Skip the Gift Cards: Just Give Money

Too many of the cards go unused: New York Times
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 29, 2011 1:02 PM CST
Skip the Gift Cards: Just Give Money
Gift cards for various retailers are offered for sale at a supermarket in Omaha, Neb.   (AP Photo/Nati Harnik, File)

Someone on the New York Times editorial board must have gotten some crappy gift cards under the tree this year: The newspaper today proselytizes against the ever-growing trend and suggests that people give cash instead. Too many cards get lost or forgotten, and considering Americans spent $27.8 billion on them this year, that amounts to a lot of wasted gift-giving, says the newspaper.

The editorial squeezes in two anthropological/economic studies making the case that a) giving gifts is important and b) people like buying their own stuff. So, voila, give money. "If you are still worried that cash suggests that you care less, you can always deliver the money in a pretty envelope, with a thoughtful, personal note." (More gift cards stories.)

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