificate any different? It really isn't. Just because a person likes to read, and you buy a certificate to a bookstore, that doesn't show any deep thought either. Let's face it, cash would work just as well. You can give a gift of cash and say, "Here, buy yourself a book you've been itching to read."

I'm never going to buy a gift certificate again. If I don't have the time or energy to pick up a personalized present, then cash will do just fine. It's the right color, it is always the right size, and best of all, it has no expiration date.